The Winston Churchill Foundation of the United States funds the Churchill Scholarship, which can be held only at Churchill College, University of Cambridge.
Scholars spend one year in Cambridge on an MPhil, usually full-time lab research ending in a thesis and viva, or a MASt in mathematics (Part III). Selection rests on academic and research achievement, not leadership.
Benefits & funding
- Tuition, round-trip airfare to the UK, visa fees and the health surcharge, plus a stipend set above the UK Research Council rate; total value over US$80,000.
- Scholars may apply for a US$4,000 special research grant.
- One year of study (courses run 9–12 months).
- The award cannot be deferred, and NSF GRFP recipients cannot hold that fellowship at Cambridge.
Eligibility
- US citizens (native-born or naturalized) only.
- Enrolled at one of the Foundation’s participating US institutions and graduating in the same academic year as the deadline, or graduated from one within the 12 months before the deadline.
- A bachelor’s degree must be held by the time the scholarship starts.
- Must apply for an eligible Cambridge STEM MPhil or MASt, with Churchill College as first college choice.
- Anyone who accepts a Marshall or Rhodes Scholarship must withdraw.
Can you apply?
Here's who can apply
Decoded from the official rules. A free account checks them against your passport, degree and age in seconds.
“An applicant for the Churchill Scholarship must be a citizen of the United States, either native-born or naturalized, and must be enrolled in one of the Participating Institutions and due to graduate during the same academic year as the deadline or be a student who has graduated from one of those institutions within the past 12 months before the deadline.” Eligibility
Eligible nationalities
USA
Education required
Bachelor Enrolled · Bachelor
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Application process
- 1Contact your undergraduate scholarship office first; it sets an earlier internal deadline and can nominate up to two applicants.
- 2Submit the online application with a 1-page research proposal, 2-page academic and research history, transcript and, for most courses, correspondence with a potential supervisor.
- 3Arrange four STEM academic letters, including an external one if you did research away from your institution.
- 4Apply separately to Cambridge, ideally by 14 October 2026.
- 5An informal phone interview precedes any offer.
Program timeline
Recommended Cambridge application date
Oct 14, 2026
Foundation nomination deadline (5pm ET)
Nov 2, 2026
Applicants notified
Late December 2026
Awards announced publicly
Early February 2027