Rhodes West Africa Scholarship 2026 in UK | Fully Funded

Summary

Applications are now open for the Rhodes West Africa Scholarships 2026. The Rhodes Scholarships, established in 1903, are the oldest 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 2026 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.

Benefits:

• The Rhodes Scholarship covers Oxford University course fees, as well as providing an annual stipend.

• For the 2025-26 academic year, the stipend is £19,800 per annum (£1,650 per month) from which Scholars pay all living expenses, including accommodation. Please note: this is not sufficient to cover partners or dependents.

Following selection for the Scholarship, the Rhodes Trust will also cover:

• The fee required to apply to study at the University of Oxford

• Fees for a student visa and associated International Health Surcharge (IHS), which enables international students to access the UK’s National Health Service

• Two economy class flights to and from the UK, for the beginning and end of studies in Oxford.

Eligibilities

To be considered for the Rhodes West Africa Scholarship 2026, you must:

• 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.

• Residency: You must have been resident in one or more of the countries listed above for at

least five of the last ten years.

• Age: You must meet either of the below criteria:

  • You must be aged 18-24 on 1st October 2025 (i.e. you must have been born after 1

October 2000 and before 2 October 2007).

OR for medical, dental, pharmaceutical, law and engineering students, to allow you to complete your professional internship –

You must be aged 18-25 on 1st October 2025 (i.e. you must have been born after 1

October 1999 and before 2 October 2007)

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

usual –

You must be under the age of 27 on 1st October 2025 (i.e. have been born after 1

October 1998) AND you must also have completed your first undergraduate degree on

or after 1 October 2024*.

*The Rhodes Trust would normally consider the date on your degree certificate as your graduation date.

• Academic achievement: You must have completed an undergraduate degree (usually a

Bachelor’s) by the application deadline, and you must have an academic background and

grade that is a First Class Honours Degree or equivalent.

• In the case of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmacy courses, the highest classification is your

University awards, e.g., a Distinction, would be considered equivalent to a First Class Honours

Degree.

Candidates must also have achieved a distinction in at least three of the five following

subject areas:

o Medicine & surgery

o Pathology

o Pharmacology

o Gynaecology

o Paediatrics

• Candidates 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 your

country or if you have studied to Masters level within your country (with the exception

of those studying in Nigeria and Ghana, and, for some countries, those studying

medicine).

Deadline July 31, 2025

To learn more, click here.