Marshall Scholarships

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Marshall Scholarships finance up to 50 young Americans of high ability to study for a graduate degree in the United Kingdom.

Award: The Two Year Marshall Scholarship is tenable for two academic years, but may be extended a year by the Commission. The One Year Marshall Scholarship is tenable for one academic year (12 months) and cannot be extended. The award covers 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 towards the support of a dependent spouse.

Criteria: In appointing Scholars the selectors will look for candidates who have the potential to excel as scholars, as leaders and as contributors to improved UK-US understanding. Assessment will be based on academic merit, leadership potential and ambassadorial potential.

Applicants must be endorsed by the Office of Distinguished Scholarships in order to apply for the Marshall Scholarship. Interested applicants are strongly encouraged to meet with the ODS director to learn more about the application process.

Eligibility

To be eligible for a 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 of the following year
  • have obtained a grade point average of not less than 3.7 on their undergraduate degree (Applicants must have a GPA of 3.7 at the time of application)

• • 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

*Note* please verify eligibility on the Marshall Scholarships website.

How to apply for UNC endorsement (updated for 2024-2025)

For the endorsement application, you will be primarily working within the Marshall Scholarship application portal. The exception is for letters of recommendation. Please leave the portal section of letters of recommendation blank for now

Marshall UNC endorsement application (except letters of recommendation).

• Create an account in the Marshall Scholarship application portal
• Complete all of the sections of the Marshall Scholarship application, including essays, within the portal (the exception being letters of recommendation)
• By the endorsement deadline, download a complete application in PDF form from the Marshall portal and submit it to ODS via the Application for UNC Endorsement Form
  • Please be sure to include all relevant transcripts with your endorsement application

Letters of recommendation

• • Use the Recommender Name Submission Form to request letters 
    •  *The Marshall Scholarship has specific requirements concerning who can write your letters; please review those requirements on the \website before selecting recommenders*

Resources for applicants

• Thoroughly read the following Marshall rules and guidelines:
  • Rules for one- and two-year candidates
  • Evaluation criteria
  • Find a Course in the UK
  • Marshall Partnership Scholarships
  • Marshall Scholarship FAQs
  • Research Excellency Framework
• ODS information sessions and prep-shops
• Schedule a meeting with the ODS director to discuss your application and receive advice to consider as you prepare for the endorsement deadline. Non-local applicants may schedule meetings via Zoom or phone. (Note: You may receive feedback on your Marshall personal statement and essays, but you may not incorporate the revised prose from the statement or essay content into a Rhodes or Mitchell Scholarships personal statement.)

Applicants may apply for multiple scholarship awards simultaneously, including the Rhodes, Marshall, and Mitchell Scholarships. However, pay careful attention to differences in guidelines for personal statements.