Rhodes Global Scholarships for Postgraduate Study at the University of Oxford

Deadline: August 1, 2022

The Global Scholarships allow eligible candidates from the rest of the world (i.e. not eligible under any other Rhodes Scholarships Constituency) to apply for a Scholarship, subject to nomination.

You can request and receive nomination through the application form itself – you will not be able to submit an application for a Global Rhodes Scholarship unless a nomination from your institution has been received.

Your eligibility for the Global Scholarship must also be confirmed by a member of the Rhodes House team. This will be done through the application form but you will only be able to submit once you have received approval.

As the Rhodes Scholarships are place-based, the eligibility criteria, application requirements and selection process vary slightly depending on which constituency you are applying for. To ensure that you have all of the information you need to apply, please read the Information for Candidates – specific to Global – carefully. You should also check the Conditions of Tenure to ensure that your proposed course of study is covered by the Rhodes Scholarship and share the Guidance for Referees with your referees. These documents can all be accessed below.

The Selection Criteria

There is no such thing as a ‘type’ when considering who gets selected for a Scholarship. In fact the strength of the Scholarship comes from its diversity.

Eligibility

The eligibility criteria for the Rhodes Scholarships vary depending on which constituency you are applying for. Below you can use our Eligibility Checker to find out if you meet the criteria and are eligible to apply for the Rhodes Scholarships.

The ‘Your Constituency’ box will have been automatically completed for you based on the country you selected on the previous page. You should then answer ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ to each of the eligibility questions. Once you have answered each question please click continue to find out if you are eligible and what to do next!

Your Constituency: West Africa

Your Nationality or citizenship

Are you a citizen of one of the following countries?

Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, the island of Saint Helena, Senegal, Sierra Leone, São Tomé and Principe and Togo.

Your Education / residency

Have you been resident in one or more of the countries listed above for at least five of the last ten years?

Your Age Criteria Do you meet either of the below criteria?

i. On 1 October 2022, you must be at least 18 and have not reached your 25th birthday (i.e. you must have been born after 1 October 1997 and on or before 1 October 2004).

OR for medical, dental, pharmaceutical, law and engineering students, to allow you to complete your professional internship

ii. On 1 October 2022, you must be at least 18 and have not reached your 26th birthday (i.e. you must have been born after 1 October 1996 and on or before 1 October 2004)

OR for older candidates who completed their first undergraduate degree later than usual

iii. On 1 October 2022, you must have met or will meet the academic requirements for completing your first undergraduate degree on or after 1 October 2021 AND must have not reached your 27th birthday (i.e. have been born after 1 October 1995).*

* A university’s policy determines the date of completion of academic requirement for a degree and this may be different from when a degree is considered awarded by the university or the date of a graduation ceremony. In ambiguous cases, the decision of the National Secretary is final.

Your Academic Achievement

Have you already completed, or will have completed by July 2023, an undergraduate degree (normally a Bachelor’s degree) with an academic background and grade that is a First Class Honours Degree or equivalent which meets or exceeds the specific entry requirements of your chosen full-time course at the University of Oxford?

• in the case of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmacy courses, the highest classification your University awards, e.g. a Distinction would be considered equivalent to a First Class Honours Degree.

Given the very intense international competition for places at the University of Oxford, candidates will have a greater chance of successful admission to Oxford if you have:

• an Honours degree (or have taken an Honours year) from a University outside of your country or if you have studied to Masters level within your country (with the exception of those studying in Nigeria and Ghana, and, for some countries, those studying medicine). Candidates may wish to consider applying to the Rhodes Trust’s sister foundation, The Mandela Rhodes Foundation , to pursue Honour’s year or a Master’s degree prior to making an application for the Rhodes Scholarship.

English Language Criteria

Do you have a sufficiently high standard of English? And will you have met – by the application deadline – the English language proficiency requirements for IELTS / TOEFL (at the Higher Level listed) of the University of Oxford?