Marshall Scholarship

Founded by a 1953 Act of Parliament and named in honor of US Secretary of State George C. Marshall, the Marshall Scholarships commemorate the humane ideals of the European Recovery Programme (Marshall Plan) instituted in 1947, and they express the continuing gratitude of the British people to their American counterparts. It is hoped that as future leaders, with a lasting understanding of British society, Marshall Scholars will strengthen the enduring relationship between the British and American peoples, their governments, and their institutions.

Up to fifty Marshall Scholarships are awarded annually to U.S. citizens for post-graduate study in almost any discipline leading to the award of a British university degree. Traditional Marshall Scholarships are for two years of study. A limited number of One Year Scholarships are also available (for degree programs of 11 or 12 months' duration; shorter one-year degree programs are ineligible for the One Year Marshall, but may be pursued as part of a Traditional two-year Marshall).

Application Information: Applicants must normally receive endorsement from their undergraduate academic institution. Yale endorsement is given by the Yale Committee for the Marshall Scholarship and coordinated by Fellowship Programs at CIPE.

For those who have started applications and requested three letters of recommendation (personally and via the "Marshall, Mitchell & Rhodes Common Application for Endorsement" in the Yale Student Grants Database) by the preliminary deadline, 1pm on July 31, this year's campus application deadline is 1pm on August 14, 2024.

For details of how to apply for Yale's endorsement, see the Yale application timeline and forms, as well as the Yale Student Grants Database entry for the Common Application for Endorsement for the Marshall, Mitchell, & Rhodes (application for endorsement is not made through this "Marshall" entry in Database, but may only be made through the "Common Application").

Applicants must also look carefully at the official Marshall website and rules for candidates. Find advice on tackling essays for UK fellowships on the Fellowships website.

Following institutional endorsement, candidates apply to national Regional Committees. After examining the applications, Regional Committees invite selected finalists for personal interviews in November, and winners are announced shortly thereafter.

Interested applicants, after doing some research of their own, are urged particularly to be in touch with the Yale contact for the Marshall Scholarship: Fellowship Programs - advising by appointment.

Restrictions to Use of Award: See official Marshall rules for candidates for details, including a list of ineligible degree courses.

Marshall Scholarships cannot be deferred.

Candidates must be US citizens at the time of application. For the awards tenable from October 2025, eligible candidates must have graduated from their undergraduate institutions after April 2022.

The Marshall "Rules for Candidates" describe the qualities that selection committees seek in Marshall Scholars:

"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. Preference will be given to candidates who display a potential to make a significant contribution to their own society. Selectors will also look for strong motivation and seriousness of purpose, including the presentation of a specific and realistic academic programme. [In addition, particularly for the One Year Scholarships:] Selectors will also be looking for a strong post-scholarship plan."

Applicants must have at least a 3.7 cumulative undergraduate grade point average, without rounding up.

See further the official selection criteria on the Marshall website.