Six Indian Rhodes Scholars Selected for Oxford 2026 Cohort: Law, Economics, History and Beyond
Dec 04, 2025
The Rhodes Scholarship is the world’s oldest graduate fellowship, based at the University of Oxford since 1903. The Scholarships for India began in 1947 and have been awarded to five outstanding applicants each year so far.
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This year, six Rhodes Scholars-Elect for India 2026 were selected, marking the culmination of a rigorous national selection process. After a competitive application process and two rounds of preliminary interviews, the shortlisted finalists were interviewed, and six were chosen to receive the prestigious scholarships.
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 selected students 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.
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. At Oxford, he intends to pursue the MSt in Comparative Literature and Critical Translation.
Manhar Bansal
Yogita completed her Master’s degree in Chemistry in 2025 as an Erasmus Mundus Scholar at Université Paris-Saclay and Adam Mickiewicz University. She holds a BSc (Hons) in Chemistry from St. Stephen’s College, University of Delhi. At Oxford, she aims to pursue a DPhil in the Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics or the Department of Chemistry.
Yogita
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. Nikhita intends to pursue the BCL at Oxford University.
Nikhita Sampath
Taif is currently a student at Ashoka University, pursuing a postgraduate diploma as part of the Young India Fellowship programme. He aims to further his research at Oxford and eventually provide policy-based recommendations in enhancing justice delivery in India.
Taif Altaf
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. Through a DPhil. in Economics at Oxford, he hopes to advance research on microeconomic theory and informal labour markets.
Suprabath Reddy Dwaram
Aniketa Kabir, Mumbai, graduated from Azim Premji University in 2025 with a B.A. in History. At Oxford, he hopes to pursue an MPhil in Classical Indian Religion.
Aniketa Kabir
The applications for the 2027 Rhodes Scholarships will open in June 2026.
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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 and more.
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