Instructions for preparing and submitting your application

These instructions should be followed carefully. If any part is not clear to you, you should contact the Honorary Secretary before proceeding further.

• General information
• 1. Academic merit
• 2. Age limit
• 3. Referees
• 4. Curriculum vitae
• 5. Your statement
• 6. Presentation of your statement
• 7. Academic transcripts
• 8. Birth certificate
• 9. Research approval
• 10. Presentation of your application
• Checklist

There is one Scholarship for each state and three for Australia at Large. After applications close and referees' reports have been received by the Honorary Secretary to the appropriate state or territory Selection Committee, the Committee will meet to prepare a short list of candidates to be interviewed. The number of candidates short-listed will vary according to established practice in each state. Those candidates who have been short-listed will be advised by the Honorary Secretary. At the end of the interview process the Committee will deliberate and select the Rhodes Scholar. If one or two runners-up are thought to be of sufficient merit, they are nominated to go to Canberra to be interviewed by the Selection Committee for the Australia at Large awards. In 2007, the Australia at Large interviews will be held in late November or early December.

It is essential that each applicant take account of the following important considerations:

Entry to Oxford is increasingly competitive and the academic quality of applicants is normally very high. Unless you can demonstrate outstanding strength in the other selection criteria you are unlikely to be regarded as a strong candidate unless you have, or are expected to obtain, an honours degree at the very highest level.You will probably be enrolled in an honours degree or, if you are not formally enrolled in an honours year, you expect to be awarded Honours on graduation (such as is the practice in some Law schools). Applicants with a lesser average will find it extremely difficult to make the short list. The first thing the Selection Committee looks at is your academic record.

You should either have already completed your degree, or expect to do so this year. If you do not expect to complete your degree until the end of the first semester next year, you should discuss your application with the Honorary Secretary to the Selection Committee in your state. His/her address and telephone and electronic mail address can be found on the Honorary Secretaries page of this web site.

You must not have reached your 25th birthday by 1 October in the year of application. Refer to the Memorandum for Candidates for exact requirements.

Referees should be chosen carefully. In preparing a short list of candidates for interview, the Selection Committee has to rely heavily on what referees have to say about the candidate.

You are required to provide the names of six referees and your list must fulfil the following basic requirements:

• at least three referees under whom you have studied (and that does not include school teachers)
• PLUS at least one who can write of your school days (such as your school principal, a subject teacher, etc.)
• PLUS at least one who can write of your other activities

This takes care of five of your referees. It means that if you have, say, three academic referees and one from school, you will need two who can write of your other activities; or, if you have four academic referees and one from school, you will need only one who can write of your other activities. The combination of referees will vary from candidate to candidate, and what might be appropriate for one person may not be appropriate for another. Much will depend on your course of study and the nature of your extra-curricular activities. The Honorary Secretary can offer guidance, but the final decision is yours.

You should try to choose referees (other than your academic referees) who hold a position of respect in the community. Otherwise it will be difficult for the Selection Committee to make a judgement about the reliability of the reference.

Although your local general practitioner or clergyman, solicitor, school principal or school teacher may not be known to the Committee, either personally or by reputation, such positions usually carry the community's respect and trust with the result that, in general, a reference from persons holding these positions can be relied upon. Other persons of public prominence, respected people in the business community, solicitors, barristers, judges, senior public servants, and university college wardens or principals are all potential referees, as well as those mentioned earlier. There are also sports coaches, people for whom you may have worked, and so on. This list gives examples, and is not intended to be either exhaustive or prescriptive; the final choice must rest with the candidate.

It can be helpful to the Committee if referees include a brief paragraph about themselves within their reference. This helps gives context to their reference.

Tip: In choosing your referees, you should resist the temptation to ask somebody to be a referee simply because he or she happens to have a high profile. There should be a positive relationship between you and your referees. It is extremely important that the referee knows you well enough to write an informed reference.

Please note: Please do not enclose referees' reports with your application. In most cases the referees' reports are obtained by the Honorary Secretary, but depending on the state or territory in which you apply, EITHER you will be instructed to hand the letter requesting the reference (or Referee's Report Form) to your referees OR the Honorary Secretary will mail the letter to your referees. If you are required to hand the letter to your referees, the necessary forms and instructions will be given to you when you collect your application form.

Where the Honorary Secretary forwards the letter of request, it is of great assistance if the names, addresses, fax numbers (where possible) and email addresses (where possible) are supplied one week prior to the closing date for applications. This ensures that requests for references are sent to referees promptly. It also helps ensure that referees have adequate time to respond.

For states where the Honorary Secretary requests your references, ask your referees if they will be available to supply a reference between 1 September and 21 September (see important note below). They may be overseas. Check with them first!

Please provide the full name and title for each of your referees (e.g. Professor Anne Little) and contact details including a fax number and an email address where possible.

Submitting references

In NSW and some other states Referees are asked to send their references to reach the Honorary Secretary not later than the closing date for applications or some other date soon after. If you find they have not sent their reference by late August, please ask them to fax or email a copy, as well as sending the original by mail. You are welcome to contact the Honorary Secretary in your state by email or phone before you call your referees to find out which referees have responded and which have not. If you fail to carry out this follow-up there is the very real danger that your application will be incomplete when it is sent to members of the Selection Committee. This is your responsibility!

The curriculum vitae gives you an opportunity to include details about yourself which, if they were included in your Statement, might appear trivial. It helps the Selection Committee form a balanced view of you as an applicant for the Scholarship. The curriculum vitae enables you to tell the Selection Committee about any awards and prizes you may have received at school and prizes, scholarships and other distinctions you may have earned at University that might not appear on your academic transcript. While it is useful to include your high school results in the curriculum vitae, do NOT recite your university academic record as that will be shown on the transcript elsewhere in your application.

Include sporting achievements, outdoor activities (both at school and now), community and voluntary work (both at school and now) and don't forget to mention your other interests, such as music, concerts, films, gardening – whatever you do for relaxation.

After preparing your curriculum vitae, you can then run through it and pick out the important items for inclusion in your statement. The curriculum vitae is not to be used as a means of extending your statement: it should be in dot point form, not narrative form, and it must not exceed two pages of single-spaced typing (to ensure readability, the type size should not be smaller than 12 point Times). A curriculum vitae of a greater length than two pages will be returned to you for editing.

This is an important document. Not only does the Selection Committee have to consider what your referees have to say about you as a candidate, it also has to consider very carefully what you have to say about yourself. For example, what have been the major influences on your life, what drives you, why you have chosen the path you have, what your plans are for the future, and so on. A statement is a very personal thing. It should reflect your views and aspirations and, certainly, you should avoid writing what you think people want to hear or read.

After you have written your statement, read it critically. You may find it helpful to have, say, your honours supervisor review it as well.

Presentation of your Statement is important and it should be easy for the Selection Committee to read. Typing should be one-and-one-half spaced and it should not exceed 1,500 words. As with the curriculum vitae, do not use a font smaller than 12 point Times. Please put a heading on your statement and number each page.

Only original transcripts will be accepted – do not submit copies. The Honorary Secretary in your State may accept certified copies of your academic transcripts but you must check with them before you submit your application. You must also include the part of your transcript that indicates what is meant by each mark or grade.

Most universities now show marks on academic transcripts, or offer the choice of "marks" or "no marks". Where your university offers a transcript showing marks, the official transcript enclosed with your application must be one that shows marks for each subject (except, of course, where the only grade possible for a subject is a "Satisfied Requirements", or similar grade).

If your university does not show marks on academic transcripts, you may be able to obtain a Record of Enrolment which does show marks, and which the Selection Committee can read in conjunction with the official transcript.

If it is not possible for you to supply other than a transcript that shows grades of Pass, Credit, Distinction High Distinction, or A, B, C, you should write to the Honorary Secretary to advise him or her of the situation, and to authorise the Honorary Secretary to obtain a suitable record (commonly called an internal transcript) direct from the university (if one is available).

You may include in your application either your original birth certificate or a certified true copy. If including a copy only, please make sure it is certified to be a true copy of the original by a Justice of the Peace or Solicitor.

If you include your original birth certificate it will be sighted, copied and returned to you by registered post. If you bring in your application by hand, we will be able to return your original birth certificate to you on the spot.

If you do not have an Australian birth certificate you MUST include in your application certified copies of proof of citizenship - i.e. your own or your parent's (with your name on it) citizenship certificate.

Read the following very carefully. If you have any questions at all you are urged to contact the Honorary Secretary for advice. This instruction does NOT apply to candidates reading for a Master's degree by coursework such as the MPhil in International Relations, or to candidates reading for the BCL/MPhil or MJur/MPhil degrees.

Include copies of any correspondence from Oxford, either colleges or departments. If you are planning to read for a research degree such as the MLitt, MPhil (not the MPhil by coursework), and DPhil, it is essential that you include copies of any correspondence from Oxford indicating that your intended research will be of interest to them, ideally, a letter or email from the relevant Oxford department that confirms that your area of research is of interest to them (see the Frequently-asked Questions page). You are not expected to finalise your research topic or get a supervisor for your thesis. However, evidence of such communication will greatly assist your application, both in giving the selection committee the assurance that your research will be supported at Oxford but also in indicating that you are serious about your area of research.

In general, any correspondence with Oxford should be well under way by the end of May if you are to establish worthwhile contacts at Oxford. You should check with people such as your honours supervisor, or other members of the academic staff if they have any personal contacts at Oxford who may be able to assist.

Some advice: On occasions, some departments at Oxford are reluctant to make any solid commitment to a candidate, because whatever a department may say will be subject to the University's admission processes. Make it clear that you understand you will need to go throught the normal Oxford admissions process. Mention that selection committees in Australia like to have some comfort that, should they select you as the Rhodes Scholar for your state, your area of research would be one that that can be supported at Oxford. Once they are aware you understand that they can't give any iron-clad guarantees, most departments will be as helpful as they can. Certainly, letters along the lines of "if you are successful in winning a scholarship, and gaining admission to the University, we will be happy to have you join our reseach group" are not unknown.

Your application should be clear and easy to read. Copies of your application will be made for the Selection Committee and any bindings and cover sheets will be discarded. To assist us in processing your application please include only the necessary elements listed above and please do not staple.

• Do not put cover sheets on your statement or curriculum vitae.
• Number each page of your Curriculum Vitae: 1, 2 and number each page of your Statement: 1, 2, 3, etc. This ensures that they do not get out of sequence when they are copied.
  Number both documents separately, not as a single document.
• Use A4 paper only and please do not use any special thick or coloured paper as your application will be copied multiple times for the Selection Committee.
• Please print on one side only.
• Please do not bind your application.
• Please do not use staples.
• Include 10 head and shoulders photographs approx. 12 cm x 10 cm (this is a normal sized photo, not a passport photo) in portrait format in an envelope with your name on the envelope and on the back of each photograph. Please ensure that the photographs are identical. They assist members of the Selection Committee in putting a name to a face if you are short-listed.

• Electronic Mail: If you have an email address, include it somewhere on your application. This can help us to contact you. A good place to include the address would be below your signature on the reverse of the application form.

Check your application for completeness:

• Have you shown postcodes on every address (including your own)?
• Have you included fax numbers wherever possible for referees?
• Have you included a list of email addresses wherever possible for referees?
• Have you signed and dated the application form?
• Have you included your email address (if you have one)?
• Have you signed your statement?
• Have you included any correspondence from Oxford (if you are planning a research degree)?
• Have you written your name on the back of the photographs?
• Have you kept a copy of your application?

When you are confident it is complete:

Deliver your application or send by certified mail to reach the Honorary Secretary in your state no later than the closing date shown on the application form (this will usually be 1 September, but when 1 September falls on a weekend, the closing date is the following Monday – 2 or 3 September). The closing date in 2007 is Monday 3 September.