Ten Rhodes Scholarships are awarded annually to graduates in the Southern African constituency (comprising South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia and eSwatini), wishing to pursue full-time Masters or doctoral studies at Oxford University. This is a fully funded, two year Scholarship and is a place-based Scholarship at Oxford.

The Rhodes Trust does not provide financial assistance for undergraduate degrees; or to postgraduate students who are studying at other universities in the UK or elsewhere; or to students who have not gone through the formal application and selection process for the Rhodes Scholarships in Southern Africa.

Online applications for the 2025 Rhodes Scholarships opened on 01 June 2024 and the deadline for submissions is 01 August 2024.

Kindly refer to the Information for Candidates document and in particular the eligibility criteria please. The age criteria are strictly applied across the international constituencies. You are encouraged to refer to the Rhodes Trust website for updated information and to review the videos, documents and resources available to assist candidates with their application.  Another useful guide for applicants is the FAQ page.

To start the application candidate’s first need to complete the Eligibility Check on the webpage. If the candidate meets the eligibility criteria this will take them to the application link for the Southern Africa Rhodes Scholarships. Applications are made online via the Embark portal.

May I draw to your attention that there are over 300 postgraduate courses offered by Oxford University. You will need to consult the A-Z Guide (type in the search bar the disciplines that interest you) to determine which courses align to your undergraduate discipline or which courses interest you. Do consult the Conditions of Tenure, as you may wish to explore options outside of your undergraduate discipline.