Eligibility
To be eligible, an applicant must:
- Be a citizen of India
- Be an Indian passport holder or equivalent proof of citizenship
- Meet the following age criteria –
be at least 18 years of age as of 1st October 2022 and have not reached the 24th birthday (i.e. the applicant must have been born after 1st October 1998 and on or before 1st October 2004)
must not have reached 27th birthday (i.e. have been born after 1st October 1995)
fulfil the specified academic requirements for completing the first undergraduate degree on or after 1st October 2021* - Have undertaken formal study at an educational institution in India for a minimum of 4 of the last 10 years, and have either –
completed a school-leaving exam (10th or 12th standard or equivalent) at a school in India
be in the final year or have completed an undergraduate degree at a university in India - Have already completed, or will be completing an undergraduate degree (normally a bachelor’s degree) by July 2023 with a good academic background (Note – The candidate must meet the specific requirements of the chosen full-time course at the University of Oxford.)
- Be able to demonstrate English language proficiency as per University’s standard or higher level
Note –
*A university’s policy determines the date of completion of the academic requirements for a degree. This may be different from when a degree is considered awarded by the university or the date of a graduation ceremony. In ambiguous cases, the decision of the National Secretary is final.
For detailed information, kindly go through the ‘Scholarship Detail Document’.
Benefits
The selected candidates will receive a fully-funded scholarship for full-time postgraduate study at the University of Oxford.
Note – A domestic travel allowance for candidates invited for the final interview will be paid by the Rhodes Trust if the interviews are held in person. International travel will not be reimbursed.
Documents
- A personal statement of no more than 750 words
- An academic statement of study of no more than 350 words
- Applicant’s birth certificate or valid passport confirming the age criterion
- An official transcript or marksheets from the college or university at which the applicant is studying or has studied showing grades achieved
- Name of 4-5 referees who are willing to submit references on the applicant’s behalf
- A head-and-shoulders colour photograph (jpg format) [Note – Please note the photo will not be available to the selection committee until after final shortlisting decisions have been made. If the applicant is selected, this photograph will be used on the Rhodes webpage unless or until the applicant provides another version.]
- Official transcripts or marksheets from 10th and 12th standard (or equivalent) school/junior college/preuniversity college leaving board examinations
- A valid passport or equivalent proof of citizenship such as a Voter ID (with translation, if necessary), confirming that the applicant meets the citizenship criteria. (Note – The applicant must be a citizen of India, holding an Indian passport. PIO or OCI card holders do not satisfy the Indian citizenship criteria for this purpose.)
- Evidence of formal study at an educational institution in India for at least 4 of the last 10 years as of the date of application and completion of a school-leaving exam at a school/junior college/pre-university college in India (either 10th or 12th standard or equivalent)
- A full curriculum vitae including specific details about academic qualifications, prizes, scholarships, positions of leadership, employment positions, involvement in student, voluntary, community or political activities and any cultural, musical or sporting accomplishments (Note – It should not exceed two A4 (12pt font size) pages in length.)
Note –
Do not include a photograph in the Curriculum Vitae (CV).
For detailed information, kindly go through the Scholarship Detail Document’.
How can you apply?
The eligible candidate can apply for the scholarship by following the below-mentioned steps –
Step 1: Click on the “Apply Now” and read the details.
Step 2: Check the eligibility to proceed with the application process.
Step 3: When the ‘Apply Now’ button appears, click on it to proceed with the application process.
Step 4: After successful registration, log in to access the application form.
Step 5: Fill in the required details, upload the documents and submit the application by 1st August 2022 before 23:59 India Standard Time (IST).
Note – For detailed information, kindly go through the ‘Scholarship Detail Document’.
Important Dates
Application Deadline – 1st August 2022
Selection Criteria
The candidates will be selected based on the fulfilment of the eligibility criteria. The decision of the selection committee is final. The following criteria will be taken into consideration for selection –
- Selection for the Rhodes Scholarship is made without regard to the financial condition, marital status, race, ethnic origin, colour, gender, religion, sexual orientation, social background, disability, caste or other irrelevant distinctions of the applicants.
- Applications are made in the first instance to the Rhodes Scholarships.
- Following the Rhodes Scholarship selection process, successful candidates are required to apply separately to their chosen programme of study via the University of Oxford’s graduate application form.
- The Rhodes Scholarship is confirmed only upon successful admission to the University of Oxford.
- No selection will be made if a sufficiently qualified candidate cannot be found.
Terms and Conditions
- No selection will be made if a sufficiently qualified candidate cannot be found.
- Applications from refugees/asylum seekers in India will also be considered in this constituency.
- If the applicants are longlisted, they will be invited to attend a preliminary interview, which will be held in person or via video conference.
- All applications must be submitted online. No alternate method of application is accepted.
- There is no application fee for the submission of the Rhodes Scholarship application form.
- The scholarship cannot be brought forward or deferred to a later academic year if the applicant is applying for a Rhodes Scholarship for entry to the University of Oxford in October 2023.
- The provision of such information in the ‘Equity and Inclusion’ section of the application form is optional but helps the institution to ensure that the selection processes are fair and the outreach efforts are effective.
- The information provided by the applicant does not form part of the application and is only shared with those who are involved in selection in an anonymized format after scholarships have been awarded.
- If the applicants have disclosed a disability and requested additional support at the interview stage, then it must be informed to the National Secretary. All the necessary/requested arrangements for the applicants’ support will be made after a discussion with them. It will not affect shortlisting, or the progress of the application, in any way.
- Only one of the five available scholarships (and, in exceptional cases, two) will be awarded in the aggregate to candidates who are pursuing or have pursued, their undergraduate studies at a university located outside India and inter-jurisdictional candidates
- If unsuccessful in the first application to the Rhodes Scholarships, the applicant may subsequently re-apply only one more time (and this must be in the same constituency), if they fulfil the eligibility criteria.
- The Curriculum Vitae (CV) should be completely accurate with a fair representation of the achievements. The applicants must make sure that the details provided are correct as it will be checked for embellishments and inaccuracies.
- Material misrepresentation will result in disqualification of an application or, where appropriate, the invalidation of a scholarship. Examples of misrepresentation include exaggeration of roles/accomplishments/ participation/biography; embellished publication lists; inflation of GPA/grades.
- No candidate will be selected without an interview. The selection for the interview is entirely within the discretion of the Selection Committee.
Note – For detailed information, kindly do through the ‘Scholarship Detail Document’.
