Rhodes Scholarships for Students from Saudi Arabia

The Rhodes Scholarship for Saudi Arabia is part of the Rhodes Scholarships programmes, which are fully funded, full-time, postgraduate awards supporting exceptional all-round students at the University of Oxford. Established in 1902, the Rhodes Scholarship is one of the most prestigious international scholarship programmes in the world.

A total of two scholarships will be awarded to students from Saudi Arabia, who will commence their studies at Oxford in October 2024.

Saudi Arabia is one of the 25 Rhodes constituencies from which scholars are chosen each year. The Saudi constituency was established in 2018 in partnership with Muhammad Alagil, co-founder of Jarir Bookstores, who generously funded the annual Rhodes Scholarship for Saudi Arabia.

Rhodes Scholars may study any full-time postgraduate degree at the University of Oxford, subject to Rhodes requirements and a few exceptions. See the Conditions of Tenure for more details. Use the university’s A–Z guide and search tool to explore all of Oxford’s graduate courses.

If you are selected for a Rhodes Scholarship, you will need to apply separately to the University of Oxford for admission to your selected course. Check the university’s graduate admissions requirements here.

The Rhodes Scholarship covers course fees and provide an annual stipend to cover living expenses, including accommodation. For the 2022–2023 academic year, the stipend was £18,180 per annum (£1,515 per month). Please note: this is not sufficient to cover partners or dependents.

Deadline

21 September 2023.

Duration 

Generally, two years. A third year may be approved in some cases. One-year programmes are also possible.

Benefits

• All university and college fees.
• A stipend to cover living expenses.
• A settling-in allowance, health insurance, visa, two economy-class flights, to and from the United Kingdom, for the beginning and end of studies in Oxford.

Eligibility 
Applicants must:

• Be a citizen of Saudi Arabia and must have been resident in Saudi Arabia for at least five of the last ten years.
• Be at least 18 and no older than 23 years old on 1 October 2023 (i.e., you must have been born after 1 October 1998 and on or before 2 October 2005). [Note: Older candidates who completed their first undergraduate degree later than usual may also apply. They must be under the age of 27 on 1 October 2023 (i.e., have been born after 1 October 1996) and must also have completed their first undergraduate degree on or after 1 October 2022.]
• Have completed an undergraduate degree (normally a bachelor’s degree) that is a first class honours degree or equivalent, and which meets or exceeds the specific entry requirements of your chosen full-time course at the University of Oxford.
• Have a sufficiently high standard of English to meet the University of Oxford’s English language proficiency requirements at the higher level listed.

How to Apply

Register for an account and complete the application form. You will be asked to provide:

• Your details, such as contact information.
• Evidence that you meet the eligibility criteria, such as a copy of a valid passport (with translation, if necessary), confirming that you meet the age and citizenship criteria.
• Your education history, including official transcripts from all colleges or universities at which you are studying or have studied, showing grades achieved. If your official transcript is not in English, you must submit both the original official document issued by your institution and a translation into English certified by a professional translator, the issuing body of the original transcript, or an authorized notary.
• The course(s) you would like to study at the University of Oxford.
• A CV.
• An academic statement (no more than 350 words).
• A personal statement (no more than 750 words). For more information about preparing the statements supporting your application, see an unofficial guide prepared by some Saudi Arabian Rhodes Scholars.
• Four to five referees (at least three academic referees and one or two character referees).

Scholarships – Facebook – Newsletter