The British Marshall Scholarship
Pre-Application Deadline: 4/3/2017 Noon (Due to SOP)
For Reference Only: 2017 Application Process Overview
Consult our Sample Pre-Application
What
A scholarship for two years’ study at a British university, with the possibility of a third year. This scholarship is funded by the British government.
Who is Eligible
Juniors who are U.S. citizens with a 3.7 or higher GPA. Applicants should demonstrate professional competence and dedication to the field of study through leadership or mentoring roles in academic or service organizations, publications or performances, and/or significant work experience/internships related to the major.
Please note that external scholarship agencies will consider all of your credit-bearing coursework from any college or institution as part of the review process (including CSU, community colleges, private colleges or other UC campuses/Extension programs, and including units earned while in high school). Grades from other colleges will be included in calculation of your overall GPA for eligibility purposes.
Begin the application process during the spring before your final year on campus by submitting a Pre-Application. See SELECTION PROCEDURE below for more information.
If you win the scholarship, you will travel shortly after having graduated. (Although Marshall’s website states winners must have graduated by the time they begin overseas study, you do NOT need to have earned a bachelor’s degree yet to begin the application process.) Seniors and alumni who graduated from UCI after April 2014 and meet Marshall’s other eligibility guidelines may also apply.
Applicants may be married. In practice, most applicants are unmarried seniors who intend to graduate the following spring or summer.
Please note that there are certain courses that do not qualify for funding by the Marshall Commission; click here for more information.
Selection Procedure
The first step in applying is to complete a Pre-Application, accessible each year throughout March. In April and May, SOP staff review Pre-Applications and meet with students to discuss their candidacy and subsequent steps. For detailed information about each stage of the application process — including the roles of campus endorsement and evaluation — please view the Application Process Overview.
Next, you will begin work on the formal application. Your supporting documents, including four faculty letters of recommendation, will be due this summer.
The U.S. is divided into eight regions; candidates apply in either the region in which they are legally a resident or the one in which they attend school. UC Irvine is in the Los Angeles region. Promising applicants are interviewed in early November by their Region board and winners are announced soon afterward.
Who Wins
A Marshall scholarship applicant must demonstrate academic merit, leadership potential, and ambassadorial potential.
The ‘Rules for Candidates’ say that Marshall Scholars should possess “distinction of intellect and character as evidenced both by their scholastic attainment and by their other activities and achievements.” They should combine “high academic ability with the capacity to play an active part in the life of the United Kingdom university to which they go, and [the potential] to make a significant contribution to their own society.”
Winners typically have outstanding academic and extracurricular records, are active in community life, and have a breadth of interests and talents. One past interviewer says they look for “evidence of intellectual or artistic distinction apart from high grades; originality, quality of minds, as well as something distinctive experientially.”
Winners present a compelling personal statement of interests and pursuits and a statement of a definite and sensible program of study at a particular British university. Expressions of interest in studying at universities other than Oxford and Cambridge are particularly welcomed. Most winners intend academic, business, or public service careers. Detailed descriptions of past winners are available in the Scholarship Opportunities Program Office, along with the ‘Rules for Candidates,’ application forms and other materials.
In 1995, UC Irvine garnered its first winner in the history of the campus. Kelly Maglia, who earned bachelor’s degrees in drama and music from UC Irvine, studied theater arts and English at the University of London’s Goldsmiths College.
During the 2012-13 academic year, 34 students across the country were selected to receive the award.
In 2014, Kenneth Lai from UC Irvine, who majored in English and Classics, was selected as a Finalist.
For the 2014-2015 academic year, Felipe Hernandez, who earned bachelor’s degrees in Political Science and Music Performance, won the scholarship, making him UC Irvine’s second winner in its history.
Finances
Each scholarship is worth about £20,000 per year and covers tuition costs, books, travel and living expenses.
Comments
The Marshall Scholarship is a highly competitive and highly prestigious award. It is generally regarded along with the Rhodes Scholarship as one of the most prestigious scholarships an American university student can receive.
World Wide Web
Further information and applications are available at the Marshall website.
Access the Big 7 Pre-Application between March 3 – April 3, 2017 at 12 NOON to begin the Marshall application process.
For applications and more information, contact the Scholarship Opportunities Program at 824-0189. We are located within the Center for Excellence in Writing & Communication, on the first floor of Ayala Science Library (Building 520).
SOP is able to advise competitive undergraduate candidates at UC Irvine only.