The Marshall Scholarship finances US graduates to study for a graduate degree at any UK university in any field. The Marshall Aid Commemoration Commission selects up to 50 scholars annually to strengthen academic exchange and long-term understanding between the United States and the United Kingdom.
Applicants choose one of five pathways: a one-year master’s degree, two consecutive one-year master’s degrees, a two-year master’s degree, a PhD or DPhil, or a one-year master’s degree followed by doctoral study. Funding covers one or two years for master’s study and can cover up to three years for doctoral study, subject to the pathway and academic progress.
Benefits & funding
- University fees and living expenses are covered.
- Recipients receive an annual book grant plus thesis, research and daily travel grants.
- The award covers fares to and from the United States and may contribute toward support for a dependent spouse.
- One-year awards last 12 months, two-year awards last 22 months, and doctoral pathways may receive up to three years of funding.
Eligibility
- Applicants must be US citizens when they apply.
- By September 2027, applicants must hold their first undergraduate degree from an accredited four-year US college or university.
- Applicants need an undergraduate GPA of at least 3.7 on a 4.0 scale; rounded GPAs are not accepted.
- Applicants must have graduated from their first undergraduate institution after April 2024.
- Applicants are ineligible if they have studied for or hold a degree or degree-equivalent qualification from a British university, or completed GCSEs or A Levels at school in the UK.
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.
Eligible nationalities
USA
Education required
Bachelor
Appears to have an age limit “up to 50”
confirm in the requirements
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Application process
- 1Check the eligibility rules and select either the one-year or two-year scholarship pathway.
- 2Contact the advisor at your US undergraduate institution, which must decide whether to endorse the application.
- 3Complete the online application and submit it through the institution with three recommendation letters by 5:00 p.m. in the institution’s time zone on 29 September 2026.
- 4If endorsed, the institution adds its endorsement letter and submits the completed application to the appropriate regional committee by 5:00 p.m. local time on 1 October 2026.
- 5Shortlisted applicants attend an in-person regional interview in November, with final decisions announced shortly afterward.
Program timeline
Applications opened at 1:00 p.m. BST.
29 May 2026
Applicant and recommender deadline at 5:00 p.m. in the endorsing institution’s time zone.
29 September 2026
Institutional endorsement and final submission deadline at 5:00 p.m. local time.
1 October 2026
Regional committees complete shortlisting.
Late October 2026
In-person interviews take place across the eight US regions.
16–20 November 2026
Shortly after interviews
Final selections are announced.