Towards the end of the 19th century/early 20th century, there were numerous scholarship programmes available, and they became collectively known as the "travelling scholarship". The British Empire viewed these scholarships as a mechanism to expand the British academic world, and for the student in the British settler colonies, an opportunity for an education abroad.

The Rhodes Scholarship, ultimately became the most famous.

The Rhodes Trust established scholarships in 1902, using the terms laid out in his sixth and final will.

Rhodes established the scholarship programme largely for two main reasons:

• Enhance diplomatic unity within the British Empire (strengthen diplomatic ties between Britain and the USA)
• By bequeathing scholarships to German students, he hoped to secure a peaceful world with educated young leaders in England, Germany and the USA