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Rhodes Scholarship

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Rhodes House in Oxford

Rhodes Scholarships were created by Cecil John Rhodes. They are awarded annually since 1903 by the Oxford-based Rhodes Trust, on the basis of academic qualities as well as those of character. They provide the successful candidate with two years of study at the University of Oxford in England, possibly extended for a third year.

When Rhodes died in 1902, his will stipulated that the greater part of his fortune was to go towards the establishment of a scholarship fund. The scholarships, originally worth £300, would reward those applicants who exhibited worthy qualities of intellect, character, and physical ability with the aim of promoting cross-cultural understanding and peace between nations.

Standards

With such lofty aims in mind, the requirements for applicants are equally high. Rhodes' will specified four standards by which applicants were to be judged:

  • literary and scholastic attainments;
  • energy to use one's talents to the full, as exemplified by fondness for and success in sports;
  • truth, courage, devotion to duty, sympathy for and protection of the weak, kindliness, unselfishness and fellowship;
  • moral force of character and instincts to lead, and to take an interest in one's fellow beings.

Rhodes' aim in setting these stringent standards was his hope that his Scholars would be physically, intellectually and morally capable of leadership, and that wherever their future careers might take them, they would seek to improve the lot of humanity.

Rhodes' will originally provided for scholarships for the British colonies, the United States, and Germany. These three were chosen so that "an understanding between the three great powers will render war impossible."

Rhodes, who attended Oxford, chose his alma mater as the site of his great experiment because he believed its residential colleges provided the ideal environment for intellectual contemplation and personal development.

Changes

The program has evolved over its century of existence.

An early change was the elimination of the scholarships for Germany during World Wars I and II. No German scholars were chosen from 1914 to 1932 and from 1939 to 1970.

Despite the passage of the Sex Discrimination Act of 1975 in the UK, it took a special Act of Parliament to change the will of Cecil Rhodes, thus extending selection criteria in 1977 to include women.

For at least its first 75 years, scholars usually read for a Bachelor of Arts degree. While that remains an option, more recent scholars usually read for an advanced degree.

Another change came in 1929, when an act of Parliament established a separate fund from the proceeds of the original. This made it possible for changes and expansions to the number of scholarships. For example, between 1993 and 1995, scholarships were extended to other countries in the European Community.

Allocations

Approximately 90 Scholars are selected worldwide each year.

Country2003
allocation		1903
allocation
USA3232
Canada112
Newfoundland
(originally separate)		-1
South Africa
(originally Southern Africa)		105
Australia96
India6-
Germany45
New Zealand31
Caribbean Commonwealth2-
Kenya2-
Pakistan2-
Zimbabwe
(originally Rhodesia)		23
Bangladesh1-
Bermuda11
Hong Kong1-
Jamaica11
Malaysia1-
Singapore1-
Uganda1-
Zambia1-

Notable Rhodes Scholarship recipients


In recognition of the centenary of the foundation of the Rhodes Trust in 2003, four scholars were awarded honorary degrees to Oxford:

Notable Universities

The universities of Harvard, Yale and Princeton hold the top three spots, respectively, in terms of largest numbers of Rhodes Scholarships won by their graduates. In 2004, the number of students selected from Harvard, Yale and Princeton to be Rhodes scholars were 5, 2, and 0, respectively.

Former Trustees

External links

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