What is a Rhodes Scholarship?

The Rhodes Scholarship is an international postgraduate award for students to study at the University of Oxford. It was established in 1902, making it the first large-scale programme of international scholarship.

The Rhodes Scholarship was founded by English businessman and politician Cecil John Rhodes, to promote unity between English-speaking nations and instill a sense of civic-minded leadership.

Oxford University was accused of racial bias in 2013 after a Freedom of Information Act request revealed that it accepted twice as many white students as students of color who had the same grades.

Students from non-white backgrounds expressed their feelings of alienation at the university in 2014 through a photo campaign called, “I, too, am Oxford.”

Some people offered this scholarship have not accepted it, including Sir Alimuddin Zumla, who declined the scholarship as a teenager to study medicine.