The Mandela Rhodes Scholarship combines financial support with a leadership programme that will challenge you, grow you, and connect you to young African changemakers – just like you.

DO YOU QUALIFY?

• I can study at a postgraduate level in English. Take this free test if you’re unsure.
• I am a citizen of an African country
• I am between the ages of 19 and 29
• By 1 Jan 2025, I will have an undergraduate degree with excellent academic results (above 70% or upper-second class Honors)

How are Mandela Rhodes Scholars selected?

We look for young leaders who aspire to the principles below and who have demonstrated the potential to live them out.

Leadership

Do you aspire to be a visionary leader who has moral authority? Do you see leadership as more than just personal ambition – as a way to pursue the advancement of equality and freedom, human rights and human dignity? And do you want to guide and inspire others to reach their full potential?

Reconciliation

Do you believe that reconciliation – combined with reparation – is the key to harnessing an imperfect past to develop a more just world? And are you prepared to start the process by looking at your own internal landscape?

Education

Do you have excellent academic results but believe that your education should not only benefit you but make a difference for others? And do you agree that intellectual excellence must be accompanied by character and a rounded personality?

Entrepreneurship

Do you want to see Africa take its rightful place as an equal and competitive presence in the global world? Have you demonstrated individual effort, innovation and creativity to this end?

Read the Characteristics sought in a Mandela Rhodes Scholar.

Are you ready to grow?

To benefit from our programme you must be curious about doing the personal, internal work of leadership. This means a commitment to developing self-awareness by engaging with difficult parts of yourself, an openness to learning from the diversity and differences in your cohort, and a willingness to explore and embrace complexity within yourself, others, and the systems around you.

For scholars from outside South Africa…

Important: Applicants from outside South Africa may need to complete SAQA verification to start their studies at a South African university.

Apply now

Our applications timeline runs from March to November of each year, for the following year’s intake. Applications open on 14 March 2024 and close 21 April 2024. You will apply online, and access our application platform through our website.

APPLICATIONS FOR 2025 ARE OPEN

APPLICATIONS FOR 2025 CLOSE 21 APRIL 2024