Overview

The Marshall Scholarship Programme is a highly competitive, merit-based scholarship funded by the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office for talented young Americans to pursue graduate studies in the United Kingdom.

Competition for the scholarships is extremely rigorous. Candidates are evaluated on academic achievement, leadership potential, social commitment and communication skills. Recipients of the scholarship receive a fully-financed graduate education in the field of their choice for two, and in some cases three, years at any UK university.

History

The Marshall Scholarship Programme was established in 1953 to honour US Secretary of State George C. Marshall and to express the United Kingdom's gratitude for the economic assistance it received from the US Marshall Plan after World War II. Since 1953, the Marshall Scholarship has established itself as one of the most prestigious scholarship programmes for young Americans wishing to pursue graduate study in the United Kingdom.

Programme Objectives

The Marshall Scholarships reflect George Marshall's vision of a close accord between Britain and the United States based on a personal understanding each other. Marshall Scholarships aim to:

• provide America's future leaders and decision-makers with the opportunity to study in the UK;
• enable students of exceptional ability to gain an understanding of British social and academic values; and
• establish professional and personal ties offering reciprocal benefits to the UK and the US.

Alumni

Since the program began, more than 1,500 Americans have been awarded Marshall Scholarships. Prominent Marshall Scholarship Alumni include:

• US Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer
• US Congressman John Spratt, Jr. (South Carolina)
• Anne Applebaum, Washington Post columnist and author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Gulag
• Ray Dolby, inventor of the Dolby sound system
• Tom Friedman, Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times columnist.
• Former US Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt

The Association of Marshall Scholars, the alumni association of Marshall Scholars, fosters personal and professional relationships among Marshall Scholars, supports and publicizes the aims of the Marshall Scholarship Programme and enhances the experience of Marshall Scholars studying in the United Kingdom, thereby strengthening the enduring relationship between the United Kingdom and the United States.

For more information including application materials and details of contact points in your region, visit the Marshall Scholarship Programme and British Council websites.