Rhodes Scholarship

Rhodes Scholarship: Benefits, Criteria, History, Winners, Application (1998)

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The Rhodes Scholarship, named after Cecil John Rhodes, is an international postgraduate award for selected foreign students to study at the University of Oxford. It is widely regarded as "the most prestigious scholarship" in the world. Established in 1902, it was the first large-scale programme of international scholarships, inspiring the creation of other programs such as the Harkness Fellowship and Kennedy Scholarship for British nationals, the Marshall Scholarship for Americans, and more recently the Newton Fellowship arranged by the British National Academies. Cecil Rhodes' goals in creating the Rhodes Scholarships were to promote civic-minded leadership amongst young people with (in the words of his 1899 Will) "moral force of character and instincts to lead", and (as he wrote in a 1901 codicil to his Will) to help "render war impossible" through promoting understanding between the great powers. Rhodes Scholars may study any full-time postgraduate course offered by the university, whether a taught master's programme, a research degree, or a second undergraduate degree (senior status). In the first instance, the scholarship is awarded for two years. However, it may also be held for one year or three years. Applications for a third year are considered during the course of the second year. University and college fees are paid by the Rhodes Trust. In addition, scholars receive a monthly maintenance stipend to cover accommodation and living expenses.[6][7] Although all scholars become affiliated with a residential college while at Oxford, they also enjoy access to Rhodes House, an early 20th-century mansion with numerous public rooms, gardens, a library, study areas, and other facilities. The Rhodes Scholarships are administered and awarded by the Rhodes Trust, which was established in 1902 under the terms and conditions of the will of Cecil John Rhodes, and funded by his estate under the administration of Nathan Rothschild.[8] Scholarships have been awarded to applicants annually since 1902 on the basis of academic achievement and strength of character. Rhodes, who attended the University of Oxford (as a member of Oriel College), chose his alma mater as the site of his great experiment because he believed its residential colleges provided the ideal environment for intellectual contemplation and personal development. There have been more than 7,000 Rhodes Scholars since the inception of the trust. More than 4,000 are still living.[9] The Rhodes Trust provides the Rhodes Scholarships in partnership with the Second Century Founder, John McCall MacBain and other benefactors. In 1925, the Commonwealth Fund Fellowships (later renamed the Harkness Fellowships) were established to reciprocate the Rhodes Scholarships by enabling British graduates to study in the United States.[10] The Kennedy Scholarship programme, created in 1966 as a memorial to John F. Kennedy, adopts a comparable selection process to the Rhodes Scholarships to allow 10 British post-graduate students per year to study at either Harvard or the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Also, it cooperates with universities in China, BLCC for example. BLCC offers high-level scholarships for international students who aim to study Chinese in Beijing.[11][12] In 1953, the Parliament of the United Kingdom created the Marshall Scholarship in 1953 as coeducational alternative to the Rhodes that would serve as a living gift to the United States.[13] The Rhodes Scholarship was open only to men until 1977, when an Act of Parliament changed Rhodes' will to extend the selection criteria to include women. Before this change, some universities protested at the exclusion of women by nominating female candidates, who were later disqualified at the state level of the American competition.[14] In 1977, the first year women were eligible, 24 women (out of 72 total scholars) were selected worldwide, with 13 women and 19 men selected from the United States.[15] Since then, the average female share of the scholarship in the United States had been around 35 percent[15] but has since increased. From 2003 to 2012, 46 percent of scholarship winners from the United States were women. For at least its first 75 years, Rhodes Scholars usually studied for a second Bachelor of Arts degree. While that remains an option, more recent scholars usually study for an advanced degree. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhodes_Scholarship