The Rhodes Scholarship at University of Manitoba 2025-2026

The Rhodes Scholarship is a postgraduate award supporting exceptional students from around the world to study at the University of Oxford. The program was established in 1903 and first awarded in Canada in 1904. To date, the University of Manitoba has had the privilege of cultivating 100 Rhodes Scholars.

Up to 11 Rhodes Scholarships are awarded annually in Canada, including three in the Prairie Region of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. The Scholarship is tenable for studies at the University of Oxford in England for two or three years, beginning each year in October. Selection is made by committee after personal interviews and on the basis of the candidate’s record.

Table of Content

• Summary
• Benefits
• Requirements
• Application Deadline
• How To Apply

Summary

• Application DeadlineAugust 18, 2025
• Study LevelMasters
• SponsorUniversity of Manitoba
• City to studyWinnipeg
• School to studyUniversity of Manitoba
• Eligible CountryCanada

Benefits

Full tuition & living Stipend

Requirements

For the 2025 competition (2026 Rhodes Scholarship), the following Eligibility Criteria apply:

1. Nationality/citizenship: You must be a citizen or permanent resident of Canada. Applications from refugees/asylum seekers currently residing in Canada will also be considered.
2. Residency: You must be domiciled in Canada.
3. Age: You must meet either of the below criteria:

   • You must be aged 18-23 on October 1st, 2025 (i.e., you must have been born after October 1st, 2001, and before October 2nd, 2007).

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

   • You must be under the age of 27 on October 1st, 2025 (i.e. have been born after October 1st, 1998) AND you must also have completed your first undergraduate degree on or after October 1st, 2024.
4. Academic achievement: You must have completed an undergraduate degree (usually a Bachelor’s) by July 2026, and you must have an academic background and grade that - at a minimum - meets or exceeds the specific entry requirements of your chosen course at the University of Oxford (https://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/graduate/courses/courses-a-z-listing).  Candidates will have a higher chance of successful admission to Oxford if they have:
   • A cumulative GPA of 3.70/4.0 or higher, OR
   • A First-Class Honours Degree or equivalent

The Rhodes selection criteria are powerful and have remained largely unchanged over the past 100 years, having been drawn directly from the founder’s Will:

1. ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE
2. ENERGY TO USE YOUR TALENTS TO THE FULL as demonstrated by success in areas such as sports, music, debate, dance, theatre, and artistic pursuits, including where teamwork is involved
3. TRUTH, COURAGE, DEVOTION TO DUTY, sympathy for and protection of the weak, kindliness, unselfishness, and fellowship
4. MORAL FORCE OF CHARACTER and instincts to lead, and to take an interest in your fellow human beings

In short, Rhodes Scholarships are for young leaders of outstanding intellect and character who are motivated to engage with global challenges and are committed to the service of others. They show promise of becoming value-driven, principled leaders for the world’s future, wherever their careers might take them, and in any field.

Application Deadline

How To Apply

To be eligible for consideration of an endorsement from our institution, please submit a complete copy of the following Rhodes application materials via email to Mr. Brent Deere, Manager, Research Awards ([email protected]) by 4:30pm (CST) on Monday, August 18th, 2025:

It is highly recommended that your six referees provide letters of reference. Referees should email their letters of reference (max. two pages each, on headed paper and signed, in PDF) directly to Mr. Brent Deere, Manager, Research Awards ([email protected]), by 4:30pm (CST) on Monday, August 18th, 2025.

After August 18th, 2025, internal UM Rhodes Selection committee will review the application materials received and select applicants to endorse on behalf of our institution. Note: Selected applicants who are unsuccessful in their first application for a Rhodes Scholarship can officially re-apply only once more (if still eligible). Therefore, our internal UM Rhodes Selection committee will select the same applicant (if applicable) to endorse only twice on behalf of our institution.

Monday, September 8th, 2025
All internal UM applicants will be notified at this time of the results, and the selected UM applicants will have approximately two weeks to complete and submit their application packages to the Rhodes Prairie Office. Mr. Brent Deere will be available to work with these endorsed applicants in preparation of the deadline and will inform them of what they need to complete to secure the other required materials for their application (e.g., the written statement from our institution’s President endorsing the candidacy).

Tuesday, September 23rd, 2025 (23:59 PDT)
Official deadline for endorsed UM applicants to submit their application packages directly through the online portal to the Rhodes Prairies Office: https://www.rhodeshouse.ox.ac.uk/scholarships/applications/canada/#apply-now

For more details, visit University of Manitoba Scholarship webpage