Requirements

College/School Eligibility:

  • Agriculture and Life Sciences
  • Brooks School of Public Policy
  • Architecture, Art and Planning
  • Arts and Sciences
  • Bowers CIS
  • Engineering
  • Human Ecology
  • Industrial and Labor Relations
  • SC Johnson Business - Dyson
  • SC Johnson Business - Hotel
  • SC Johnson Business - Johnson

Class Year Eligibility:

  • Fourth Year + (undergrad)

Open to:

  • Cornell Undergraduate Students

GPA Requirements:

Minimum GPA: 3.70

Application Information:

Applicants must receive endorsement from their undergraduate academic institution. Cornell endorsement is given by the Cornell Endorsement Committee for the Rhodes Scholarship and coordinated by the Office of Fellowships. 

To apply for Cornell's endorsement, a candidate must submit all application materials to the Office of Fellowships no later than August 1, 2025 at 1pm ET. The candidate's 5-8 letters of recommendation must be sent to ccs-fellowships@cornell.edu by the same deadline. 

Permanent residents of the US and DACA students are eligible to apply for the US Rhodes: see their website for details; Cornell applicants may refer any questions to the Office of Fellowships.

Following institutional endorsement, each endorsed candidate applies to the Rhodes Scholarship through one of the District Committees. Please read the official Rhodes memorandum and FAQs carefully when considering choice of district. Each of the district committees will invite selected finalists for personal interviews in November and each district will name two Rhodes Scholars immediately after the district interviews.

Interested applicants, after doing some research of their own, are urged particularly to schedule a meeting with the Cornell contact for the Marshall Scholarship, Clare Jones, ckj23@cornell.edu.

Eligibility:

U.S. citizens between the ages of 18 and 24 who will hold the Bachelor's degree before embarking on the Scholarship are eligible to apply by the endorsement deadline of August 1, 2025. Graduating seniors and recent graduates with strong records of academic achievement and demonstrated leadership are encouraged to apply.  Graduate students in their second year or later at Cornell's graduate and professional schools may also apply through the common application. Upon entry to Oxford, the candidate must either be under 25 years of age, OR up to a maximum age of 28 years if they have completed their first undergraduate degree within the last two years.  US citizens, permanent residents of the US, and DACA students are also eligible to apply for the US Rhodes: see their website for details.

Citizens of Australia, Bermuda, Canada, China, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Israel, Jamaica & the Commonwealth Caribbean, Kenya, Malaysia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Southern Africa (including South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, and Swaziland), Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine (SJLP), United Arab Emirates, Zambia, and Zimbabwe may apply through their own countries or, in some cases, through the U.S. competition if they study in the U.S. Deadlines for these competitions vary. If you intend to apply through a non-US region, please get in touch with Clare Jones, ckj23@cornell.edu, early in the spring of your senior year to determine the appropriate competition, deadline and process for which you are eligible. Students interested in applying for the Rhodes must speak with the Rhodes advisor, preferably several months before the campus deadline in August.

Applicants first submit their materials to a campus committee for review in August. The Cornell Endorsement Committee interviews all applicants and chooses nominees to the national competition, which is conducted in 16 regions. Applications must be processed and endorsed through the Office of Fellowships to be eligible. Endorsement decisions are final and not subject to appeal.

Selection decisions on campus and in the Rhodes districts are based on the criteria below.

  • Academic record: The minimum GPA to apply is 3.7 without rounding up. The average GPA of Rhodes Scholars is about 3.9. Students should excel in their chosen field, be widely read, and demonstrate intellectual flexibility.
     
  • List of Activities and Honors: This list should show sustained commitment to serving others, leadership and initiative, and extracurricular interests. Athletic activity is not required but is considered an asset in the competition.
     
  • Personal Statement: This essay of no more than 1,000 words should give the committee a clear sense of who you are, how your interests have developed, and how and why study at Oxford and the Rhodes Scholarship fit into your future plans. Applicants must know which degree program they plan to pursue at Oxford and be able to explain how it will advance them toward their long-term goals. Both you and the Fellowship Coordinator will be asked to attest that you have received no assistance in writing the statement.
     
  • Letters of Recommendation: Five letters are requested; up to eight are permitted. It is advised that you seek seven or eight letters if possible. Four must be from professors who have taught you at the undergraduate level. Choose your recommenders carefully and in consultation with the Fellowship Coordinator. Each letter should offer a piece of information about your candidacy, which is unavailable from other recommenders. Do not choose someone who does not know you well but has a "big name."
     
  • Interview: Students face a panel of experts from a variety of fields. Interviewers may ask questions related to the student's field, pose philosophical dilemmas, ask questions related to current events, etc. Students should be prepared for a broad-ranging interview, and should fully expect to be asked questions to which they do not know the answers. Information on the interview process is available from the Fellowship Coordinator. Mock interviews and preparation workshops are held during the fall.

Additional information:

Rhodes Scholarships cannot be deferred.

Citizens of countries other than the US and Canada apply directly for Rhodes Scholarships under the auspices of Rhodes Committees in their own countries. See the Rhodes Trust website for information regarding Rhodes competitions in eligible countries.

Though Cornell's endorsement is only required for the Rhodes in the US and Canada and the Global Rhodes, the Fellowships office is very glad to work with Cornell applicants for other Rhodes competitions, and may be able to put them in touch with past candidates from their countries.

Contact Information:

For questions about this application, please contact Clare Jones at ckj23@cornell.edu