Rhodes Scholarships to Study Abroad 2025-26: Applications, Dates, Eligibility, Requirements & More

Rhodes Scholarships provide talented young students with financial support to pursue their postgraduate education from the University of Oxford. With an overall acceptance rate of 0.7%, these scholarships are hard to win, and only 104 scholarships are offered globally every year. 

The Rhodes Scholarship is a merit-based award that covers the entire education cost of a student, along with a stipend of about £19,092 per annum. The stipend amount and the eligibility criteria for the Rhodes Scholarships change every year. 

Next, let’s find out more about the Rhodes Scholarship for India for the 2024-25 academic year. 

What is the Rhodes Scholarship?

The Rhodes Scholarship is an award that enables academically gifted students worldwide to study at the University of Oxford. This scholarship covers the entire education cost of one’s postgraduate degree program and includes a stipend. 

The Rhodes Trust awards this scholarship on a merit basis with the aim of: 

• Creating an international community of scholars,
• Promoting international peace and global understanding, 
• Developing spirited public leaders

Also Read: Scholarship to Study Abroad for Indian Students 2025: A Complete Guide

Here’s a quick look at the Rhodes Scholarship for India for 2025-2026: 

Application dates for the Rhodes Scholarship 2025-26

The application dates vary every year. As of 1st August 2024, the applications for the Rhodes Scholarship 2025 have been closed. 

However, you can have a look at the deadlines for each event below to get an idea of next year’s application dates:

List of courses and countries for the Rhodes Scholarships 2025-26

The Rhodes Trust offers about 104 scholarships around the world. Here’s a list of countries and number of scholarships offered in each one of them:

As you can see above, 5 Indian students receive the Rhodes Scholarship every year to study at the University of Oxford. Here’s a list of programs covered under the Rhodes Scholarship:

Requirements for the Rhodes Scholarship 2025-26

According to the official guide for the Rhodes Scholarship for India for 2025, here are some basic requirements:

• Academic excellence: You must meet the entry requirements for the Oxford University programs applicable to the Rhodes Scholarship for India. Refer to the next section of this blog to get more details. 
• Age limit: You must not be younger than 18 and older than 27 years of age. 
• Citizenship: You must be an Indian citizen with a valid Indian passport. 
• Moral force of character: You must have the following qualities: leadership, devotion to duty, truth, sympathy, courage, and unselfishness.
• Physical vigor: You must show talents in various areas, including teamwork.
• Leadership and character: You must demonstrate achievements in extracurricular activities like music, sports, debate, etc.
• Commitment to service: You must have the capacity to help and motivate others to engage in global challenges.
• English language proficiency: You must prove your proficiency in the English language through acceptable English test scores. You can get more details on this in the next section of this blog.
• References: One of the important steps in the selection process for the Rhodes Scholarships is producing references. Ideally, these should come from individuals familiar with your potential and qualifications. 
• Application deadline: You must strictly adhere to the application deadlines. Every year, the applications close around August. 

Eligibility criteria for the Rhodes Scholarship 2025-26

Here’s a list of eligibility criteria for the Rhodes Scholarship that you must meet as an Indian student:

Nationality/ citizenship: 

• You must be an Indian citizen with a valid Indian passport or equivalent proof of your nationality.
• If you’re a Person of Indian Origin (PIO) or Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) cardholder, you will not be considered eligible. 
• The selection committee also considers asylum seekers or refugees in India as eligible candidates. 

Education: 

• You must have completed at least the last four years of your education at an institution in India.
• You must either hold an undergraduate degree from an Indian university or be in the final year of a UG program.
• If the above-mentioned point doesn’t apply to you, then you must have completed your 10th and 12th grades or equivalent at a school located in India.

Age: 

• If you have recently completed your undergraduate degree, you must be aged between 18 and 23 years. For instance, if we talk about the age criteria for the Rhodes Scholarship for India 2025, you must have been born after October 1, 2000 and before October 2, 2006.
• If you completed your first UG degree later than usual, you must be no older than 27 years. Basically, if you completed your UG degree on or after the 1st October of 2023, to be eligible for the Rhodes Scholarship for India 2025, your date of birth must not fall before October 1, 1997.

Academic achievement:

• You must have completed your bachelor’s degree in an academic background that is relevant to the program of your interest at the University of Oxford. 
• You must either meet or exceed the program requirements. 
• Holding a first-class honors degree will increase your chances of successful admission to the university through the Rhodes Scholarship.

NOTE: The requirements mentioned above are relevant to the 2025 edition of the Rhodes Scholarship. The selection committee reserves the right to edit the eligibility criteria. 

Also Read: Types of Scholarships to Study Abroad for International Students

Duration of the Rhodes Scholarship 2025-26

The duration of the Rhodes Scholarship is typically 2 years. However, in special cases, it may range from 1 year to 3 years. Here’s a list of applicable programs along with their scholarship tenure:

Application process for the Rhodes Scholarship for Indian students 2025-26

You can follow these steps to complete your application process for the Rhodes Scholarship 2024-25:

Step 1: Meet the eligibility requirements

• You must meet every eligibility criterion for the scholarship mentioned above. 
• You must also check the requirements for your intended program and ensure your eligibility. 

Step 2: Choose a course

• All postgraduate degree programs at Oxford may not necessarily be applicable for the Rhodes scholarships. So, you must check the respective program detail page to get the information. 
• Some applicable programs include BA with Senior Status, One-year taught Master’s, Two-year taught Master’s, MSc by Research, Four-year DPhil programs, MBA, and MFE.

Step 3: Complete the online application

• Visit the official website of the Rhodes Scholarship for India 2025  and fill out the online application form.
• Online application is the only accepted way to apply for the scholarship. 
• The Rhodes Trust does not require you to pay any application fee to submit your form. 
• Ensure that you submit your application before the given deadline, or the selection committee will not accept it. 
• You must apply for the Rhodes Scholarship before you apply for the program of your interest at Oxford University.

Step 4: Submit a personal statement

• Your personal statement is an essay of no more than 1,000 words that helps the selection committee get to know you and your story. 
• This allows you to create an authentic impression. 
• Here are some prompts that the committee asks you to address:

Step 5: Submit an academic statement

• Your academic statement must be at most 350 words. 
• Here’s what your academic statement must include:

Step 6: Submit reference letters

• You must have at least 4 or a maximum 5 people willing to provide references on your behalf. 
• You must provide details of at least three academic referees and one character referee. 
• Your academic referees must have graded or taught you in your undergraduate or postgraduate studies. They must also be able to share detailed comments on your academic ability. 
• Your character referee/s must be able to comment on your character and involvement in leadership, service, or extra-curricular activities. 

Step 7: Appear for the preliminary and semi-final interviews

• After assessing your application, the committee will hold a preliminary interview round and a semi-final round. 
• Both interviews may take place in person or through video conference. 

Step 8: Appear for the final interview and social engagement

• If all goes well and you complete all the previous steps, you will reach the final stage of the application/ selection process for the Rhodes Scholarship 2025.
• You must be present physically for a tea or dinner hosted by the Chairman of the selection committee. 
• The event takes place in India between September and November. 
• The committee shares the output of the entire process with the selected candidates via email. 

As you can see, the process to apply for the Rhodes Scholarship is strenuous, and only five candidates are selected from India each year. So, even if you are confident about your chances of studying at Oxford, it’s wise to apply to other top-rated universities and explore additional scholarships beyond the Rhodes. However, with so many options available, this can be time-consuming and overwhelming. This is where SelectRight comes in.

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FAQs – Rhodes Scholarship to Study Abroad 2025-26