Marshall Scholarships

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Marshall Scholarships finance up to 40 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

•  Request Three (3) 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*
• Apply for UNC Endorsement with the Application for UNC Endorsement Form 
  • Email ods@unc.edu your CV or resume and indicate that you are interested in applying for the Marshall Scholarship to receive Marshall application prompts 
  • Prepare and upload a single PDF that includes (in this order)
    •  Completed document that answers all prompts from the Marshall application  
      •  *This will be emailed to you from ODS 
      • You may also include a copy of your completed essay prompts typed into a separate document (ex: MS Word, Google Docs, etc.) and converted to a PDF. 
    • All relevant unofficial transcripts 

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.