Rhodes Scholarship (African constituencies: West Africa, Southern Africa, Kenya, East Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe)

University of Oxford course fees, an annual stipend (GBP 20,400 per year, GBP 1,700 per month, in 2025-26; check the current figure on rhodeshouse.ox.ac.uk), two economy flights to and from the UK, student visa fees and the Immigration Health Surcharge. Usually covers at least two years; up to three years of fees and stipend for a DPhil.

Fields: Any field

Citizens of 32 listed countries

Eligible country codes: NG, GH, BJ, BF, CV, GM, GN, GW, CI, LR, ML, MR, NE, SN, SL, ST, TG, SH, ZA, BW, LS, MW, NA, SZ, KE, UG, TZ, RW, SS, BI, ZM, ZW

• Citizenship of a country in your constituency: West Africa (Benin, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Cote d'Ivoire, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Saint Helena, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sao Tome and Principe, Togo); Southern Africa (citizens or permanent residents of South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, eSwatini); Kenya; East Africa (Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, South Sudan, Burundi; Kenyans not eligible here); Zambia (citizens or permanent residents); Zimbabwe (citizens or people born in Zimbabwe).
• Residence or schooling in the constituency: most require residence for at least five of the last ten years; Zambia requires four of the last ten years plus Zambian secondary school or university; Zimbabwe requires five years of education in Zimbabwe between ages 9 and 20.
• Age limits for the 2026 cycle (entry October 2027) vary by constituency: West Africa 18 to 24 on 1 October 2026 (18 to 25 for medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, law and engineering); Kenya and Zimbabwe 18 to 23; East Africa 18 to 24; Zambia 18 to 25; Southern Africa 19 to 25 on entry in October 2027. Older candidates (generally under 27, under 28 in Southern Africa) may apply if they finished their first degree late.
• Undergraduate degree completed (West Africa: by the application deadline; most others: by July 2027) with grades meeting your Oxford course entry requirements. West Africa requires a First Class or equivalent; elsewhere a First or GPA of 3.70/4.0 or higher strongly improves your chances.
• English at the University of Oxford higher level, or a valid test waiver.
• Selection criteria: academic excellence, energy to use your talents to the full, truth, courage, devotion to duty and service to others, and moral force of character and instincts to lead.

The 2026 cycle (entry October 2027) opened on 1 June 2026 and is now closed. Deadlines were: Southern Africa 3 August 2026, Zimbabwe 13 August 2026, West Africa, Kenya and East Africa 27 August 2026, Zambia 1 September 2026; West Africa references were due 3 September 2026. West Africa interviews are held in Abuja, Accra or Lagos in November. The Trust says applications reopen in 2027 for 2028 entry; expect a similar June to early September window and confirm dates on your constituency page.

Deadlines move a little every year and some close early. Confirm the date on the official page before you plan around it.

• Online application form with the built-in CV section (separate CV uploads are not accepted)
• Personal statement of up to 1,000 words
• Academic statement of study of up to 450 words covering a two-year plan at Oxford
• Referees: West Africa asks for four to six, at least three academic and at least one character referee (numbers can differ by constituency)
• Official university transcript
• At least two identity documents proving citizenship and age (e.g. passport, national ID, birth certificate) and evidence of residence
• English test results or a waiver request letter
• Head-and-shoulders colour photograph

1. 1

   Step 1: Confirm your constituency

   Use the eligibility checker on rhodeshouse.ox.ac.uk to confirm which African constituency you belong to and check its age, residence and academic rules. You can only apply once per year and re-apply only once more.
2. 2

   Step 2: Read the Information for Candidates

   Download your constituency's Information for Candidates and Conditions of Tenure documents to check your planned Oxford courses are covered.
3. 3

   Step 3: Choose your Oxford courses

   Pick a course or combination covering at least two years. You apply for the Rhodes first, and only apply to Oxford after being selected.
4. 4

   Step 4: Write statements and register referees

   Draft your personal and academic statements, complete the CV section and register referees early so references arrive by the reference deadline.
5. 5

   Step 5: Submit online before the deadline

   Upload identity, residence, transcript and English documents and submit before 23:59 local deadline time. There is no application fee.
6. 6

   Step 6: Interviews and Oxford application

   Shortlisted candidates are interviewed, then finalists attend in person. Scholars-elect apply to two Oxford courses with support from Rhodes House.

• The scholarship is confirmed only once you are admitted to the University of Oxford.
• You cannot hold another substantial scholarship together with the Rhodes Scholarship.
• Full-time postgraduate study at Oxford on courses permitted by the Conditions of Tenure; the award cannot be deferred.
• Finalists must attend the final interview and social event in person.

• Places are very few (three for all of West Africa including Nigeria), so pair this with other applications such as Clarendon or Gates Cambridge.
• Nigerian and Ghanaian applicants need a First Class degree or equivalent; check this before investing time.
• Choose referees who know you well; academic referees are asked for your class ranking, so pick lecturers who taught and graded you.
• Mark the calendar early: the window opens in June and closes in August or early September, well before most other UK deadlines.
• The global constituency is currently suspended, so you must apply through your African constituency.

Winning the award does not include the visa. Plan your application with our guide for the host country.

• United Kingdom student visa

Checked against these official pages on 16 Oct 2026.

• Rhodes Trust: Constituency information (opens in a new tab)
• Rhodes Trust: West Africa eligibility criteria (opens in a new tab)
• Rhodes Trust: West Africa Information for Candidates 2027 (opens in a new tab)
• Rhodes Trust: The Rhodes Scholarship (opens in a new tab)