The Rhodes Scholarship

• Have a cumulative average of at least 10.5 (or equivalent).
• Have obtained an undergraduate degree by September 2025 before taking up the scholarship (except for medical students).
• Be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident in Canada.
• Must meet either of the age criteria:
  • You must be aged 18-23 on 1st October 2024 (e. you must have been born after October 12000 and before October 2 2006).
  • For older candidates who completed their first undergraduate degree later than usual, you must be under the age of 27 on October 1, 2024 (i.e. have been born after October 1, 1997) AND you must also have completed your first undergraduate degree on or after October 1, 2023.

Full selection criteria can be found on the Rhodes Trust website. 

• Students who wish to be an applicant must have Institutional Endorsement from McMaster. 
• The application for Institutional Endorsement is available on AwardSpring every year in August. This application includes a personal statement, CV, transcript and three reference letters. Not sure how to use AwardSpring? Check out this guide and FAQs.
  
• An internal committee makes Institutional Endorsement selections in late-September. 
• McMaster’s President provides the Institutional Endorsement directly to the Rhodes Trust on behalf of the student. 
• Students no longer need an authorization code to submit their application to Rhodes. Instead, the Institutional Endorsement will act as the authorization. 
• If selected, students can then complete the Rhodes application on their website.

Institutional Endorsement from McMaster is required to apply for the Rhodes Scholarship.

Application for Institutional Endorsement is through AwardSpring.

1. Personal Statement: Provide a personal statement of no more than 1000 words. The personal statement is your chance to tell your story in your own voice: Who are you? The personal statement gives you the opportunity to make an authentic statement of who you are.
   • Prompts: In your personal statement of up to 1000 words, we ask you to address each of the following prompts by weaving them into the narrative of your statement (the word allocation across the three is up to you): 
     1. Tell us how you overcame a challenge in your life. Which Rhodes Scholar character qualities did you draw from? What did you learn from the experience?
     2. What would you like to learn from and contribute to the Rhodes community in Oxford?
     3. From your place in the world, how will you use your energy and talents to address humanity’s pressing challenges?
2. Academic Statement of Study: No more than 350 words.
   1. Tell us your reasons for wishing to study at the University of Oxford, what your chosen course(s) of study is (are), and how this fits in your academic trajectory. Furthermore, you may wish to explain how you hope to be stretched academically at the University of Oxford, and any academic support you imagine might be helpful.
   2. Demonstrate that you are able to, at a minimum meet or exceed the specific entry and other academic requirements of the course(s) you have chosen. Tell us how you are prepared for the course(s) academically and otherwise. It is very important that you have a firm idea of which courses are viable for you to study at the University of Oxford (if you are listing a one-year course, please give an indication of your intentions for the second year).
   3. If you wish to undertake a DPhil, provide a brief outline of your proposed research area, how it contributes to your future career plans, and list both the Department in which you propose.
3. A full curriculum vitae (CV) which should include specific details about academic qualifications, publications, prizes, scholarships, positions of leadership, employment positions, involvement in student, voluntary, community or political activities and any cultural, musical or sporting accomplishments. Your CV should not exceed two letter size pages in length, with a minimum 12 pt font.
4. References: For the McMaster Institutional Endorsement application, you will need 3 references:
   • 2 Academic References
   • 1 Non-academic/Character Reference
   • Please note that for the final Rhodes Application you will need a total of 6 references (3 Academic, 3 Non-Academic/Character References)
5. McMaster Unofficial Transcript: You can access unofficial transcripts through the Mosaic Student Centre and download.
   

Please note that these dates are approximate and will be confirmed closer to the deadlines.