The Rhodes Scholarship Australia

This financial support is not administered by the University.

Overview

Each year, nine Rhodes Scholarships are available for outstanding Australians to study at the University of Oxford. Of the nine scholarships available each year in Australia, each state offers one Scholarship that is awarded by a selection committee of seven members based in the state. In addition, there are three Australia-at-Large Scholarships awarded by a selection committee based in Canberra. This selection committee will consider applicants from the ACT and Northern Territory ('the Territories'), as well as those candidates nominated by state selection committees. Please note that applicants cannot apply directly to Australia-at-Large.

About 100 Rhodes Scholars are selected from around 60 nominated countries around the world every year, with two Global Scholars selected from any other country. There are now over 5,000 Rhodes Scholars worldwide, and alumni connections are growing.

Field of study

Any Discipline

Eligibility

To be eligible to apply for a Rhodes Scholarship, candidates must:

be Australian citizens or Permanent Residents;
have completed at least two years of schooling at an Australian secondary school;
upon 1 October 2023, be at least 18 and have not reached your 25th birthday (i.e. you must have been born after 1 October 1998 and on or before 1 October 2005) OR (for older candidates who completed their first undergraduate degree later than usual) you must have not reached your 27th birthday (i.e. have been born after 1 October 1996) AND you have met or will meet the requirements for completion of your first degree on or after 1 July 2022*;
have completed an Australian bachelors, honours, or masters degree or international equivalent with a proficiency level of first class honours or an equivalent mark of distinction (masters or international qualification) by no later than 30 June 2024 (indicative GPA of >6.75/7 or WAM 80% or equivalent); and
meet the entry requirements for your proposed course at Oxford (http://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions); and
have not applied for the Rhodes Scholarship more than once before (provided you were unsuccessful in the first attempt).

* A university's policy determines the date a degree is considered awarded. In ambiguous cases, the decision of the National Secretary is final.

ANU students can apply through the Australian Territories panel to be considered for the Australia-at-Large scholarships, or can apply in the state in which they completed at least two years of secondary schooling, in which case you should contact that state panel for more information . If you meet the eligibility criteria for more than one Rhodes Constituency, you must only apply to one. You should apply to the Rhodes Constituency with which you have the greatest connection

Competition for Rhodes Scholarships is extremely competitive and candidates selected for interview are of outstanding quality. Before candidates submit an application, they should realistically assess their ability to meet all of the qualification and eligibility criteria and to compete at this elite level. Entry to Oxford is also extremely competitive.

Benefits

The Financial benefits range from AUD 75,000 to AUD 125,000 and includes the following

All Oxford University and College fees
The University application fee
A personal stipend (2020 £15,141 per annum)
Private health insurance
One economy class airfare to Oxford at the start of the scholarship and one economy flight back to the student's home country at the conclusion of the scholarship

How to apply

Applications open on Saturday 1 July 2023 and close at 23:59 AEST on Friday 8 September 2023. In addition to the completed application form, you need:

your birth certificate or passport confirming that you meet the age criterion
any additional official documentation required to prove your Australian citizenship or permanent residency
evidence you have completed at least two years of schooling at an Australian secondary school
your academic record (including original academic transcripts)
an academic statement of study
a personal statement
a full curriculum vitae
details of 5 referees (of which 3 are academic)

Shortlisting and interviews will be scheduled in October and November 2023.

Referee reports

Candidates are required to contact their referees to confirm that they are able to submit a reference by the due date, then to enter their referees' contact details into the on-line Application Form. Please note that once the referee details have been typed in and saved to the system, an email will be automatically sent to referees with instructions on how to submit their reference on-line. The system will then attach the referee reports to the candidate's application for viewing by the Selection Committee members. Please note that we do not expect to receive hard copy references.

The Australia-at-Large administrator does not contact referees to seek reports - it is up to each candidate to check with the administrator that all their reports have been received.

All referee reports must be received by the due date. An application will not be accepted unless all referee reports have been submitted by the closing date.

Steps to follow to apply for an Australia-at-Large Rhodes Scholarship

Read the attached, detailed 'Information for Candidates' document. The 'Information for Candidates' document for the 2024 round is not yet available; it will be posted here when released.
Read the information on the Rhodes House website. You'll see that the Application Form, Guidelines for Candidates and further details on the selection criteria and how to apply is also available on that site. Please ensure you follow the guidance there.
View the Oxford University Graduate Studies Prospectus or Undergraduate Prospectus and information on admissions.
Contact the Territories Secretaries to check your eligibility to apply for the Rhodes.