Marshall Scholarship

Academic Discipline

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math), Social Sciences, Arts & Humanities, Health, Medicine & Life Sciences, Business, Management & Finance, Law, Policy & Governance, Education & Human Development, International & Global Studies

Award Type

Graduate School Scholarship

Award Location

United Kingdom, Europe, International

When to Apply

Junior Year, Senior Year, Alumni, Graduate Student

Eligibility: Citizenship

U.S. Citizen

Sponsoring Foundation Site

https://www.marshallscholarship.org/

The Marshall Scholarship is tenable at any university in the United Kingdom. It provides overseas transportation, all tuition and fees, and a personal living allowance for (typically) two years of graduate study. Applicants can apply for a three- or four-year PhD, for which supplemental Marshall funding is typically available. The Marshall's goal is to support strong academic students and promote US students' engagement throughout the UK. While the Marshall is happy to support students to attend Oxford, Cambridge, and the major London universities, the Scholarship particularly welcomes candidates interested in studying at universities other than Oxford, Cambridge, LSE, UCL, King's College London, and Imperial College, especially the Marshall’s UK partner institutions. Use the UK government's faculty-driven Research Excellence Framework 2021 ranking of UK graduate programs to identify the strongest and most appropriate UK graduate degree programs that fit your interests as determined by UK faculty. This is an extremely useful snapshot of the quality of graduate programs based on the academic strength of departments at UK universities as determined by UK faculty, and helps dispel the myth that Oxford, Cambridge, and the best-known universities in London are the strongest academic programs in all fields. Instructions on how to use the REF 2021 results by subject

Applicants who wish to commence graduate study in Fall 2027 should enroll in the CURF Fellowship Resources canvas site, complete Penn's Spring Consultations form by May 29, and schedule an appointment with CURF's NCF Director.

Application Components:

Please review our updated step-by-step guide and timeline for Penn's 2024 Marshall application process!

The Marshall Scholarship accepts nominations from institutions – students may not apply independently. To apply for Penn’s endorsement, you must complete the following steps byPenn’s Internal Deadline of July 31, 2026, 4:00 pm.

Potential candidates should indicate their intent to apply for endorsement for the Marshall Scholarship and/or the Rhodes Scholarship as soon as possible (ideally no later than May 29) by completing the Penn's Spring Consultations form. Candidates will then be assigned a Fellowship Advisor who will help the candidate clarify goals, values, and purposes, assist with application details, and draft the university's endorsement letter. Candidates requesting endorsement after July 1must contact Michaile Rainey at michaile@upenn.edu to request consideration for University of Pennsylvania endorsement
As soon as you have arranged for letters of recommendation for the Marshall Scholarship, begin the CURF Marshall Application which will include recommendation letter requests. If you are also applying for the Rhodes Scholarship, separate requests must be submitted for each award. DO NOT request letters of recommendation through the Marshall application system. Letters of recommendation must be submitted to CURF via the webform no later than 4:00pm on July 31, 2026.
Complete Penn’s Internal Marshall application form, including your four Marshall statements and your unofficial transcript from Penn InTouch (and other institutions, if relevant). If you do not receive an email confirming your submission within 4 hours, please IMMEDIATELY email curf@upenn.edu to make sure CURF has received your submission.
Following Penn’s internal deadline, candidate materials are reviewed by the University of Pennsylvania’s Nationally Competitive Fellowships Faculty Review Committee. The Committee will select candidates to interview for consideration for Penn endorsement.
Candidates selected for endorsement for the Marshall Scholarship will receive further instructions.

Letters of Recommendation

The Marshall Scholarship requires three recommendations. Applicants for the Marshall must first register their referees with CURF via the Penn Marshall Process. Those recommendations are due at the campus deadline, as are all of the applicant's Marshall application materials.

Enter your referees in the following order:

The first referee should be the Preferred Recommender, who should have supervised your college or university training (course instructor and/or research supervisor)
The second recommendation must be provided by an academic who has taught you in a course or supervised your research
The third referee should primarily address your leadership and ambassadorial potential, and it may be provided by an academic OR a non-academic
Ideally, at least one of your academic letters should come from a full Professor, and ideally both academic recommenders will be "standing faculty" (Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, or Professor). See a faculty member's webpage to determine their academic rank.
At least two of your referees should be based in the United States

These designations are not disclosed to the referees. Marshall recommendations are limited to 1000 words.

Applicants who are endorsed by the University of Pennsylvania will receive instructions on how to register their endorser when they are notified of university endorsement.

Eligibility:

In addition to demonstrating wide-ranging academic excellence and a cumulative undergraduate GPA at the institution where you will receive or have received your Bachelor's degree of at least 3.70, the most successful candidates have demonstrated initiative and commitment to larger issues such as service, research, and engagement in efforts to serve humanity both on and beyond campus. Additionally, candidates should have a clearly articulated reason for studying in the UK, a solid understanding of the research they will conduct in a specific graduate program, and a plan for how they will use their studies in the UK as a springboard for their future career and an opportunity to promote ongoing professional connections between the US and the UK.

To be eligible, Fall 2026 applicants must have completed their first undergraduate degree (or be in the process of completing their Penn degree) no earlier than Spring 2024. Applicants must apply through the university from which they received their undergraduate degree.