Marshall Scholarships provide all-expenses-paid graduate school funding for one to two years, in any field, for U.S. citizens at any UK institution. Selection for these competitive awards is based on the applicant’s academic merit, leadership potential, and ambassadorial potential.
Foundation Brochure [Grinnell login required]
Eligibility: open to senior or recent alumni U.S. citizens
Intent to Apply Deadline: Friday, May 26, 2023. If you miss this deadline, immediately make an appointment with Ann Landstrom in Handshake, or contact her via email.
Intent to Apply URL: Fall 2023 UK/Ireland Scholarships Intent to Apply
Campus Deadline: Wednesday, August 16, 2023 from 1 – 5 p.m. CT or earlier by appointment; all application materials from the candidate and recommenders are due to CLS – Global Fellowships and Awards.
National Deadline: Tuesday, September 26, 2023 by 5 p.m. CT, (in the time zone your endorsing institution is located).
Scholarship URL: https://www.marshallscholarship.org/
Campus Application Checklist: Marshall Application Checklist Fall 2023
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About the Award
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 a 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 Scholarship program are as follows:
- 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 the USA to the UK and vice versa throughout their lives, thus strengthening British-American understanding.
- To promote the personal and academic fulfillment of each Scholar.
The award provides for university fees, cost of living expenses, annual book grant, thesis grant, research and daily travel grants, fares to and from the United States, and, where applicable, a contribution toward the support of a dependent spouse.
The traditional Marshall Scholarship is tenable for two academic years (i.e., 22 months) but may be extended by the Commission, though not beyond the end of a third academic year. Third-year extensions are granted by the Commission on a limited basis, for strong academic reasons, subject to the availability of funds. (Thanks to the generosity of the schools themselves, students pursuing doctorates at the following institutions are eligible for third-year extensions without special petitions: Edinburgh, London School of Economics and Political Science, Nottingham, Oxford, St Andrews.)
One-Year Marshall Scholarships, tenable for 12 months and not eligible for extension, are also available.
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Eligibility
To be eligible for a 2024 Marshall Scholarship, candidates must:
- be citizens of the United States of America (at the time they apply for a scholarship);
- hold their first undergraduate degree from an accredited four-year college or university in the United States by the time they take up their scholarship in September 2024;
- have obtained a GPA of not less than 3.7 on their undergraduate degree;
- have graduated from their first undergraduate college or university after April 2021; and
- not have studied for (or hold) a degree or degree-equivalent from a British University.
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Selection Criteria
Marshall Scholarship applications will be evaluated on three criteria:
- Academic Merit (quality of program of study, knowledge of proposed courses and supervisors, evidence of academic background that is strong and relevant, quality and breadth of recommendations)
- Leadership Potential (ability to deliver results, strength of purpose, creativity, self-awareness)
- Ambassadorial Potential (knowledge of US-UK relations, evidence of transferrable extracurricular activities, interpersonal skills and ability to engage with others, self-confidence, and ability to seize opportunities)
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How to Apply
Please consult this page at the Marshall Aid Commemoration Commission website: Applying for a Marshall Scholarship. Grinnell may annually endorse students and alumni who meet the eligibility criteria for this award. Follow the directions on the Campus Application Checklist (see above).
Applicants should meet with Ann Landstrom for an advising appointment to discuss their interest and fit for the Marshall Scholarship in spring semester. Over the summer, applicants should continue with their advising appointments and they will receive instructions for how to proceed for the final vetting of their applications in early fall.
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Application Example
Rachel Bass ’19, graciously offered to share her Final application [Grinnell login required] for the Marshall Scholarship with the Grinnell community. Note that during the first year of her program she adjusted her second year from King’s College to another year at the University of Edinburgh.
Marshall, Mitchel, Rhodes, Churchill Webinar: April 23, 2020, featuring Rachel Bass ’19, Marshall Scholar
- Slide Deck [Grinnell login required]
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Ethical Guidelines
All applicants are expected to adhere to these ethical guidelines.
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Grinnell College Marshall Scholars
- Rachel Bass ’19 (2019); University of Edinburgh
- Julia Janik ’90 (1990); University of Cambridge
- James Goodfellow ’82 (1982); London School of Economics
- Christopher Johnson ’82 (1982); University of Oxford
- Susan Harvey ’75 (1975); University of Birmingham