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

The awards are mainly funded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and are overseen by the Marshall Aid Commemoration Commission. 

Founded by a 1953 Act of Parliament, and named in honour of US Secretary of State George C Marshall, the scholarships commemorate the humane ideals of the Marshall Plan and express the continuing gratitude of the British people to their American counterparts.

The one-year Marshall Scholarship is aimed at applicants who have strong reasons for wishing to study in the UK, but have a clear post-scholarship plan that would mean a one-year award would work better for them than the two-year Marshall Scholarship.

At a glance

  • Funding valueAverage award approximately 拢30,000
  • Suitable for Applicants fromRest of world
  • DeadlineOn going
  • Funding provider(s)Foreign and Commonwealth Office

What it covers

The total value of a Marshall Scholarship varies according to the circumstances (place of residence, selected university etc) of each scholar, but the figure tends, on average, to be around £30,000 a year. 

This amount comprises:
  • A personal allowance to cover residence and cost of living expenses at a rate of £1,065 per month;
  • Payment of tuition fees;
  • Travel fares to and from the United States;
  • Claimable allowances, totalling approximately £3,300, including:
    • A grant for books;
    • A grant for approved travel in connection with studies;
    • Payment of necessary daily expenses for travel between place of residence and place of study, provided the distance between the two is reasonable;
    • A grant for the cost of preparation of any thesis submitted for examination, if required;
    • Shipping of property to and from the United States.

Who can apply

To be eligible for a 2020 Marshall Scholarship, candidates must:

  • Be citizens of the United States of America (at the time they apply for a scholarship);
  • (By the time they take up their scholarship, i.e. September 2018) hold their first undergraduate degree from an accredited four-year college or university in the United States;
  • 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);
  • Have graduated from their first undergraduate college or university after April 2017;
  • Not have studied for, or hold a degree or degree-equivalent qualification from, a British university, or GCSEs or A levels taken at school in the UK.

Applicable courses

This funding opportunity is applicable to many courses, please see the 'Who can apply' section for more information.

Further information

Degrees not funded under the Marshall Scholarship:

  • Second BA/BSc (undergraduate) degrees;
  • MBA (any university);
  • MSc/MFE Financial Economics (any university);
  • Degrees leading to professional qualifications in medicine, dentistry, veterinary science and law (these degrees typically take five years to complete);
  • Degrees that require extended periods away from the chosen university or the UK, including joint degrees with universities not in the UK;
  • PGDip/certificates in any subject;
  • Supervised research not leading to a degree qualification.

Candidates must fill out the form and submit it through the system to their undergraduate institution, the institution ensures that the application is complete and decides whether or not to endorse it. If the institution decides to endorse the application they will add the letter of endorsement and will then submit it through the system to the appropriate regional committee. Candidates should contact studentfunding@cranfield.ac.uk if they are considering applying for a Marshall Scholarship.

Candidates may apply in one only - either the one in which they have their permanent home address or ordinary place of residence/employment, or the one in which they are studying. Any candidate applying in more than one region will automatically be disqualified.

Candidates may apply for either the one-year or two-year scholarship, not both. Any candidate found applying for both will automatically be disqualified.

Candidates must submit their application on the online form provided. Applications must be endorsed by the President, Provost, or Academic Dean of the applicant's US educational undergraduate institution. The online application must be submitted and authorised by a designated member of staff at the applicant's educational institution (or employer). NB: Your institution may have earlier deadlines for submission of your application. Whether this is the case or not you must submit your application in a timely manner in order for your institution to be able to authorise it for submission by the start of October.

How to apply

Please contact studentfunding@cranfield.ac.uk if you are considering applying for the Marshall Scholarship to arrange for endorsement of your application. The deadline for applications is usually the start of October each year.

Apply online at the .

The rules for the scholarships can also be found on the .

Before completing their application, candidates are advised to consider the objectives of the Marshall Scholarship Programme (see the opening paragraph of the ); the and to be aware that the selection committees are seeking candidates who have the potential to excel as scholars, leaders and as contributors to improved UK-US understanding.