UNDERGRADUATE STUDIES

BRITISH MARSHALL SCHOLARSHIPS

Website	Eligibility	Deadline	Past Winners
www.marshallscholarship.org	Graduating Seniors	September 15

 

Purpose

Founded by a 1953 Act of Parliament, Marshall Scholarships are mainly funded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and commemorate the humane ideals of the Marshall Plan conceived by General George C Marshall. They express the continuing gratitude of the British people to their American counterparts. The Marshall Scholarship is a very prestigious and competitive award, providing tuition and living Marshall Scholarships finance young Americans of high ability to study for a degree in the United Kingdom in a system of higher education recognized for its excellence.

The objectives of the program are as follows:

1. To enable intellectually distinguished young Americans, their country's future leaders, to study in the UK.
2. To help scholars gain an understanding and appreciation of contemporary Britain.
3. To contribute to the advancement of knowledge in science, technology, the humanities and social sciences and the creative arts at Britain's centers of academic excellence.
4. To motivate scholars to act as ambassadors from the USA to the UK and vice versa throughout their lives thus strengthening British American understanding.
5. To promote the personal and academic fulfillment of each scholar.

 

Application Procedure

1. Case must nominate the candidates, so there is a preliminary application screening process. If you wish to be considered, please email your information to Lynmarie Hamel or return it to Sears 357 by September 1. The preliminary application should include:
   1. a brief account of your interest in applying for the Marshall Scholarship, and your career plans. and an idea of which UK university you would like to attend
   2. a one-page summary of your activities (including any research activities and presentations), honors and awards.
2. If you are passed on through the preliminary process, you must complete the Marshall application online by September 15.
3. Return all of the information to Lynmarie Hamel in Sears 357. The Office of Undergraduate Studies will compile all of the information, make all of the requisite copies and send the material to the British Consulate General in Chicago.

 

Eligibility

To qualify for 2007 awards, candidates should:

1. be citizens of the US;
2. (by the time they take up their scholarship) hold their first undergraduate degree from an accredited 4-year college or university in the US
3. have obtained a grade point average of not less than 3.7 on their undergraduate degree. (Exceptions will be considered only on the specific recommendation of the sponsoring college).
4. have graduated from their college or university after April 2004.
5. not have studied for, or hold a degree or degree-equivalent qualification from a British University.

 

Qualifications

In appointing scholars, the selectors will look for:

1. Distinction of intellect and character as evidenced both by their scholastic attainments and by their other activities and achievements.
2. Preference will be given to candidates who display a potential to make a significant contribution to their own society.
3. Selectors will also look for strong motivation and seriousness of purpose, including the presentation of a specific and realistic academic program.

 

Selection Process

1. The Case Marshall Committee will interview all candidates passed on through the preliminary process. Based on these interviews and the submitted application material, the committee will nominate and endorse the most qualified students. The completed applications are then forwarded to the appropriate British Consulate General's Office.
2. Applications will be received and reviewed at eight regional centers in the United States.
3. Shortlisted candidates will be called for interview in November.
4. The final selection will be announced shortly after interview.
5. Successful applicants will be offered a scholarship in writing, and will be asked to accept or decline this offer, also in writing, within 12 days of receiving it. In keeping with other UK government-funded programs the Marshall Commission asks Scholars to give a definitive and final response in this way, so that the Commission can at the earliest opportunity arrange the best and most appropriate graduate program and living accommodation for each Scholar's needs.

Value of the Award

The total value of the award varies according to the circumstances (place of residence, selected university, etc.), but the figure tends to average about 20,000 pounds a year.

 

Application Tips

You do need a clear plan of what you would like to do academically and at which university in the UK. The JYA Office in Sears 357 has information from many universities in the UK, and many universities have web sites. Your professors may know of universities' particular strengths, and may know colleagues at UK universities; ask them for advice.

 

Contact Information

British Consulate-General
400 N Michigan Avenue, Suite 1300
Chicago, IL 60611-4102
(312) 970 3811
Email: chicago@marshallscholarship.org

 

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