Rhodes Scholarships Queensland applications

Rhodes Scholarships provide opportunities for outstanding all-round students to study at the University of Oxford.

Scholars are selected on the basis of their exceptional intellect, character, leadership and commitment to service.

Each year nine Australian Rhodes Scholars are chosen: one for each state, and another three from anywhere in the country (these are known as 'Australia-at-Large Scholarships'). These Scholars join a community of nearly 8,000 Rhodes Scholars worldwide and are part of a tradition in Australia that started in 1903.

QUT administers the Queensland Rhodes Scholarship. The State Secretary for Queensland is Professor Ben White. The State Administrator for Queensland is Sonya Betros.

What does a Rhodes Scholarship entail?

A Rhodes Scholarship supports you in full-time study at the University of Oxford. You can choose from a wide variety of courses.

The Scholarship is usually awarded for two years, but may be extended to three for some degrees. It funds:

all university and college fees
the university application fee
a personal stipend for living expenses
private health insurance
one economy class airfare to Oxford at the start of the scholarship, and one economy fare for the flight back to your home country at the end of the scholarship.

You will also have the opportunity to participate in the life of the Rhodes community in Oxford and attend:

events that develop your leadership, problem-solving and public speaking skills
presentations from leading international speakers in politics, academia and commerce
weekly discussions and debates on global challenges
internships with a wide range of organisations.

Get in touch

If you have any questions about the scholarship or application process, contact the Rhodes Scholarship Queensland representatives at rhodesqueensland@qut.edu.au

2020 Queensland Rhodes Scholar

Congratulations to Nicholas Salmon, a graduate from The University of Queensland and process engineer, who is Queensland’s 2020 Rhodes Scholar. Nicholas is a keen debater and has held senior roles in debating, including as President of the Australian Debating Federation. He is also a violinist with the Brisbane Philharmonic Orchestra. The scholarship recipient was announced on 22 October at Government House by His Excellency.

2020 Australia-at-Large Rhodes Scholar

This is the third consecutive year that a Queenslander has been the recipient of the Australia-at-Large Rhodes Scholarship. Ms Sophie Ryan holds a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws (Peace and Conflict Studies/Studies in Religion) from The University of Queensland. Ms Ryan is the first graduate from St Ursula’s College (Toowoomba) to become a Rhodes Scholar. While at Oxford Ms Ryan intends to study a Bachelor of Civil Law and Master of Philosophy in Law.

2019 Queensland Rhodes Scholar

Jordan English holds a Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Commerce (with First Class honours) from The University of Queensland. Jordan has worked with Brisbane law firms in dispute resolution. As an Indigenous lawyer, Jordan was an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ambassador throughout his studies, mentoring Indigenous high school students considering tertiary education. After studying at Oxford, Jordan plans to return to Australia to practise at the Queensland bar with the ultimate aim of being in a position to be appointed as a judge of a State or Federal court.

2019 Australia at Large Rhodes Scholar

Dr Daniel D'Hotman holds an MBBS (Hons) from Monash University, and a BMedSc (Hons) from Oxford and Monash universities. Dr D'Hotman has contributed to public health initiatives through volunteer roles, has authored policies on global food and nutrition, mental health, and digital health, and published in journals, including The Lancet. He will study an MSc in Global Health Science and Epidemiology at Oxford.

2018 Queensland Rhodes Scholar

Dr Beth Hamilton graduated with First Class Honours and a University Medal from Griffith University last year. Dr Hamilton intends to pursue a Master of Science in Global Health Science and Epidemiology at Oxford University with a goal of working in a global health organisation such as World Health Organisation (WHO).

2018 Australia at Large Rhodes Scholar

Damian Maher attained his Bachelor of Arts (Honours) (English Literature and Ancient History) and Bachelor of Economics from The University of Queensland. He intends to pursue a Master of English (1900-present) at Oxford University and has taken literature into the public sphere through various leadership and volunteer roles he has held.

2017 Rhodes Scholar

Ellen Cliff graduated from ANU with a Bachelor of Philosophy (Honours) in Chemistry and Marine Science. She intends to study a DPhil (PhD) in Earth Sciences at Oxford, with the aim of becoming a leading ocean biogeochemistry researcher.

2016 Rhodes Scholar

Harriet Horsfall studied a Bachelor of Justice at QUT and graduated with first-class honours. She has been accepted into the MSc in Global Governance and Diplomacy at Oxford where she will build on her experience in international volunteering and NGOs.

2015 Rhodes Scholar

Brody Foy graduated from QUT with first-class honours in computational mathematics. He has commenced his DPhil (PhD) work in Computer Science at Oxford, modelling the spread of lung cancer, and is a member of New College.

Who can apply?

To be eligible to apply in 2019 for a 2020 Rhodes Scholarship, you must:

be an Australian citizen and have lived in Australia for at least two of the last 10 years
be at least 19 years of age but younger than 26 at 1 October in the year you would start at Oxford
have completed at least two years of secondary schooling in Australia
have completed a bachelors honours or masters degree (or international equivalent) by 15 June 2020, achieving first-class honours (or an equivalent mark of distinction for the masters degree).

You cannot apply if you have applied for a Rhodes Scholarship two or more times before.

Achievements and personal qualities

Apart from first-class honours, there is no particular list of academic qualifications or personal or professional achievements that you need to be a Rhodes Scholar.

The selection panel are looking for applicants who can demonstrate:

literary and scholastic attainments
energy to use one's talents to the full
truth, courage, devotion to duty, sympathy for and protection of the weak, kindliness, unselfishness and fellowship
moral force of character and instincts to lead, and an interest in one's fellow beings.

The panel are guided by the terms of Cecil Rhodes's will, which established the Scholarships in 1902.

When to apply

Applications for the 2020 Queensland Rhodes Scholarship open on 1 July 2019 and close on 13 September 2019.

How to apply

You should apply in the state where you completed or will complete your highest degree, or where you attended secondary school for at least two years.

For full eligibility and application requirements, read the information for Australian applicants.

You must submit an application and declaration addressing the selection criteria, and include your academic records, CV (curriculum vitae) and proposed course of study at Oxford. You also need to nominate five referees (three academic referees and two other referees that address the other scholarship criteria).

Selection process

The Queensland selection panel will assess all valid applications and will meet in October to shortlist candidates for interview.

After the interviews, the panel will elect the Queensland Rhodes Scholar.

If the panel considers the second- and third-ranked applicants to be of sufficient merit, it will nominate them for interview in the Australia-at-Large Scholarship selection process. These interviews are usually conducted in Canberra in late November or early December.

The Queensland selection panel is chaired by the Governor of Queensland. It has six other members, who serve on the panel for four years.

Information sessions

Information sessions for the 2020 Queensland Rhodes Scholarship are conducted by state secretary Professor Ben White. Further information sessions will also be held, including a live stream session for regional students.

At these sessions Professor White will provide helpful guidance to interested applicants through his Queensland Rhodes Scholarship 2019 for 2020 Presentation.

Presentation slides (PDF file, 870.7 KB)

Date	Time	Location
Thursday 9 May 2019	1pm - 4pm	University of Queensland, St Lucia Campus - ViewPoint, Building 33
Tuesday 16 July 2019	1pm-2pm	Griffith University Nathan campus, N72, 2.10 Gold Coast campus, G40, Red Zone conference (video conference)
Monday 29 July 2019	12pm-1pm	QUT, Gardens Point campus - A Block, Level 1, Room 101 (GP-A101)
Monday 29 July 2019	1pm - 2pm	View the session recording

Contacts

If you have questions about the Scholarship or the application process, you can email the Rhodes Scholarships Queensland representatives or contact the Network Advisor at your university.

Send email

Network advisors

Bond University

Professor Jim Smith: Email: jismith@bond.edu.au

CQ University

Professor Lee Di Millia: Email: v.dimilia@cqu.edu.au

Griffith University

Professor David Ellwood: Email: d.ellwood@griffith.edu.au

James Cook University

Professor Philip Pearce: Email: philip.pearce@jcu.edu.au

QUT

Professor Ben White: Email: bp.white@qut.edu.au

University of Queensland

Dr Robert Mullins: Email: r.mullins@law.uq.edu.au

University of Southern Queensland

Professor Patrick Danaher: Email: patrick.danaher@usq.edu.au

University of the Sunshine Coast

Dr Adrian McCallum: Email: amccallu@usc.edu.au; Facebook: adrian.mccallum; Twitter: @acmccallum