The prestigious Rhodes Scholarship Postgraduate Award 2026 For Southern Africa are open. The Rhodes Scholarship is a fully-funded postgraduate award which enables talented young people from around the world to study full-time at the University of Oxford. The Rhodes Scholarship is merit-based, with the purpose of developing public-spirited leaders, and to promote international understanding and peace through an international community of Scholars.
THE RHODES SCHOLARSHIP FOR SOUTHERN AFRICA
Covering South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, and eSwatini (formerly Swaziland).
INFORMATION FOR CANDIDATES
This document is a guide to the application and selection process for the Rhodes Scholarship. Please read this carefully to make sure that you are applying to the right constituency and meet all of the eligibility criteria. You will also find important information about how to apply and what you will need to submit an application.
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This information is for candidates applying to the 2026 Rhodes Scholarship through the Southern Africa constituency, for entry in October 2026 to the University of Oxford, in the United Kingdom.
The Rhodes Scholarship Postgraduate Award 2026 Key Dates
Applications Open: 00:01 SAST, Sunday 01 June 2025
Applications Close: 23:59 SAST, Friday 01 August 2025
Recommendation Deadline: 23:59 SAST, Friday 15 August 2025
Am I applying to the right constituency/region?
What is a Rhodes constituency? A constituency is a country, a group of countries, and/or territories, regions, or states, grouped together for the purposes of administering scholarships.
If you only have a connection to one Rhodes constituency and you meet the eligibility criteria below, you can apply to the Rhodes Scholarship for that constituency following the process outlined in this document.
If you have connections to more than one Rhodes constituency and meet the eligibility criteria for more than one constituency, you should apply to the one to which you have the greatest connection. Once you have chosen your constituency, you should read the information for Candidates and then apply as usual.
If you have strong and demonstrable connections to two or more Rhodes Constituencies but do not meet all of the eligibility criteria for any of them, you may be eligible to apply for inter-jurisdictional consideration. Please visit the Inter-Jurisdictional Consideration page for more details about this, as you will need to follow a slightly different process. Please note that while some eligibility criteria are waived for inter-jurisdictional candidates, this does not include the age or academic achievement criteria.
If you cannot see your country or region listed in the list of Rhodes constituencies (see list here) and you are not eligible to apply for inter-jurisdictional consideration, you may be able to apply for a Global Scholarship. Please visit our website to check if you meet the Global eligibility criteria.
RHODES TRUST | STANDING UP FOR THE WORLD
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