A candidate for a Canadian Rhodes Scholarship must:
- be a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident (students who are attending a Canadian university on a visa are not eligible to apply);
- be domiciled in Canada (Please note: candidates with dual citizenship may not apply to more than one of the Rhodes constituencies;
- have reached their 19th birthday and not passed their 25th birthday on October 1, 2020, which means the candidate's birth date is after September 30, 1995, and on or before October 1, 2001;
- have received an undergraduate degree of a sufficiently high standard to be admitted to postgraduate study at the University of Oxford before taking the scholarship.
Criteria for selection:
Selection Committees are seeking candidates who exhibit those qualities most esteemed by Cecil Rhodes, as expressed in his will:
- Proven intellectual and academic attainment of a high standard is the first quality required of applicants;
- show integrity of character, sympathy for and protection of the weak;
- the ability to lead;
- the energy to use their talents to the full.
York candidates should have:
- a cumulative academic average of at least 8.5 (after a minimum of 90 credits of an Honours program), and preferably no single course grade below 8.5 (please note: York is on a 9 point scale and an 8.5 is equivalent to an 'A');
- a substantial record of extracurricular accomplishment demonstrating significant achievement and capability at the leadership level;
- a record of involvement in activities and organizations which demonstrate a strong interest in caring for the disadvantaged;
- evidence of well-roundedness, in terms of community involvement, physical activity and anything else that demonstrates the whole person;
- a sound academic reason for wanting to study at Oxford and a clear and specific knowledge of what program would best fit the candidate's academic qualifications and career goals.