The Canadian Rhodes Scholarship application requires six letters of reference, to be sent directly by the referee to the Selection Committee before Saturday, October 12, 2019. Guidance for referees (PDF) can be found on the Rhodes House website.

• Four of the six reference letters must comment on your "academic preparation and scholastic achievement".
  • At least four letters must come from people with whom you have studied at university. Preferably these would be professors rather than teaching assistants, but this is not always possible in a large university like York, and it is better to have a good letter written by an instructor who really knows you and your work than a cursory letter written by someone who barely knows who you are.
• The remaining two letters can be written by individuals who know you well through your non-academic interests.

It is very important for your referees to see your completed application dossier (most particularly, your transcript, personal statement and list of activities) as background for drafting their letters of support. The more they know about you as a whole person, the better they will be able to support your application with a detailed letter of reference. It is strongly recommended that you prepare your application materials before your referees need to write their letters.

Make an appointment to meet with each of your referees to discuss your application materials, your academic plans for study at Oxford and your longer term career objectives. Help them to help you win this prestigious award by giving them as much information as possible about yourself. You might find it useful to call their attention to this Rhodes website and to the information for referees we have provided here.