Rhodes Scholarship

Rhodes Scholarships were created by Cecil John Rhodes. They are awarded annually since 1903 by the Oxford-based Rhodes Trust, on the basis of academic qualities as well as those of character. They provide the successful candidate with two years of study at Oxford, possibly extended for a third year.

When Rhodes died in 1902, his will stipulated that the greater part of his fortune was to go towards the establishment of a scholarship fund. The scholarships, originally worth £300, would reward those applicants who exhibited worthy qualities of intellect, character, and physical ability with the aim of promoting cross-cultural understanding and peace between nations.

Table of contents

1 Standards
2 Changes
3 Allocations
4 Notable Rhodes Scholarship recipients
5 Former Trustees
6 External links

Standards

With such lofty aims in mind, the requirements for applicants are equally high. Rhodes' will specified four standards by which applicants were to be judged:

literary and scholastic attainments;
energy to use one's talents to the full, as exemplified by fondness for and success in sports;
truth, courage, devotion to duty, sympathy for and protection of the weak, kindliness, unselfishness and fellowship;
moral force of character and instincts to lead, and to take an interest in one's fellow beings.

Rhodes' aim in setting these stringent standards was his hope that his Scholars would be physically, intellectually and morally capable of leadership, and that wherever their future careers might take them, they would seek to improve the lot of humanity.

Rhodes' will originally provided for scholarships for the British colonies, the United States, and Germany. These three were chosen so that "an understanding between the three great powers will render war impossible."

Rhodes, who attended Oxford, 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.

Changes

The program has evolved over its century of existence.

An early change was the elimination of the scholarships for Germany during World War I and II. No German scholars were chosen from 1914 to 1932 and from 1939 to 1970.

In 1977, after the passage of the Sex Discrimination Act of 1975 in the UK, the selection criteria was extended to include women.

For at least its first 75 years, scholars usually read for a Bachelor of Arts degree. While that remains an option, more recent scholars usually read for an advanced degree.

Another change came in 1929, when an act of Parliament established a separate fund from the proceeds of the original. This made it possible for changes and expansions to the number of scholarships. For example, between 1993 and 1995, scholarships were extended to other countries in the European Community.

Allocations

Approximately 90 Scholars are selected worldwide each year.

Country	2003 allocation	1903 allocation
USA	32	32
Canada	11	2
Newfoundland (originally separate)	-	1
Southern Africa (originally South Africa)	10	5
Australia	9	6
India	6	-
Germany	4	5
New Zealand	3	1
Caribbean Commonwealth	2	-
Kenya	2	-
Pakistan	2	-
Zimbabwe (originally Rhodesia)	2	3
Bangladesh	1	-
Bermuda	1	1
Hong Kong	1	-
Jamaica	1	1
Malaysia	1	-
Singapore	1	-
Uganda	1	-
Zambia	1	-

Notable Rhodes Scholarship recipients

In recognition of the centenary of the foundation of the Rhodes Trust, four scholars were awarded honorary degrees to Oxford:

John Brademas (1950)
Bob Hawke (1953)
Rex Nettleford (1957)
David R. Woods (1963)