Deadline: September 30, 2020.

The Rhodes Scholarship in conjuction with the Oxford-Morland West Africa graduate scholarship Covering Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania,
Niger, Nigeria, the island of Saint Helena, Senegal, Sierra Leone, São Tomé and Principe, and Togo.

The Rhodes Scholarship programme is the oldest (established 1903) international scholarship programme in the world, and one of the most prestigious. Administered by the Rhodes Trust in Oxford, the programme offers 100 fully-funded Scholarships each year for postgraduate study at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom – one of the world’s leading
universities. Rhodes Scholarships are for young leaders of outstanding intellect and character who are motivated to engage with global challenges, committed to the service of others and show promise of becoming value-driven, principled leaders for the world’s future.

ELIGIBILITY

a. Nationality/citizenship: You must be a citizen of one of the following countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, the island of Saint Helena, Senegal, Sierra Leone, São Tomé and Principe and Togo.
b. Education/residency: You must have been resident in one or more of the countries listed above for at least five of the last ten years.
c. Age: Upon 1 October 2020, you must meet either of the below criteria:
i. You must be at least 18 and have not reached your 25th birthday (i.e. you must have been born after 1 October 1995 and on or before 1 October 2002)

OR for older candidates who completed their first undergraduate degree later than usual

ii. You must have not reached your 27th birthday (i.e. have been born after 1 October 1993) AND you have met or will meet the requirements for completion of your first degree on or after 1 October 2019*.
OR for medical, dental, and pharmaceutical students, to allow you to complete your internship
iii. You must be at least 18 and have not reached your 26th birthday (i.e. you must have been born after 1 October 1994 and on or before 1 October 2002)

• A university’s policy determines the date a degree is considered awarded. In ambiguous cases, the decision of the National Secretary is final.
  d. Academic achievement: You must have completed an Undergraduate degree from a college or university (normally
  a Bachelor’s degree) with the highest classification your University awards, e.g. First Class Honours, or a Distinction in the case of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmacy courses.
  e. English language: You must have a sufficiently high standard of English to meet the English language proficiency requirements (at the Higher Level listed) of the University of Oxford.
  f. Given the very intense international competition for places at the University of Oxford, candidates (with the exception of those studying in Nigeria and Ghana, and, for some countries, those studying medicine) will have a greater chance of successful admission to Oxford if they have an Honours degree (or have taken an Honours year) from a University outside of their country or if they have studied to Masters level within their country.
• Please contact your National Secretary if you require further advice. Candidates may wish to consider applying to the Rhodes Trust’s sister Foundation, The Mandela Rhodes Foundation (https://mandelarhodes.org/), to pursue an Honour’s year or a Master’s degree prior to making an application for the Rhodes Scholarship.
  g. If unsuccessful in your first application to the Rhodes Scholarships, you may subsequently re-apply only once more (and this must be in the same constituency), subject to meeting the eligibility criteria

BENEFITS

1. A Rhodes Scholarship covers: All University and College fees.

2. The University application fee

3. A living stipend (£15,144 per annum 2018-19).

4. One economy class airfare to Oxford at the start of the scholarship and one economy flight back to the student’s home country at the conclusion of the scholarship. 

OFFICIAL LINK

https://www.rhodeshouse.ox.ac.uk/scholarships/apply/west-africa/