Six Rhodes Scholars-Elect for India 2026 were selected over the weekend, marking the culmination of a rigorous national selection process. After a competitive application process and two rounds of preliminary interviews, shortlisted finalists were interviewed and six were chosen to receive the prestigious scholarships, which include the ‘Rhodes Scholarship for India in partnership with the Radhakrishnan-Rajan family’. The sixth scholarship has been made possible with the generous donation of Dr Mukund Rajan and Mrs Soumya Rajan.
They will be heading to the University of Oxford in October 2026 to join a cohort of more than a hundred Scholars from around the world to undertake fully funded post-graduate studies and become part of a strong community of people determined to make a positive difference in the world.
The Rhodes Scholarship is the world’s preeminent and oldest graduate fellowship, based at the University of Oxford since 1903. The Scholarships for India began in 1947 and have been awarded to 5 outstanding applicants each year so far.
Students from anywhere in the world can apply for a Rhodes Scholarship and many find that taking part in our rigorous selection is a profoundly positive experience which leaves them well placed to go on to a Rhodes Scholarship or other opportunities worldwide.
The Rhodes selection process aims to choose young people with proven academic excellence who also show exceptional character, leadership, the energy to use their talents to the full and a commitment to solving humanity’s challenges. The selection process includes a rigorous review process before the finalists interview with a selection committee composed of renowned experts and leaders in diverse fields.
Rhodes Scholars form a lifelong community of people in many fields and careers, united by a commitment to having a positive impact on the world. Scholars from India have gone on to pursue careers ranging from public policy, literature, law, medicine, scientific research, etc
This year’s winners continue the fantastic legacy of excellence.
Manhar Bansal : Manhar Bansal is a final year undergraduate student at the National Law School of India University, Bengaluru with an interdisciplinary focus in philosophy and literature. His work seeks to theorise the possibility of a human self that is attuned but not reducible to its socio-historical specificities. His academic writing has been published in multiple venues and has received recognition by the Society for Humanistic Anthropology and the South Asian Studies Association of Australia. At NLSIU, he served as the chief editor of a student journal, headed a student-led academic support programme, and co-convened a theory reading group. He has also been learning French, writes for his public newsletter, and enjoys dancing and swimming. Manhar aspires to a public-facing academic career with the aim of introducing humanistic education to young people. At Oxford, he intends to pursue the MSt in Comparative Literature and Critical Translation.
Yogita: Yogita completed her Master’s degree in Chemistry in 2025 as an Erasmus Mundus Scholar at Université Paris-Saclay and Adam Mickiewicz University, where her thesis focused on the synthesis of boron-rich polymers and their formulation into nanoparticles for boron neutron capture therapy. She holds a BSc (Hons) in Chemistry from St. Stephen’s College, University of Delhi, where she was awarded the DST-INSPIRE Scholarship and the Mitsubishi Foundation Award. She served as Senior Under Officer of the National Cadet Corps and led community education initiatives through the college’s Social Service League. As Vice President of the Chemistry Society, she organised inclusive science outreach events to promote chemistry in public discourse. A trained Bharatanatyam dancer, she also enjoys doing theatre and travelling. She is committed to making innovative nanomedicine more equitable and envisions building platforms for accessible scientific research and education. At Oxford, she aims to pursue a DPhil in the Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics or the Department of Chemistry.
Nikhita Sampath Nikhita hails from Karnataka and holds a B.A.,LL.B. from St. Joseph’s College of Law, Bengaluru. She currently works as a Law Clerk-cum-Research Associate to Hon’ble Mr. Justice M M Sundresh at the Supreme Court of India. Her academic interests lie at the intersection of law and applied ethics. Training in Bharatanatyam, Carnatic vocals, Saraswati Veena and the Harmonica, she is committed to balancing her passion for the arts with her academic pursuits. Nikhita intends to pursue the BCL at Oxford University.
Taif Altaf : Taif is currently a student at Ashoka University, pursuing a postgraduate diploma as part of the Young India Fellowship program. With a background in political science, he has undertaken research on Access to Justice in India. Through his work with Voluntas, a public policy firm, he has undertaken research on access to justice in India and has also paid particular attention to issues of due process and epistemology in law. He aims to further this research at Oxford and eventually provide policy-based recommendations in enhancing justice delivery in India. He enjoys Urdu poetry, hiking and playing football.
Suprabath Reddy Dwaram : Suprabath Reddy Dwaram completed an MS in Quantitative Economics at the Indian Statistical Institute, Delhi, and a BA (Hons) in Economics from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi. He has worked on theoretical aspects of fair allocation problems, political economy, and the implementation of rural employment guarantee (NREGA) in Bihar. He is passionate about teaching and spending time in the field. Through a DPhil. in Economics at Oxford, Suprabath hopes to advance research on microeconomic theory and informal labour markets. Besides fieldwork, he loves Wodehouse, wordplay, and cryptic crosswords.
Aniketa Kabir : Aniketa Kabir, Mumbai, graduated from Azim Premji University in 2025 with a B.A. in History. His undergraduate thesis explores the formation of the Self and the Other in dialogic texts from early India. He is interested in studying premodern Indian texts and the ways in which they have been interpreted and circulated, under the conditions of modernity, particularly through the axis of religion. Additionally, he wants to engage with questions on data and democracy in India through his emerging interest in quantitative research methods. Aniketa is keen on birdwatching and Western Classical music, and is learning to play the violin. At Oxford, he hopes to pursue an MPhil in Classical Indian Religion.
The applications for the 2027 Rhodes Scholarships will open in June 2026. More information about the Scholarship application be found at: www.rhodeshouse.ox.ac.uk/apply.
