Oxford University Admissions: Rhodes Scholarship To Be Available To More Indians From 2028

Last Updated:June 09, 2025, 08:25 IST

Rhodes Scholarship: Other countries where the number of scholarships may increase include China and several in Africa. Presently, China receives four, and Africa receives 21.

The Rhodes Scholarship Trust, which offers the prestigious scholarship for studying at the University of Oxford, plans to increase the number of scholarships available to Indian students starting in 2028 to better reflect the country’s population size, according to Sir Richard Trainor, the trust’s CEO.

Trainor, who visited India ahead of the announcement for the 2026 academic session applications, mentioned in an interview with PTI that currently, six scholarships are awarded to Indian candidates annually.

“The priority now is to try to get some additional scholarships for places where the number of scholars per head of population could be higher and India is one of those places. So, we have six scholarships a year for India, which is good, but there are a billion and a half people in this country, as you know, so there should be more scholarships,” Trainor, who is also the interim warden of Rhodes House told the news agency.

“We are trying to raise money for additional scholarships, because the trust needs to have that money in the endowment in order to pay the fees to the University of Oxford and to pay the living expenses of the scholars,” he added.

Other countries where the number of scholarships may increase include China and several in Africa. Presently, China receives four scholarships, and Africa receives 21.

“We would like to have some additional scholars in each of these three areas by the time of the 125th anniversary of the scholarship scheme, which is 2028. We are going to have a big push on fund raising between now and the 125th anniversary,” Trainor noted.

Trainor, a Rhodes Scholar himself in 1970, reflected on how the scholarship transformed his life.

“…it also transformed mine. I had barely been out of the United States at the time that I took up the scholarship and, you know, it broadened my view of the world and led to my becoming a historian of another country and then making my career in another country and so on. So, and then having this series of academic leadership jobs which have been very international in scope. So….Rhodes Scholarships was totally beyond my background and aspirations at that stage,” he explained.

The Rhodes Scholarship is awarded to outstanding students for two to three years of study at the University of Oxford, depending on their academic programme. Students aged 18-23 (up to 27 in specific cases) are eligible to apply.

As one of the world’s most prestigious and oldest graduate fellowships, the Rhodes Scholarship has been based at the University of Oxford since 1903. Administered by the Rhodes Trust, the program awards 106 fully funded scholarships to students worldwide who demonstrate academic excellence, exceptional character, leadership, achievement in extracurricular activities, and a commitment to addressing global challenges.

Applications for the 2026 session began on June 3 and will be open until July 23.

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