National/ International/ Education Desk
9 June
Sandeep Dhand
Journalist and Research Analysist
The prestigious Rhodes Scholarship Trust, which supports study at the University of Oxford, has announced plans to increase the number of scholarships for Indian students starting in 2028. This move aims to align the number of scholarships with India’s large population, according to Sir Richard Traynor, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Rhodes Trust.
Currently, Indian applicants are awarded six scholarships each year. However, Sir Traynor, during his visit to India, revealed in an interview with PTI that the Trust is actively considering an expansion. “We are now prioritizing regions where the number of scholars should be higher in proportion to the population, and India is clearly one of those countries,” he said.
Sir Traynor emphasized that while six scholarships are a good start, they fall short for a country like India with over 1.4 billion people. The Trust believes increasing the number of scholarships would allow more deserving Indian students to benefit from a world-class education at Oxford and contribute meaningfully to global leadership in the future.
This announcement comes ahead of the upcoming application cycle for the next academic year, which will open soon. Rhodes Scholarships are among the oldest and most prestigious international scholarship programs in the world, offering full financial support to outstanding students for postgraduate study at Oxford University.
The proposed increase in scholarships reflects a broader commitment by the Rhodes Trust to ensure diversity, fairness, and global representation in its scholar community. Indian students, known for their academic excellence and leadership potential, are expected to benefit significantly from this upcoming change.
The decision is being welcomed by educational experts and aspiring students alike, as it opens up more opportunities for India’s brightest minds to study at one of the world’s leading universities.