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.
![](https://capetownwalkingtours.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Cecil-Rhodes.jpg)
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