General Information

(compiled with the input and advice of Elliot Gerson, American Secretary of the Rhodes Trust, and Scott Merriner, former Rhodes State Secretary for Alaska)

The Rhodes Scholarship is intended for students who not only display exceptional academic skills and leadership potential, but who are also committed to bettering the world around them. No preference is given to any one academic field, and no preference is given regarding the scale of one’s service (local vs. national vs. international). However, candidates with a broad range of general knowledge are usually more competitive than candidates with extensive knowledge of a very narrow subject.

Compared with the Marshall Scholarship, the Rhodes tends to place slightly more emphasis on interpersonal skills and leadership and slightly less on outstanding academics (though the standards for judging what qualifies as “outstanding” are the same). This is very much a “greater emphasis/lesser emphasis” situation, however; not an either/or. If you don’t have both qualities, you will not be competitive for either scholarship.

Contrary to popular myth, candidates need not excel at athletics in order to be seriously considered for a Rhodes. What is required is proof of the “energy to use one’s talents to the full,” which may be demonstrated in a variety of ways in addition to participation in organized sports.

Scholars intending to pursue a one-year degree program are strongly encouraged by the Trust to use the second year of their Scholarship to pursue a second one-year degree. Exceptions can be made in the uncommon case that there is only one degree program that suits the Scholar’s needs.

The elimination of the state-level interview starting in 2005 means that applicants will have about the same odds of being selected for an interview regardless of which state they apply from (in previous years, the chance of receiving a state-level interview varied widely from state to state). This means that if you’re eligible to apply from more than one state, you should apply from the one that would be most convenient for you interview-wise. At least in recent years, your chances of actually being awarded the Scholarship have been the same regardless of the state from which you applied.

If you attend a college or university that has never had a Rhodes Scholar before or that has a sub-par advising system, don’t automatically count yourself out. Almost every year, a Scholar is selected from an institution that has had no previous scholars. Due to the strong emphasis placed on the interview and on interpersonal skills, an excellent advising program provides only a minimal advantage.

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