What is the Rhodes Scholarship?

Internal Deadline:

July 17, 2023 at 12:00 PM for countries not listed

September 1, 2023 at 12:00 PM  for U.S. applicants

Contact the Office of Fellowships for support at least one month before this deadline.

The Rhodes Scholarship fully funds 2-3 years of graduate study in any field at the University of Oxford and is accompanied by programming for scholars including character, service & leadership retreats; speaker events; internships; and skills workshops. Tuition, fees, living allowance, and travel expenses to and from Oxford are made in direct payment to the college at Oxford and to the scholar. The graduate study plan may take the form of two 1-yr master’s degrees, a 2-yr master’s, a doctorate, or a second B.A. in residence at Oxford. Rhodes awards 32 American scholarships per year; award numbers vary for other countries.


Award Details

A woman writing on paper in front of a computer

How do I apply?

Carefully read our Rhodes Scholarship Application page for detailed guidance on the application itself and the steps you should take to prepare a competitive application. This application requires institutional endorsement.

Information For Recommenders

Content: If you are writing on behalf of a U.S. applicant, please read the Rhodes' Guide for U.S. Referees but note AC's internal deadline for your letter (above). Recommenders for the Global or Rhodes from other countries should read the referee guide for that country/region. (On this page, select the country, then scroll down to the pdf titled Information for Referees.) You may also find useful these Suggestions for Writing Fellowships Recommendation Letters. 

Format and submission: Letters for the Rhodes Scholarship should be no more than 2 single-spaced pages, minimum 10 pt type, on letterhead, signed, addressed to the Rhodes Scholarship Selection Committee, and uploaded as pdfs. (Please do not put locks or security protections on your letter.) For the internal campus deadline (for U.S. or Canada Rhodes) of September 1, 2023, please send your letters to  Christine Overstreet, Director of Fellowships, at coverstreet@amherst.edu. 

Your letter will be read by the faculty Committee on Student Fellowships before they interview the candidate. If they elect to endorse the candidate to the Rhodes Trust, you will receive an emailed request from the Rhodes Embark online portal with a link and upload instructions, due by the national Rhodes deadline. Before you upload your letter, Rhodes will ask you to:

  • indicate the applicant’s relative academic standing in comparison with other students on the same course (major) at the same institution (answer choices, Top 1%, Top 3%, etc.)
  • specify the basis for the above ranking, and
  • say how many students in total are in the applicant’s year group on their program of study, i.e. how many students is the candidate being compared with?

These questions are based on the continued effort to globalize the Rhodes application process and promote consistency between constituencies. The answers may also provide additional guidance during the Oxford application process, should the applicant go on to win the scholarship. Rhodes advises academic letter writers to answer the questions to the best of their knowledge. If the answers are difficult to ascertain, they recommend choosing the “Not Applicable” option that is presented or writing it in the space provided. Either way, the district committees will fully review each letter of recommendation for every eligible applicant.


Have questions? Please contact us.

Christine Overstreet, Director of Fellowships
212 Converse Hall
413-542-2536
coverstreet@amherst.edu

Eric Myers, Associate Director of Fellowships
213 Converse Hall
413-542-5079
ermyers@amherst.edu

Physical address: 100 Boltwood Avenue, Amherst, MA 01002

Mailing Address: AC #2214, PO Box 5000, Amherst, MA 01002