UCLA student Mohammed Alharthi, who will graduate in June 2025 with bachelor’s degrees in political science and mathematics/economics, has been awarded a Rhodes scholarship, widely considered the most prestigious and competitive award for international postgraduate study.

Next fall, Alharthi will join more than 100 other newly minted Rhodes scholars from around the world at the University of Oxford in the U.K., where he plans to pursue master’s degrees in diplomacy and global governance and in financial economics. The scholarship covers all expenses — including tuition, living and travel — for up to three years of study at Oxford.

Alharthi, who is from Saudi Arabia, is the first international student from UCLA to be chosen for the honor and the first UCLA-affiliated scholar selected since 2009. Each year, the Rhodes Trust awards scholarships to young men and women from 26 constituencies representing the U.S. and more than 70 other countries, along with two “global” recipients from countries outside those constituencies. Altharti applied for the scholarship through the Saudi Arabia constituency.

Created in 1902, the Rhodes scholarship supports students who have demonstrated academic excellence, a strong concern for the welfare of others and a commitment to making the world a better place. The program aims to develop public-spirited leaders and to promote global understanding and peace through an international community of scholars.

“I’ve always thought of myself as a public servant who understands his nation and the world,” Alharthi said. “The scholarship provides a passport to form lifetime relationships across the globe with some of the world’s most promising scholars and leaders, as we walk our paths at Oxford.”

At UCLA, Alharthi has immersed himself in campus life. An honors student interested in global policymaking and institution building, he has been active in the work of UCLA Center for Middle East Development and was appointed to the UCLA Academic Senate’s committee on international education by the Undergraduate Students Association Council. He has also served as the operations officer for the Saudi Arabian Students Association on campus.

“The weight of UCLA, with its long list of contributions to humanity, has only fueled the momentum to maximize what I get from this special Bruin moment,” Alharthi said.

Alharthi (center), in Saudi traditional clothing, speaks to Bandar Alzaid, the Saudi consul general in Los Angeles (right), at a 2023 Saudi Founding Day event hosted by the UCLA and USC Saudi student associations.

Academically, Alharthi’s work as an undergraduate at UCLA has been exceptional, said assistant professor of political science Salma Mousa, who wrote him a letter of recommendation for the Rhodes application.

“Mohammed has designed and implemented an impressive honors thesis — scraping Arabic-language newspapers across the Middle East, using AI tools to analyze the content and sentiment of these articles, and ultimately measuring how foreign investment can shape soft power in the investors’ image,” she said. “In doing so, he is using modern methods to speak to basic questions about political economy in a data-poor region.

“I am thrilled to see Mohammed’s work and character be recognized in this way — a win for UCLA and the Arab world.”

Alharthi has also deepened his understanding of policy and economic development through off-campus study and research opportunities, including internships with international consulting firm McKinsey & Company; the United Nations Secretariat in New York, where he worked on global peace and security initiatives and sustainability issues; and the Saudi Industrial Development Fund. And this year, he co-founded Furas, a startup dedicated to expanding internship opportunities for young Saudis.

Alharthi’s application process was supported by the UCLA Center for Scholarships and Scholar Enrichment, which provides personalized guidance for students applying for competitive awards, including support in crafting applications, interview preparation and identifying funding opportunities.

This article originally appeared in UCLA’s Newsroom.