Rhodes acceptance rate

[NuclearFlea]

I can't seem to find any info on the odds of winning a Rhodes Scholarship...is anyone on here privy to this information?

[RomulusAugustulus]

Well, according to the website there are 32 scholarships a year. So 32/number of applicants, which another website estimates to be about 1000. So 32/1000= 3.2%. Good luck!

[NuclearFlea]

interesting...would be nice to see a breakdown by region though, as you only compete with applicants from your region I believe.  I won a fellowship with a 5% rate, so I might actually apply.  Thanks for the info.

[apod205]

I would add one comment to this, which is that I'd bet the number you saw (1,000) only counts individuals who made it to the first stage and were accepted by their universities as endorsed applicants. For some large schools, you have as many as 40 people competing for that endorsement. Those numbers would be impossible to count, exactly, because those individuals competing for the endorsement never actually submit on the official website, only through their own universities' processes.

 

From the Rhodes Press Release for this past year: "This year approximately 1750 students sought their institution’s endorsement; 857 were endorsed by 327 different colleges and universities." (http://s3.amazonaws.com/rhodesscholars-fileshare/final_press_release_2013.pdf)

So, statistically speaking, more realistically you're looking (at most) at a 1-2% rate.

 

As far as the regions go... They design the regions to be relatively equal in terms of numbers, so statistically your chances would be the same in every region. That being said, there's always been the question of whether a region that includes a state like New York is more competitive than (for example) one of the midwest regions (just because of the quality of the schools in each area).

 

Hope this helps!

[NoSleepTilBreuckelen]

Don't let the odds deter you from applying! Talk to a professor or advisor about how to put together a strong application for this and look for other funding opportunities while you're applying to this one since you'll already be preparing a statement of purpose and gathering letters of rec for this application. 

[Horb]

Yeah, I'm from Massachusetts and and went to school in Mass and my advisor basically told me not to expect anything because I would be competing with kids from Harvard, Yale, MIT, etc and that I couldn't apply in, like, Wisconsin, which usually has a slightly better rate. I still applied though and was recommend by my university. It is a hell of a process though. And the 1 to 2% acceptance rate sounds correct.

[pterosaur]

I'm just reading this now as I'm going through the process. I'm going to school in Massachusetts, but I'm from Wisconsin and applying there, so @Horb's comment is humorously on point. But we'll see if that's at all helpful in reality.

[Horb]

I'm just reading this now as I'm going through the process. I'm going to school in Massachusetts, but I'm from Wisconsin and applying there, so @Horb's comment is humorously on point. But we'll see if that's at all helpful in reality.

 

I really hope you get it! Do let us know if you get to the next stage. Sending ALL the luck! 

[pterosaur]

I did make it to the next stage! I'm a finalist for the Rhodes, Marshall, and Mitchell, which I still can't quite believe. The problem is, the Rhodes and Mitchell interviews are on the same day, so you can only do one of them. It's really stressing me out, but I am leaning toward doing the Rhodes.

 

Have you heard any news?