Student Fellowships & Research

Description.
The Rhodes Scholarships, the oldest international educational fellowships, were initiated after the death of Cecil Rhodes in 1902, and bring outstanding students from many countries around the world to the University of Oxford. American Rhodes Scholars are selected through a decentralized process by which regional selection committees choose 32 Scholars each year representing the fifty states. Applicants from more than 300 American colleges and universities have been selected as Rhodes Scholars.
Extraordinary intellectual distinction is a necessary but not a sufficient condition for election to a Rhodes Scholarship. Selection committees are charged to seek excellence in qualities of mind and in qualities of person which, in combination, offer the promise of effective service to the world in the decades ahead. The Rhodes Scholarships, in short, are investments in individuals rather than in project proposals. Accordingly, applications are sought from talented students without restriction as to their field of academic specialization or career plans although the proposed course of study must be available at Oxford, and the applicant’s undergraduate program must provide a sufficient basis for study in the proposed field.

Benefits.
All educational costs, such as matriculation, tuition, laboratory and certain other fees, are paid on the Scholar’s behalf by the Rhodes Trustees. Each Scholar receives in addition a maintenance allowance adequate to meet necessary expenses for term-time and vacations. The Rhodes Trustees cover the necessary costs of travel to and from Oxford. Election to the Scholarship is normally for two years but the Scholarship may be held for one year only, depending upon the degree program pursued by the Scholar. A Scholarship may be renewed, at the complete discretion of the Trustees, for a third and final year for those who were initially admitted to Oxford to pursue a doctoral degree.

Eligibility.

• The candidate must be a United States citizen between the ages of 18 and 24 on October 1 in the year of application.
• Applicants must have academic standing sufficient to ensure the completion of a Bachelor’s degree before going into residence at Oxford in October of the following year.
• Scholars are expected to maintain a full-time status at Oxford for the duration of their degree program.
• Proven intellectual and academic achievement of a high standard is the first quality required of applicants, but they will also be required to show integrity of character, interest in and respect for their fellow beings, the ability to lead, and the energy to use their talents to the fullest.

Bowdoin’s Internal Selection Process. Students are encouraged to read Info for British Scholarships: Applying to the Rhodes, Marshall, Gates Cambridge Scholarships for tips on putting together a competitive application. By the “Initial Bowdoin Deadline” (see above), applicants must submit five collated packets of the materials listed below to the Office of Student Fellowships and Research. The Committee will review these materials and interview all applicants deemed competitive. Based on the submitted materials and interviews, the Committee will decide which applicants will receive Bowdoin’s endorsement.

Materials for Final Consideration. If you receive Bowdoin’s endorsement, it is your responsibility to continue revising and collecting your material and to remind people writing your recommendations of all dates and deadlines. Although Rhodes applications may be submitted as late as the Rhodes Deadline, Bowdoin’s endorsed candidates are expected to submit the following by the “Final Bowdoin Deadline:”

Please note that applicants are responsible for all photocopying needed for the internal selection process and as required by the foundation.