Marshall Scholarship

About the Scholarship

Marshall Scholarships finance young Americans of high ability to study for a degree in the United Kingdom. Up to fifty Scholars are selected each year to study at graduate level at an UK institution in any field of study. As future leaders, with a lasting understanding of British society, Marshall Scholars strengthen the enduring relationship between the British and American peoples, their governments and their institutions. Marshall Scholars are talented, independent and wide-ranging, and their time as Scholars enhances their intellectual and personal growth. Their direct engagement with Britain through its best academic programs contributes to their ultimate personal success.

The objectives of the Marshall Scholarships are:

To enable intellectually distinguished young Americans, their country’s future leaders, to study in the UK.
To help scholars gain an understanding and appreciation of contemporary Britain.
To contribute to the advancement of knowledge in science, technology, the humanities and social sciences and the creative arts at Britain’s centers of academic excellence.
To motivate scholars to act as ambassadors from America to the UK and vice versa throughout their lives thus strengthening British American understanding.
To promote the personal and academic fulfillment of each scholar.

Requirements

To be eligible for a 2025 Marshall Scholarship, candidates must:

Be citizens of the United States of America (at the time they apply for a scholarship);
By the time they take up their scholarship (i.e. September 2025) hold their first undergraduate degree from an accredited four-year college or university in the United States;
Have obtained a grade point average of not less than 3.7 on their undergraduate degree at the time of application. We do not accept rounded GPA's.
Have graduated from their first undergraduate college or university after April 2022.
Not have studied for, or hold a degree or degree-equivalent qualification from a British University or GCSE or A Levels taken at school in the UK.

Selection Criteria

Before completing the application candidates are advised to consider the objectives of the Marshall Scholarship Program, review the Candidate Evaluation Criteria and to be aware that the selection committees are seeking candidates who have the potential to excel as scholars, leaders and as contributors to improved UK-US understanding. The selection criteria are divided into three equally weighted categories:

Campus endorsement is a selected process and not guaranteed. Students seeking USC endorsement must submit certain application components by the campus endorsement deadline (biographical info, statements, short answers, grade report, and three letters of recommendation). Candidates will be notified whether they have been invited to a a campus endorsement interview.

The campus deadline to apply for Marshall, Mitchell and/or Rhodes Scholarship endorsement for the 2025-2026(7) grant year is June 16, 2024.

Additional Guidelines
Applicants are evaluated and selected by a USC faculty committee panel. The panel has endorsed students from a wide range of majors, career goals and leadership experiences. While there is no standard portfolio for a successful candidate, the faculty committee looks for demonstration of the awards' selection criteria in candidates. The Selectors will also look for adequate preparation for the proposed course of study, particularly in the upper-level course work and real strength in the major field. Preference will be given to candidates who combine high academic ability with the capacity to play an active part in the life of the United Kingdom - Ireland university to which they go, and to those who display a potential to make a significant contribution to their own society.

Application Components

To apply for the Marshall Scholarship at the national level, you must receive campus endorsement first. USC’s Marshall, Mitchell and Rhodes campus endorsement is the same application. Candidates only need to submit one application to be considered for multiple awards.

A complete campus application requires the following:

Online application: includes basic biographical and academic data
Personal Statement (750 words max): This should be a short statement in which candidates describe their intellectual development and other interests and pursuits
Proposed Academic Program (500 words max): Candidates should describe their proposed academic program, giving reasons for their choice of course and preferred university․ Those hoping for a research degree should give an outline proposal of the research they wish to undertake and with whom they would like to work․ Marshall candidates must also include a brief outline of why they have chosen their second choice courses and institutions
Leadership (500 words max): Candidates should describe a situation in which they were working with a group of people and recognized and responded to a need for leadership․ The objective is to help the committee understand the candidate’s leadership conviction and drive, style and potential rather than provide a list of achievements.
Ambassadorial Potential (500 words max): Candidates should explain why they want to undertake their studies in the UK-Ireland, and in what particular ways do they think that they will benefit personally and professionally from the experience? Candidates should discuss how work in their field of study (including their own research) can enhance the USA-UK relationship․ They should further explain what they might do to contribute to improved relations in this area now and following the scholarship․
Post Scholarship Plan (150 words max): Candidates should describe their immediate plans upon completion of their Marshall/Mitchell/Rhodes Scholarship and why two years (one for Mitchell) spent undertaking a degree in the UK-Ireland would enhance these plans. As well as describing plans for employment or further study, candidates should indicate how they would develop ongoing connections with the UK-Ireland, through their UK-Ireland institution or some other contacts they propose to make while in the UK-Ireland. Please also include a brief statement of your future career plans.
Personal Information (300 words max) Please list information about personal interests and non-academic activities including dates where relevant․ In particular please include information on any leadership roles you have undertaken․
Describe a recent, particularly satisfying public service activity (350 words): Candidates should describe a recent, particularly satisfying public service activity. Or, if you have focused your efforts on research, please describe a particularly satisfying broader impact experience you have had (either in your research or in public science education, tutoring, etc.)
List the 3 most significant courses you have taken in preparation for your proposed graduate study and future career (150 words).
Describe the problem or needs of society (domestic or global) you want to address once you have finished your formal graduate training (350 words).
What do you hope to do and what position/role do you hope to have 7-10 years after completing your studies in the UK or Ireland? (150 words)
Additional information (250 words): Is there anything else you would like the nomination committee to know about you that is not reflected elsewhere in your application?
A comprehensive resume or curriculum vitae (CV) detailing honors, awards, research, leadership/service, and other co- and extra-curricular activities you have pursued since starting College. Do not include high-school experiences.
Unofficial transcripts. (OASIS course plan)
Three (3) letters of recommendation: Your letters of recommendation will be requested and uploaded via the campus application portal. Two of your three letters should be academic-focused letters from teaching faculty and/or research mentors; if you are involved in significant co- or extra-curricular activities or post-graduate activities, including employment, a third letter focused on your leadership/service/professional life is acceptable. All of your letters must be in-depth letters from individuals who know you well.

For the Mitchell and Rhodes campus application you will be asked for the names of one additional recommender (Mitchell) and five additional recommenders (Rhodes). (The Marshall Scholarship requires a total of 3 letters; the Mitchell Scholarship requires a total of 4 letters; the US Rhodes Scholarship requires 5-8 letters of recommendation.)

Note: Your academic letters should be obtained from faculty. They do not have to be tenured, but should know you in a teaching or research capacity. You should not request letters from graduate students, post-docs, career or academic advisors; leadership/public service letters should not come from “famous” or high-ranking individuals who do not know you well. Please have your letters sent on letterhead, signed, and addressed to the “UK-Ireland Scholarship USC Campus Selection Committee”.

Apply for Marshall, Mitchell and/or Rhodes Scholarship Campus Endorsement HERE

Application Timeline

USC Campus Endorsement Application (same for Rhodes, Marshall, and Mitchell Scholarship campus endorsement)

June 16, 2024 by 11:59pm: Campus Endorsement application deadline, including 3 letters of recommendation
Late-June: Campus Endorsement Interviews

Marshall Scholarship National Application

Early June: National Marshall Scholarship Application Opens
Late September: National deadline for applicants to submit application
October: National deadline for advisors to submit letters of endorsement and four letters of recommendation
November: Regional interviews of shortlisted candidates

Before you apply, complete an extensive review of the Marshall Scholarship website with special attention to:

Rules for Candidates: Provides guidance for the application process, including general regulations, conditions of eligibility, the basis of selection, the method of selection, and the courses that are open to Marshall Scholars.
Evaluation Criteria and Marshall Partnership Scholarships
Choosing a University in the UK: UK institutions, Partnership Scholarships, Marshall Partner Universities, Course Search
Reach out to a recipient in your field using the Marshall Scholar Profiles
Frequently Asked Questions
2020 Competition The Chair of the New York Regional Committee talks about applying for Marshall Scholarships