Rhodes Trust 2027 Scholarships to Study in University of Oxford.

Application for the Rhodes Scholarship for West Africa will open on June 1, 2026.

In conjunction with the Oxford-Morland-West Africa Graduate Scholarship

There are 3 Rhodes Scholarships available each year for West Africa, which includes Benin, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, Senegal, Sierra Leone, São Tomé and Principe, and Togo.

The Scholarship for West Africa was announced in 2017 and the first Scholar arrived in October 2018. There had previously been Scholarships for certain countries within this grouping, including Nigeria and Ghana.

Benefits

The Rhodes Scholarship covers University of Oxford course fees, as well as providing an annual stipend that covers living expenses and accommodation. 

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 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.

Requirements

• Nationality/citizenship: You must be a citizen of one of the following countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, Senegal, Sierra Leone, São Tomé and Principe 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:
  • You must be aged 18-24 on 1st October 2026 (i.e. you must have been born after 1 October 2001 and before 2 October 2008). OR for medical, dental, pharmaceutical, law and engineering students, to allow you to complete your professional internship
  • You must be aged 18-25 on 1st October 2026 (i.e. you must have been born after 1 October 2000 and before 2 October 2008) OR for older candidates who completed their first undergraduate degree later than usual
  • You must be under the age of 27 on 1st October 2026 (i.e. have been born after 1 October 1999) AND you must also have completed your first undergraduate degree on or after 1 October 2025*.
    *we would normally consider the date on your degree certificate as 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. In addition, candidates must also have achieved a distinction in at least two out of five main subject areas such as:
  • 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 (with the exception of those studying in Nigeria and Ghana, and, for some countries, those studying medicine).
• Candidates may wish to consider applying to the Rhodes Trust’s sister Foundation, The Mandela Rhodes Foundation to pursue an Honour’s year or a Master’s degree prior to making an application for the Rhodes Scholarship.
  Please contact the National Secretary at westafrica.secretary@rhodestrust.com if you require further advice about academic requirements of the Scholarship.
• English Language proficiency: You must meet the University of Oxford’s English language requirements. This means that 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.

Method of Application

Application for the Rhodes Scholarship for West Africa will open on June 1, 2026.

For more information,

Visit the Official Webpage

Application Deadline: June 27, 2026.