The Rhodes Scholarship is an international postgraduate award to students to study at the University of Oxford. Established in 1903, it is the oldest graduate scholarship in the world and considered to be among the most prestigious international scholarship programs. Its founder, Cecil John Rhodes, wanted to promote unity between English-speaking nations and instill a sense of civic-minded leadership and moral fortitude in future leaders, irrespective of their chosen career paths. Initially restricted to male applicants from countries that are today within The Commonwealth, Germany, and the United States, the scholarship is now open to applicants from all backgrounds and from across the globe (click here to see the various Rhodes Constituencies). Since its creation, controversy has surrounded its inital exclusion of women, historical failure to select black Africans, and Cecil Rhodes' own standing as a British imperialist. In his will, Rhodes specified that he did not want his s