Rhodes Trust has increased the number of permanent yearly scholarships for West Africa to three, commencing from the 2024 academic session.
Established in 1903, the Rhodes scholarship programme is the oldest and, perhaps, the most prestigious international scholarship in the world. Administered by the Rhodes Trust in Oxford, the programme offers over 100 fully-funded scholarships yearly for postgraduate studies at University of Oxford in the United Kingdom, one of the world’s leading universities.
The Rhodes Scholarship for West Africa was established in 2017 with only one slot. Although two Rhodes scholars were selected that year, it was not until 2020 that the slot was raised to two permanent scholarships yearly, and now three.
Chief Executive Officer of Rhodes Trust and Warden of Rhodes House, Elizabeth Kiss, said: “We are delighted to announce that three scholarships will, henceforth, be available yearly for applicants for the Rhodes Scholarships for West Africa. This is particularly cheerful news, given the large pool of applications we receive, despite the fact that this is our youngest constituency, having been established only six years ago.”
Rhodes scholarships are for young leaders of outstanding intellect and character, who are motivated to engage with global challenges and are committed to the service of others. They must show promise of becoming value-driven, principled leaders for the world’s future, wherever their careers might take them, and in any field.
The criteria for selecting Rhodes scholars are powerful and have remained largely unchanged over the past century, having been drawn directly from the founder’s Will. They include academic excellence (Oxford University is one of the most competitive graduate environments in the world; hence, applicants must meet or exceed the entry requirements of their chosen course, which requires graduating with First Class Honours or a minimum Cumulative Grade Point Average of 3.70 out of 4.00…
or equivalent); energy to use their talents to the full (this can be as demonstrated by success in areas such as sports, music, debate, dance, theatre and artistic pursuits, including where teamwork is involved); demonstrating the virtues of truth, courage, devotion to duty, sympathy for and protection of the weak, kindness, selflessness and fellowship; as well as moral force of character and instinct to lead and take interest in their fellow humans.
Additional eligibility criteria for West African applicants are that they must have to be between 18 and 24 years of age by October 1 in the year they apply, and must have lived at least five out of the last 10 years in West Africa.
The 2024 application window closed only a few weeks ago with the receipt of 319 completed applications, comprising 144 females and 175 males for the three slots available. With 193, Nigeria has the largest number of applications, followed by Ghana’s 77 and Sierra Leone’s 14.