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Rhodes Scholarships

Apply Fall term of senior year or after. Internal application deadline in September. Applicants must have institutional endorsement through Emory College. Contact Dean Joanne Brzinski at poljb@emory.edu or call 404-727-6160.

Rhodes Scholarships, given for a two or three-year period of study at Oxford University in England, are awarded in a national competition. There are 32 scholarships given each year to Americans, and these are distributed according to a system of geographical districts. The scholarship pays all fees and tuition in addition to a personal allowance adequate enough to meet necessary expenses for term-time vacation.

Eligibility: The eligibility criteria for Rhodes competition were established by the will of Cecil Rhodes, the founder of the scholarships, and by the various national Rhodes Trust Committees. To be eligible for the American competition, an Emory candidate must be an unmarried U.S. citizen with at least five years' domicile, be between the ages of 18 and 24 at the time of election, and have received a Bachelor's degree before commencing study at Oxford (October 1).

Criteria for Selection: The qualities which selection committees seek can be grouped into three categories. First, the candidate should demonstrate wide-ranging academic excellence. This excellence should be reflected in his/her overall academic record at Emory and in other ways. Second, the candidate should show qualities of moral leadership and social purpose. Although all strong candidates are not traditional "campus politicians" or "student leaders," the successful candidate will exhibit outstanding and attractive potential outside the classroom as well as within it. Finally, the candidate should be an athlete, of sorts, or at least an energetic type. The emphasis put on this final category varies somewhat from committee to committee. There is a danger that potentially strong candidates who do not consider themselves the "Rhodes type" will fail to apply for this very attractive scholarship. There is, however, no "Rhodes type." If you are qualified and if you are interested in the opportunity of doing work at Oxford, you have absolutely nothing to lose by entering the competition. You certainly will not get it if you do nothing.

Application Procedure: Students applying for a Rhodes Scholarship must submit a completed application to Dean Joanne Brzinski. Referees should send a copy of his or her letter of recommendation to Dean Brzinski's office prior to the campus interviews in September. Ten copies of a resume, official transcript, a 1,000-word essay, and photograph, plus certificate of good health (included in the application form) and the names and addresses of between five and eight referees (we recommend you have eight) must be mailed to the Foundation by the October deadline. It is the candidate's responsibility to submit the final application package to the Foundation and, in accordance with its guidelines, institutions must not prepare, assemble, or mail materials on the applicant's behalf. Your recommenders must mail their letters so that they arrive to the Foundation no later than the October deadline. The Rhodes competition begins on the Emory Campus. Endorsement is not automatic. The Emory Committee makes a judgement based on written application materials and a personal interview whether each applicant meets the criteria or not. The Emory Rhodes Nomination Committee reserves the right to determine the state through which applicants will apply. Each district reviews applications and, on average, will interview sixteen candidates with each district selecting two scholars. There are a total of sixteen distrists and therefore, thirty-two awards are available for the United States competition. Interviews will be held in November or December. You will be notified whether or not you have been selected for an interview shortly before that date. Rhodes Scholars are announced at the conclusion of district interviews. Additional information may be found at the Rhodes Scholar site.

Please confirm application process with Dean Joanne Brzinski at poljb@emory.edu or call 404-727-6160.