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Application Process

The Rhodes Scholarship is the oldest (first awarded in 1902) international scholarship programme, enabling outstanding young people from around the world to study at the University of Oxford.

Applying for Inter-Jurisdictional Consideration

What is Inter-Jurisdictional Consideration and how can you apply as an Inter-Jurisdictional candidate?

Candidates who are connected to Rhodes Scholarship constituencies,  but don't meet all of the eligibility criteria, may be able to apply for Inter-jurisdictional Consideration. Below you can find detailed guidance on what inter-jurisdictional consideration is and how to apply.

  • There are some candidates who do not meet the eligibility criteria for any Rhodes constituency (including Global), but who are strongly  connected to two or more countries covered by the Rhodes constituencies. Such candidates may have moved between different countries, which has ultimately rendered them ineligible to apply for a Rhodes Scholarship via any single constituency. These candidates may therefore apply for 'Inter-Jurisdictional' consideration, as they are between 'jurisdictions'.

  • Inter-jurisdictional consideration is a way of enabling those candidates described above to apply for a Rhodes Scholarship via the constituency with which they have the greatest connection despite not meeting that constituency's eligibility criteria for nationality/ citizenship and/or years of residence or schooling. Any candidate who meets the criteria for inter-jurisdictional consideration (i.e. they have sustained and verifiable connection to two or more Rhodes constituencies), should apply via the inter-jurisdictional route rather than for the Global Rhodes Scholarship.                                                                                                                             

                                                                                                                                 

  • Applicants who are applying for Inter-Jurisdictional Consideration must meet the age requirements, the academic requirements and any English language requirements for that constituency (as stated in the Information for Candidates document). However, the nationality/citizenship requirements and/or the required number of years of schooling or residency in country may be relaxed for cases where candidates are successful in their request for inter-jurisdictional consideration. Please note that these requirements may only be relaxed if a candidate is able to show sustained and verifiable connection to the region through which they are applying.

  • Inter-Jurisdictional candidates are subject to the same application and reference deadlines as other applicants in their chosen constituency.

    However, you should aim to complete your application and request your inter-jurisdictional check (see the process outlined below) at least two weeks in advance of the deadline for the constituency through which you would like your application to be considered. This will ensure that your inter-jurisdictional status can be checked in advance of the deadline.

    For example, if you have sustained and verifiable links to both Australia and New Zealand, but you don't meet the eligibility criteria for either, you would begin an application form for whichever of the two countries you have the strongest connections. If that is Australia, you would need to complete your application, which would contain the inter-jurisdictional consideration request, and request the eligibility check via the application form at least two weeks before the published Australian application deadline.

  • Any further queries can be directed to scholarship.queries@rhodeshouse.ox.ac.uk; it would be helpful if you included 'inter-jurisdictional' in the subject line. 

     

The Process for Applying for Inter-Jurisdictional Consideration

If you have read the above information and believe you may be eligible to apply for inter-jurisdictional consideration you should take the following steps.

  1. Different constituencies do have different eligibility criteria, you may wish to complete the Eligibility Checker for each country you have a connection to so that you can check if you are eligible to apply directly to any of them.
  2. If you do not meet the eligibility criteria for any one constituency, you should choose the country with which you have the strongest connection and then complete the Eligibility Checker, including any questions about Inter-Jurisdictional Consideration.
  3. Once you have completed the Eligibility Checker you will be taken to the information page for your chosen constituency. Please ensure that you read all of the details here carefully, especially the Information for Candidates documents. 

Please note - if you do not meet the age or academic criteria, you will not be eligible for inter-jurisdictional consideration. In this case the Eligibility Checker will direct you to further information and options.

Application Form

  1. Once you have read all of the information for your constituency, you can use the link on the constituency page to start your application!
  2. You will need to register with Embark (the Rhodes application platform) and then you will be able to start the application form. You will find that, as you do not meet all of the eligibility criteria, you cannot proceed past the Preliminary Screen on the online application form and that an error message has appeared at the bottom of the screen. Below the error message there will be an 'Inter-Jurisdictional' box with information and the option to 'Tick here if you would like to apply for inter-jurisdictional consideration'. You should tick this box and click 'save and next'. This will open up the rest of the application form for you.
  3. As an Inter-Jurisdictional candidate, you will need to complete the 'inter-jurisdictional' tab. This will be very important as it is your primary opportunity to outline your case for inter-jurisdictional consideration. Your 500 word justification should lay out clearly the strength of your connection to the relevant Rhodes constituencies / countries and why you have the strongest connection to the constituency through which you have chosen to apply. You should include a timeline to clarify your movements over time and to further highlight your strong connections to the relevant countries. 
  4. Complete the rest of the form. Please note that the rest of the form wording is tailored towards applicants who meet the eligibility criteria. Therefore you should complete the rest of the form to the best of your ability. Where the form asks you to upload a document that you do not have (as you fit into the inter-jurisdictional category) please upload documentation relevant to the question and to your situation.
  5. When you are happy that you have completed the form, you should tick the box on the 'Request Eligibility Check' page. This will then be picked up by a member of the team at Rhodes House, who will assess your eligibility for inter-jurisdictional consideration and will approve or decline the request. It is therefore important that your application is complete before you request this check. You cannot submit your application without approval from Rhodes House. You will be informed via email if your request has been approved or declined. 
  6. You should request the eligibility check at least TWO WEEKS AHEAD of the constituency's application deadline to allow the Rhodes House team to process your request for inter-jurisdictional consideration.

Application Assessment

In assessing applications for inter-jurisdictional consideration, the team at Rhodes House will primarily be looking for the following:

  • Strength of connection to two or more Rhodes constituencies
  • A clear rationale for why you have chosen the constituency in which you are applying.
  • Evidence of investment in, and commitment to, that constituency and regular contact if you are no longer based there
  • Reasoning for the movement between constituencies
  • A clear timeline to capture your movements between countries. 

Communication of Outcomes

  1. If inter-jurisdictional consideration is granted, you will be emailed to confirm this and to request that you submit your application ahead of the deadline. Post submission, your application will be reviewed in the usual way alongside all other candidates for the constituency that you have chosen. 
  2. For applicants who are not granted inter-jurisdictional consideration, you will also receive an email indicating that your request was not successful and to suggest that you revisit the other Rhodes Scholarships (including the Global Rhodes Scholarships), which may be more appropriate.