The Rhodes Scholarships for West Africans to Study in University of Oxford

Overview

Application for the Rhodes West Africa Scholarship 2026 is on for interested and qualified candidates.

The Rhodes Scholarship is a postgraduate opportunity for West Africans to join outstanding young people from around the world to study at the University of Oxford.

There are 3 Rhodes Scholarships available each year for West Africa, which includes Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, the island of Saint Helena, Senegal, Sierra Leone, São Tomé and Príncipe, and Togo.

Summary

Funding Type: Fully Funded
Host Country: United Kingdom
Category: Masters
Eligible countries: West African Countries
Coverage: Full tuition, £19,800 Stipend/Year, Accommodation, Travel Costs
Deadline: 23:59 GMT August 28, 2025

Host University

University of Oxford

Courses covered

Most full-time postgraduate degrees at the University of Oxford. The Rhodes Scholars have to study at Oxford for two years. A third year of full Scholarship is available for those who choose to read for a PhD.

Coverage

The stipend is £19,800 per annum (£1,650 per month) from which Scholars pay all living expenses, including accommodation. This is not sufficient to cover partners or dependents.

Following selection for the Scholarship, the Rhodes Trust will also cover:

The fee required to apply to study at the University of Oxford
Fees for a student visa and the associated International Health Surcharge (IHS), which enables international students to access the UK’s National Health Service
Two economy class flights to and from the UK, for the beginning and end of studies in Oxford.

On arrival in Oxford, Scholars receive a settling-in allowance, and Scholars who transition to a second course of study in Oxford will receive assistance to cover the fees for visa renewal and further application for IHS.

Eligibility Criteria

Nationality/citizenship: You must be a citizen of one of the following countries:
Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, the island of Saint Helena, Senegal, Sierra Leone, São Tomé and Príncipe, and Togo.
Residency: You must have been resident in one or more of the countries listed above for at least five of the last ten years.
Age: You must meet either of the below criteria:
i. You must be aged 18-24 on 1st October 2025 (i.e. you must have been born after 1 October 2000 and before 2 October 2007). OR for medical, dental, pharmaceutical, law, and engineering students, to allow you to complete your professional internship
ii. You must be aged 18-25 on 1st October 2025 (i.e. you must have been born after 1 October 1999 and before 2 October 2007)
OR for older candidates who completed their first undergraduate degree later than
usual
iii. You must be under the age of 27 on 1st October 2025 (i.e. have been born after 1 October 1998) AND you must also have completed your first undergraduate degree on or after 1 October 2024*.
*The date on your degree certificate is your graduation date.
Academic achievement: You must have completed an undergraduate degree (usually a Bachelor’s) by the application deadline, and you must have an academic background and grade that is a First Class Honours Degree or equivalent.
- In the case of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmacy courses, the highest classification your University awards, e.g. a Distinction, would be considered equivalent to a First Class Honours Degree. Candidates must also have achieved a distinction in at least three of the following subject areas:
  - Medicine & surgery
  - Pathology
  - Pharmacology
  - Gynaecology
  - Paediatrics
- Candidates will have a greater chance of successful admission to Oxford if they have:
  - An Honours degree (or have taken an Honours year) from a University outside of your country, or if you have studied to Masters level within your country (except for those studying in Nigeria and Ghana, and, for some countries, those studying medicine).
English Language proficiency: You must meet the University of Oxford’s English language requirements unless you qualify for a test waiver; you must provide English test results with scores that meet the University’s higher-level requirement. Please check the University of Oxford’s webpage to see which tests are accepted, the scores required, and the full conditions for a language test waiver.

Required Documents for Rhodes Scholarship 2026

To apply, candidates must be ready to submit the following documents;

At least two of the following documents to confirm that you meet the citizenship, residency, and age criteria (listed above):
i. A certified copy of your birth certificate (or an affidavit of birth)
ii. A National Identity Card.
iii. A valid passport (with translation, if necessary)
iv. A voter’s card
v. An affidavit notarised by a competent authority confirming that you are a bona fide
citizen of your country
An official transcript from the college or university where you are studying, or have studied, showing grades achieved (to date).
Evidence of residency within the region for at least five of the last ten years, for example, official school records.
Evidence that you meet the University of Oxford’s English language requirements:
- Most candidates will need to upload a copy of their test results of a standardised english test that is recognised by the University of Oxford (e.g. TOEFL/IELTS).
- Alternatively, if you meet the University of Oxford’s criteria for a test waiver, for example, if your undergraduate degree has been taught and assessed in English, you can write and upload a brief letter requesting a waiver to this requirement.
- Your letter should explain how you meet the requirements for a waiver and include any relevant evidence.

How to Apply

Check your eligibility here
If you are eligible, go here to apply or click the apply button below
Be ready with the required documents listed above and the following
- Your personal statement (Do not use AI!!)
- An academic statement

APPLY HERE