History of the Rhodes Scholarships Australia
- What they are and how they are awarded
- Australian Rhodes Scholars
- The Rhodes Trust
- Australian Selection Committees
Rhodes Scholarships were created under the will of Cecil John Rhodes, the British colonial pioneer and statesman, who died in 1902. He left the greater part of his fortune to establish the scholarships, selection for which was to be based on qualities of character as well as on intellect. Rhodes hoped to provide future leaders of the English-speaking world with an education which would broaden their views and develop their abilities, and he chose Oxford for this purpose because he believed that its residential colleges provided an environment especially conducive to personal development. Oxford was also the University he had himself attended, for short periods over a number of years while building his business and political career in Southern Africa. Rhodes hoped that those who gained these benefits from Oxford and his scholarships would go on to improve the lot of humanity, and work towards maintaining peace between nations.
The scheme was unprecedented in scale as well as vision. Rhodes' Will provided for 57 scholars each year. There were 20 'colonial' scholarships (including one for each State in Australia); 32 from the United States of America; and five from Germany (added in the hope that co-operation between German- and English-speaking people would help to prevent war). The German scholarships were twice annulled and reinstated; over the years the Rhodes Trust has also created a number of new scholarships, for present and former member-states of the Commonwealth. A seventh annual scholarship was created for Australia in 1978, an eighth as a gift to mark the Australian Bicentenary in 1988, and a ninth in 1991. A further two scholarships were provided for 2005 bringing the total to eleven.
The allocation of Rhodes Scholarships throughout the world varies slightly from time to time. The largest numbers come from the United States (32 each year), Canada (11) Australia and Southern Africa (9 each), and Germany and India (4 each); smaller numbers are selected from the Commonwealth Caribbean, Hong Kong, Kenya, Jamaica, Malaysia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Singapore, Zimbabwe and Zambia. Since each Scholar is appointed for two years, and may be reappointed for a third year, over 200 Rhodes Scholars are resident in Oxford at any one time.
The first Australian Rhodes Scholars took up residence in Oxford in 1904, and since that time more than 500 Australians have been selected. They have pursued a variety of careers, with public service, academic life, business, medicine and the law their most common vocations. Many have achieved notable distinction, including two Nobel Prize-winners, a Governor-General, a Prime Minister, the first Australian Vice-Chancellor of Oxford, several heads of government departments, university Vice-Chancellors, judges and diplomats. Those who have entered politics have shown no predominant allegiance to any one party: the only avowed Communist elected to a parliament in Australia was a Rhodes Scholar.The largest number of Rhodes Scholars in the Commonwealth Parliament in recent years was six, of whom three were in Cabinet and three in Opposition.
The qualities Rhodes sought in his scholars were daunting. They included literary and scholastic attainments, qualities of maturity, truthfulness, courage, devotion to duty, sympathy for and protection of the weak, kindliness, unselfishness and fellowship; physical vigour, as shown by fondness for or success in outdoor activities; and the exhibition of moral force of character and of instincts to public duties as their highest aim. He recognised that not all these attributes would be found equally in any one person, and the Trust advises Selection Committees to avoid any 'averaging' of the qualities and to seek out candidates whose combination of intellect, character and physical vigor gives most promise of future distinction. Rhodes himself forbade Selection Committees to take into account race or religion when selecting scholars, and need was not to be regarded as a ground. In 1977 eligibility was extended to include women.The formal requirements for eligibility are set out each year in a Memorandum for candidates: they include citizenship in the country of application, and an age limit of 25 at the time of application.
Candidates are no longer required to be unmarried during the first year of scholarship, but married applicants should note that the stipend is sufficient for one person only. Details of benefits (which include travel expenses, all fees, and a living allowance) are set out in the Memorandum. See elsewhere on this web site for more complete details of qualifications and eligibility.
The Rhodes Trust, which administers the scholarships, is based in Oxford. Its Secretary is also Warden of Rhodes House, a large building which includes a Hall and other rooms where functions for Rhodes Scholars and others are held from time to time, as well as the offices of the Trust. The Warden assists, guides and advises Rhodes Scholars in residence, and the Warden's office administers financial and other aspects of the scholarships. The Secretary to the Trust is also responsible for the operation of all the Selection Committees in the various constituencies, and is assisted in this in most of the larger constituencies by national secretaries. The Australian Secretary of the Trust co-ordinates the work of the Selection Committees and generally represents the Trust in Australia.
Each of the six Australian States has its own Selection Committee. Each committee has seven members, at least three of them former Rhodes Scholars, and includes the Governor of the State who chairs the committee. There are also three scholarships each year for Australia at Large awarded by a Selection Committee meeting in Canberra to consider candidates nominated by the State Selection Committees and also by a special Selection Committee which considered applicants from the ACT and other territories of the Commonwealth. Selection in the various Australian constituencies is made at different times between early October and late November, choosing each year the Scholars who will go to Oxford in the following October.
There have been many international scholarship schemes established since Rhodes', some of them based on his example (Senator Fulbright, who moved the United States Congress to introduce the Fulbright Program, was a Rhodes Scholar). Rhodes Scholarships remain distinctive, not only in the combination of qualities sought in the scholars, but in being such a large scheme directed towards a single university. Rhodes chose Oxford because of its particular qualities and characteristics, and those considering applying for a Rhodes Scholarship should make themselves familiar with the opportunities Oxford offers for their particular interest and aspirations.
The University of Oxford produces an informative Undergraduate Prospectus and a Graduate Studies Prospectus each year, giving details of colleges and facilities and listing courses which can be taken at Oxford. It is desirable to consult your teachers in Australia, if possible any with experience of Oxford, concerning the suitability, in the light of your work here, of a course you may wish to undertake at Oxford. In particular, if you are planning to read for a research degree such as the M.Phil., M.Litt. or D.Phil, it is important that you satisfy yourself that the project you are seeking to carry out can be supported by one of the departments at Oxford. Selection Committees will expect to see some evidence that your proposed course is one which Oxford will endorse.
Personal advice can be gained from the Honorary Secretaries to the State and National Selection Committees and from Oxford graduates. An account based on the experience of an Australian Rhodes Scholar not long returned from Oxford can be found elsewhere: see The University of Oxford link on the Rhodes home page.
Former Rhodes Scholars resident in Australia have formed an incorporated Association which makes contact with new Rhodes Scholars and distributes information about Rhodes Scholars and about Oxford. Its members also contribute to a scholarship fund, which enables postgraduate students from other Commonwealth countries to work for a period in Australia, a concept sometimes described as 'Rhodes Scholarships in reverse'.
