Thirty-two Rhodes Scholarships are awarded to U.S. citizens annually for two years of study in a degree program at the University of Oxford. Rhodes Scholars are elected in December and enter Oxford in October of the following year.
The criteria which Mr. Rhodes set forth in his will still guide Committees of Selection in their assessment of applicants. The Will contains four standards by which prospective Rhodes Scholars should be judged:
Much of the distinctiveness of the Rhodes Scholarships stems from this comprehensive set of criteria. Intellectual excellence is obviously required, but not in isolation from other qualities. Mr. Rhodes sought Scholars who were more than “mere bookworms", he wanted their intellectual talents to be combined with concern for others. Thus the Selection Committees assign the highest importance to this blend of character with intellect.
Applicants apply as a representative of one of the fifty states: either in the state in which they will have received at least two years of college training and a bachelor's degree before October 1, 2010, or in the state where they were legally resident on April 15, 2009. (Applicants are warned that selection committees are instructed to verify legal residence. Simultaneous application to more than one District Committee will disqualify an applicant. At the time of application:
Rhodes applicants must receive the endorsement of the Dartmouth College Committee on Graduate Fellowships. The Committee will review all application materials and interview each applicant to decide on endorsements. You will be informed of your status via email.
For scholarships requiring endorsement, all materials must be sent to Scholarship Advising, 6201 Wentworth Hall, Rm. 211, Hanover, NH 03755 or HB 6201.
Please register your intention to apply for a Rhodes Scholarship with Scholarship Advising by June 1, 2009.
Applicants will submit the following to the Scholarship Advising office by the preliminary application deadline of June 30, 2009:
These applications will be read by the Committee who will make comments and offer suggestions. The preliminary application (with comments) will be returned to you over the summer. Please see RWiT or any writing advisor for help with your essays. You may also submit a draft of your essay and resume in advance to Scholarship Advising.
Please provide your recommenders with the Guidelines for Writers of Letters of Recommendation when requesting a recommendation. You will also need to provide them with the Rhodes Request for Letter of Appraisal form when it is available.
You should also provide them with any information about you that can help them formulate a strong recommendation, such as, information on the scholarship and what your study and research plans are, a copy of your CV, a paper you wrote for their class, transcript, research topics, future academic or career goals, etc.
Five to eight letters of recommendation are required for the official application with at least four of these letters from faculty. Faculty letters are expected to be very detailed and to address the applicant’s intellectual interests quite specifically, perhaps describing memorable in-class debates and/or outstanding scholarly papers from seminars and independent study projects. Applicants should not, therefore, select prospective referees solely on the basis of class standing.
Letters of recommendation should be sent to Scholarship Advising, 6201 Wentworth Hall, Room 211, Hanover, NH 03755 or HB6201.
For more information on recommendation letters, click here.
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April 30, 2009 |
Rhodes Information Session |
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May 1, 2009 |
Register with Scholarship Advising |
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June 30, 2009 |
Preliminary Application Deadline |
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August 2009 |
Feedback on Preliminary Applications Available in Scholarship Advising |
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September 4, 2009 |
Final Application Campus Deadline |
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Mid-September 2009 |
Interviews with the Committee on Graduate Fellowships |
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October 5, 2009 |
Online Deadline for Final 2009 Application |
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October 13, 2009 |
Deadline for Institutional Endorsement and Referee Letters |
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November 9-13, 2009 |
Mock Interviews for Finalists |
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November 20-21, 2009 |
Rhodes District Interviews |
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November 2009 |
Rhodes Scholars Announced |
Email Scholarship Advising
