Marshall Scholarship

As future leaders, with a lasting understanding of British society, Marshall Scholars will strengthen the enduring relationship between the British and American peoples, their governments, and their institutions. Marshall Scholars are talented, independent, and wide-ranging in their interests, and their time as Scholars will enhance their intellectual and personal growth. Their direct engagement with Britain through its best academic programmes will contribute to their ultimate personal success. In appointing Scholars the selectors will look for a distinction of intellect and character as evidenced both by their scholastic attainments and by their other activities and achievements. Preference will be given to candidates who display the potential to make a significant contribution to their own society. Selectors will also look for strong motivation and seriousness of purpose, including the presentation of a specific and realistic academic programme.Between 900 and 1000 students are typically endorsed to apply for the Marshall Scholarship annually. In 2015 and 2016, 3.2 and 3.5 percent of university-endorsed applicants to the Marshall Scholarship were elected. In 2020, 1,000 students were endorsed, 160 interviewed, and 46 selected. The Marshall selection committees place a strong emphasis on academic achievement and potential, and as such the application requires a minimum GPA of 3.7. Successful applicants, however, typically have much higher GPAs—more than half of applicants have perfect academic records. Winners from Harvard University have had average GPA of 3.92, and Stanford University recommends that applicants have a GPA of 3.8 or above. Between 1954 and 2022, 256 of 2,179 scholars received their undergraduate degrees from Harvard University (12 percent), 138 from Princeton University, 125 from Yale University, 94 from Stanford University, and 83 from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Among public universities, the top producers are the United States Military Academy, with 47 scholars, followed by the United States Naval Academy (34 scholars) and the University of California, Berkeley (33 scholars). The following table includes those institutions that have produced 30 or more scholars since 1954. {| class="wikitable sortable" ! Institution ! data-sort-type="number" |Scholars (1954–2022) |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |} === Scholarship terms === Marshall Scholars may study any full-time postgraduate course offered by a UK university excluding pre-professional programs, whether a taught master's program, a research degree, or a PhD. The scholarship's basic tenure is two years. University and college fees are paid by the British government. In addition, scholars receive a quarterly maintenance stipend to cover accommodation and living expenses. == Academic destinations == Nine institutions are traditionally the main destinations of selected Marshall Scholars: University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, London School of Economics, University College London, University of Edinburgh, King's College London and Imperial College London. SOAS and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine have also sometimes been highly preferred. In 2015, there were 69 Marshall Scholars in residence at British universities including those who were selected for the classes of 2012, 2013 and 2014. During this time, there were 27 scholars at the University of Oxford, seventeen at the University of London (including five each at the London School of Economics and King's College London, and one at University College London), thirteen at the University of Cambridge, and four at Imperial College London. Of these scholars, 46 were studying arts and social sciences while 23 were studying science, engineering or mathematics. ==Comparison to other post-graduate scholarships== In structure and selection criteria, the Scholarship is most similar to the American Rhodes Scholarship and the Fulbright Program. Like the Fulbright available for study in the United Kingdom, Marshall Scholars can study at any university in the UK. However, under the Fulbright, applicants compete in separate pools for 43 specified universities of varying selectivity, except for two awards tenable at any university. The Marshall Scholarship is more flexible than the Rhodes Scholarship, in that Marshall Scholars can study at any British university, and can also attend a different university each year during a Scholar's tenure. In addition, a limited number of one-year Marshall scholarships are available. Unlike Rhodes Scholars, Marshall Scholars must be American citizens (in comparison, approximately eighty Rhodes Scholarships are given annually to citizens of over a dozen countries). In the process, the Marshall Scholarship is roughly as selective as the Rhodes and Mitchell Scholarships: the Marshall was awarded to 3.4 percent of university-endorsed applicants in 2014, compared to 3.7 percent for the Rhodes in 2014, and 3.2 percent for the Mitchell Scholarship in 2017. In 2025, the 3.66 percent of university-endorsed applicants received the Marshall, compared to 3.70 percent of university-endorsed applicants for the Rhodes. The Gates Cambridge Scholarship is slightly more selective with 1.3% of applicants receiving an award. Also, because the selection processes of the scholarships discussed above differ, the likelihood that an applicant will be granted a final round interview is different for each scholarship. In 2014, 15.9 percent of university-endorsed applicants for the Marshall Scholarship received a finalist interview, compared to 24 percent of Rhodes applicants and 5.4 percent of Mitchell applicants. While the selection committees continue to emphasize academic potential, over time "the Marshall program has become more Rhodes-like, stating that it is seeking persons who also demonstrate leadership potential." In general, "nearly all Rhodes Scholars are willing to admit that, by and large, the Marshalls are superior if one looks just at grade point averages and other signs of academic achievement," but this is a point of both "admiration" and "disdain." Walter Isaacson, describing Rhodes Scholars as "fairly intelligent, well-rounded, honest people who could be counted on to be upstanding citizens," has said that "the real geniuses...were the Marshall Scholars," perhaps because of the expectation that Rhodes Scholars be "all-rounders." In practice, the Marshall and Rhodes have engaged an "informal rivalry," but in career trajectory after the completion of their fellowships, "the line between [the fellowships] is not so evident," with scholars pursuing similar fields with similar success. In general, a higher percentage of Marshall Scholars "go on to careers in academia and research, whereas Rhodes Scholars are more evenly scattered through the full range of professional occupations." ==Association of Marshall Scholars== The Association of Marshall Scholars (AMS) was formed in 1988 as a charitable organization. The organization has been led by several notable board and advisory members, including Kathleen Sullivan, Reid Hoffman, Nannerl Keohane, Peter Orszag, Harold Koh, Roger Tsien and Daniel Yergin. The Association of Marshall Scholars releases an annual public opinion poll in partnership with Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts. The poll measures the American public's perceptions of the United Kingdom, highlighting major current issues (e.g. Brexit). === The Marshall Forum === Every year, the Association of Marshall Scholars hosts the Marshall Forum, a high-profile dialogue engaging top American and British leaders about key transatlantic issues, in a different city. During Forums that take place during anniversaries of the Scholarship or Marshall Plan, the Marshall Medal is typically awarded to distinguished individuals who have advanced British-American understanding. These have included Lisa Cook (1986 Marshall Scholar), Madeleine Albright, and Anne Applebaum (1986 Marshall Scholar). In 2017 the Association of Marshall Scholars, in partnership with the German Marshall Fund and the British Embassy, Washington, hosted the Harvard Marshall Forum at Harvard University to mark the 70th anniversary of the Marshall Plan and focused on its legacy and impact today. The event featured 30 speakers including Madeleine Albright as well as Supreme Court Justices Stephen Breyer and Neil Gorsuch, both Marshall Scholars. In 2018, the AMS partnered with the British Consulate General in San Francisco and the Bechtel International Center at Stanford University to host a Marshall Forum on Innovation. The Forum focused on the pipeline of scientific invention in fields such as biomedicine and genetics that are of particular interest to the United States and the United Kingdom. Distinguished speakers included Reid Hoffman, a Marshall Scholar, and David Reitze, Director of LIGO Laboratory. The forum highlighted societal challenges and opportunities raised by explosive innovations in these fields as they interact with advances in machine learning, artificial intelligence, and data science. In 2019, the AMS hosted the Marshall Forum with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, focusing on peace and prosperity. The Forum featured 17 speakers including the Governor of the Bank of England Mark Carney, the Director of U.S. National Security Agency General Paul Nakasone, former U.S. ambassadors Michael Froman, Carla Hills, and William J. Burns, and former British Ambassador to the United States Kim Darroch. {| class="wikitable sortable" ! Year ! data-sort-type="city" |City ! data-sort-type="institution" |Hosting Institution ! Topic ! Notable Speakers and Facilitators |- |- |- |- UK Supreme Court: Patrick Hodge, Michael Briggs, Mary Arden, Jonathan Mance |- |Danielle Allen (Marshall Scholar 1993), Andy Burnham, Kevin L. Faulconer, Kate Gallego, David Holt, Sewell Chan (Marshall Scholar 1998), Tom Fletcher |- |- |- |} == Notable Marshall Scholars == {| class="wikitable sortable" !**Name** !**Prior Higher Education** !**Constituent University** !**Award Year** !**Notability** |- | Stephen O'Harrow||University of Michigan||University of London SOAS||1962||University of Hawaii Director of Southeast Asian Studies |- | Anthony C. E. Quainton||Princeton University||University of Oxford||1955|| Ambassador to Nicaragua, Kuwait, Peru, and Central African Empire |- | Thomas Eugene Everhart ||Harvard University||University of Cambridge||1955|| president, California Institute of Technology; chancellor, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign |- | Ray Dolby ||Stanford University||University of Cambridge||1957|| inventor and chairman of Dolby |- |Arthur Jaffe |Princeton University |University of Cambridge |1959 |L.T. Clay Professor of Mathematics and Theoretical Science, Harvard University |- | John Jay Iselin ||Harvard University||University of Cambridge||1959|| president of Cooper Union, president of WNET |- | Stephen Breyer ||Stanford University||University of Oxford||1959|| associate justice, U.S. Supreme Court |- | Bruce Babbitt ||University of Notre Dame||Newcastle University||1960|| Governor of Arizona, U.S. Secretary of the Interior |- | Keith Griffin ||Williams College||University of Oxford||1960 || president of Magdalen College, University of Oxford |- | Nannerl Keohane ||Wellesley College||University of Oxford||1961||president Duke University and Wellesley College |- | Ed Victor ||Dartmouth College||University of Cambridge||1961|| journalist and literary agent |- | Graham Allison ||Harvard University||University of Oxford||1962|| foreign policy expert, Undersecretary of Defense |- | Thomas C. Grey ||Stanford University||University of Oxford||1963||professor of law, Stanford University |- | Thomas Babe ||Harvard University||University of Cambridge||1963|| playwright |- |Stuart Kauffman ||Dartmouth College||University of Oxford||1963||founder, Elizabeth Kauffman Institute for Transforming Medicine |- | Alfred Guzzetti ||Harvard University||University of London||1964 || experimental and documentary filmmaker |- | John Spratt ||Davidson College||University of Oxford||1964|| U.S. Congress for South Carolina |- | William H. Janeway ||Princeton University||University of Cambridge||1965||venture capitalist and economist |- | Lewis Sargentich ||Occidental College||Sussex University||1965|| professor, Harvard Law School |- | Benjamin M. Friedman ||Harvard University||University of Cambridge||1966|| political economist |- |Linn Hobbs |Northwestern University |University of Oxford |1966 |professor emeritus, Massachusetts Institute of Technology |- | William Broyles Jr. ||Rice University||University of Oxford||1966|| screenwriter |- | Daniel Yergin ||Yale University||University of Cambridge||1968||Pulitzer Prize-winning author |- | Jerry A. Hausman ||Brown University||University of Oxford||1968||professor of economics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology |- | Robert Oden ||Harvard University||University of Cambridge||1969|| president, Carleton College and Kenyon College |- | Peter Kramer ||Harvard University||University College, London||1970|| author |- | Nancy Cox ||Iowa State University||University of Cambridge||1970||director of the influenza division, Center for Disease Control and Prevention |- | Jonathan Galassi || Harvard College|| University of Cambridge || 1971 || president, Farrar, Straus and Giroux |- | Marty Kaplan ||Harvard University||University of Cambridge||1971 || director, Norman Lear Center |- | Jonathan Erichsen ||Harvard University||University of Oxford||1972 || professor of visual neuroscience, Cardiff University |- | Odaline de la Martinez ||Tulane University||Royal Academy of Music||1972||Cuban-American composer |- | Roger Tsien ||Harvard University||University of Cambridge||1972|| Nobel Prize in Chemistry |- | Benedict Gross ||Harvard University||University of Oxford||1973|| professor of mathematics known for the Gross–Zagier theorem |- | James K. Galbraith ||Harvard University||University of Cambridge||1974|| economist and journalist |- | William A. Darity Jr.||Brown University|||London School of Economics||1974|| economist, professor of public policy at Duke University |- | Douglas A. Melton||University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign||University of Cambridge||1975|| chair, Harvard University department of stem cell and regenerative biology |- | Thomas Friedman||Brandeis University||University of Oxford||1975|| journalist, author, three time Pulitzer Prize winner |- | Harold Koh||Harvard University||University of Oxford||1975|| former dean, Yale Law School |- | Sandra E. Shumway||Southampton College, Long Island University||University of Wales at Bangor||1976|| marine scientist, University of Connecticut |- |Amy Wax |Yale University |University of Oxford |1976 |professor of law, University of Pennsylvania Law School |- | Jane M. Hawkins||College of the Holy Cross||University of Warwick||1976|| mathematician, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |- | Kathleen Sullivan||Cornell University||University of Oxford||1976|| professor, Stanford Law School |- | Paul Tash||Indiana University||University of Edinburgh||1976|| CEO of Times Publishing Company |- |Mary E. Edgerton |UT MD Anderson Cancer Center |University of East Anglia |1976 |breast cancer researcher |- | Jef McAllister ||Yale University||University of Oxford||1977||former London Bureau chief of *TIME* |- | Bill Buford||University of California, Berkeley||University of Cambridge||1977 || founding editor of *Granta* |- | Edward Hundert||Yale University||University of Oxford||1978|| educator, psychiatrist, and medical ethicist |- | William J. Burns||La Salle University||University of Oxford||1978|| Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, U.S. ambassador to Russia |- | Jeff Modisett||University of California, Los Angeles||University of Oxford||1978|| Indiana Attorney General |- | Thomas Carothers||Harvard University||London School of Economics||1978 || vice president for studies at Carnegie Endowment for International Peace |- | Mark Whitaker||Harvard University||University of Oxford||1979|| managing editor of CNN Worldwide, senior vice president of NBC News, editor of *Newsweek* |- | Arthur L. Haywood III|| Morehouse College|| London School of Economics|| 1979 || Pennsylvania State Senator |- | Jeffrey Rosensweig||Yale University||University of Oxford||1979 || Director of Global Perspectives, Emory University |- |E. Sterl Phinney |California Institute of Technology |University of Cambridge |1980 |professor, Theoretical Physics at the California Institute of Technology |- | Bruce Allen||Massachusetts Institute of Technology||University of Cambridge||1980||director, Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics |- | Kurt M. Campbell||University of California, San Diego||University of Oxford||1980|| U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, National Security Council coordinator for the Indo-Pacific |- | Steven Strogatz||Princeton University||University of Cambridge||1980|| applied mathematician (Complex Networks) |- | James M. Poterba||Harvard University||University of Oxford||1980||professor of economics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology |- | Richard Cordray||Michigan State University||University of Oxford||1981|| director, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau |- | D. Cameron Findlay||Northwestern University||University of Oxford|| 1982 || former U.S. Deputy Secretary of Labor |- | Nancy Gibbs||Yale University||University of Oxford||1982|| managing editor of *Time* |- | Seth Lloyd||Harvard University||University of Cambridge||1982|| quantum information scientist |- | Ted Conover||Amherst College||University of Cambridge||1982|| author, essayist and journalist |- | Daniel Benjamin||Harvard University||University of Oxford||1983||Ambassador at Large, U.S. State Department |- | Stephen Jennings||Dartmouth College||University of Oxford||1983||Co-CEO, Monitor Group (now Monitor Deloitte) |- | Matthew Adler|| Yale University|| University of Oxford || 1984 || founding director of the Duke University Center for Law, Economics and Public Policy |- | Michael Klarman||University of Pennsylvania||University of Oxford||1984|| Constitutional law scholar, Harvard Law School |- | Sheryll D. Cashin||Vanderbilt University||University of Oxford||1984||law professor, Georgetown University |- | Cindy Sughrue||Boston University||University of Sheffield||1985||CEO of Scottish Ballet, director of the Charles Dickens Museum |- | Michael Otsuka||Yale University||University of Oxford||1986|| professor, London School of Economics |- | Anne Applebaum||Yale University||London School of Economics||1986|| *The* *Washington Post* columnist*,* Pulitzer Prize winner |- | Jeffrey Rosen||Harvard University||University of Oxford||1986 || law professor and legal affairs editor at *The New Republic* |- | Terri Sewell||Princeton University||University of Oxford||1987|| U.S. Congress for Alabama |- | David Laibson||Harvard University||London School of Economics||1988|| professor of economics, Harvard University |- | Melissa Lane||Harvard University||University of Cambridge||1988|| professor of political theory, Princeton University |- | Kris Kobach||Harvard University||University of Oxford||1988|| Secretary of State of Kansas, national rowing champion |- | Mark Filip ||University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign||University of Oxford||1988|| former U.S. Deputy Attorney General |- | Patrick M. Byrne ||Dartmouth College||University of Cambridge||1988|| chairman and president, Overstock.com |- | Byron Auguste||Yale University||University of Oxford||1989||deputy director, National Economic Council |- | Heather J. Sharkey ||Yale University||Durham University|| 1990 ||professor of near eastern languages and civilizations, University of Pennsylvania |- | Charles King ||University of Arkansas||University of Oxford||1990|| author and professor at Georgetown University |- | Peter R. Orszag ||Princeton University||London School of Economics||1991|| CEO, Lazard |- | Stephen Quake ||Stanford University||University of Oxford||1991||professor of bioengineering at Stanford University |- | Jeffrey Glueck ||Harvard University||University of Oxford||1991||COO and CEO of Foursquare |- | Rosa Brooks ||Harvard University||University of Oxford||1991|| *Los Angeles Times* columnist, *Georgetown University* law professor |- |Carl Vogel |Loyola University New Orleans |University of Edinburgh |1991 |cognitive scientist, Trinity College Dublin |- | Timothy D. Snyder || Brown University || University of Oxford || 1991 || professor of history, Yale University |- | Jeremy Heyl ||Princeton University||Durham University, Cambridge University|| 1992 || professor of physics and astronomy, University of British Columbia |- | Angela Duckworth || Harvard College|| University of Oxford || 1992 || head of Duckworth Lab, University of Pennsylvania |- | Kelly Grovier ||University of California, Los Angeles ||University of Oxford||1992|| poet and literary critic |- | Neil Gorsuch ||Columbia University||University of Oxford||1992|| associate justice, U.S. Supreme Court |- |Annabel Park |Boston University |University of Oxford |1992 |documentary filmmaker |- | Drew Daniel ||University of California, Berkeley||University of Oxford||1993|| English professor, Johns Hopkins University |- | Nancy Lublin ||Brown University||University of Oxford||1993|| founder of Dress For Success; CEO, DoSomething |- | Danielle Allen ||Princeton University||University of Cambridge|| 1993|| director, Harvard Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics |- | Kannon Shanmugam ||Harvard University||University of Oxford||1993|| Supreme Court litigator |- | Ahilan Arulanantham || Georgetown University||University of Oxford||1994|| human rights attorney |- | Jeffrey Gettleman ||Cornell University||University of Oxford||1994||Pulitzer Prize winning author, journalist |- | Jennifer Daskal ||Brown University||University of Cambridge||1994||former counsel, Department of Justice |- | Amy Finkelstein ||Harvard University||University of Oxford||1995||professor at MIT |- | Jason Bordoff ||Brown University||University of Oxford||1995||National Security Council |- | Nicole Krauss ||Stanford University||University of Oxford||1996|| novelist |- | Mark Hersam ||University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign||University of Cambridge||1996||professor of chemistry, Northwestern University |- | Jonathan Orszag ||Princeton University||University of Oxford||1996 || senior managing director of Compass Lexecon, Clinton Administration Economic Advisor |- | A. Benjamin Spencer ||Morehouse College||London School of Economics||1996|| Dean & Trustee Professor, William & Mary Law School |- | Derek Kilmer ||Princeton University||University of Oxford||1996|| U.S. Congressman for Washington |- | Samuel Rascoff ||Harvard University||University of Oxford||1996 || professor, New York University School of Law |- | Joshua Oppenheimer ||Harvard University||University of the Arts London||1997||award-winning documentary film director |- | Robert Lane Greene ||Tulane University||University of Oxford||1997||journalist |- | Kim Campbell ||U.S. Air Force Academy||Imperial College, London||1997||U.S. Air Force pilot, Distinguished Flying Cross recipient |- | Katie Beirne Fallon ||University of Notre Dame||Queens University Belfast; London School of Economics||1998||former legislative affairs Director, White House |- | Sewell Chan ||Harvard University||University of Oxford||1998||journalist |- | Warwick Sabin ||University of Arkansas||University of Oxford||1998|| former Member, Arkansas House of Representatives |- |Dan Klein |Cornell University |University of Oxford |1998 |professor computer science, University of California, Berkeley |- | Josh West ||Yale University||University of Cambridge||1999||professor of earth sciences, University of Southern California, [2008 Summer Olympics](2008-summer-olympics) for Great Britain |- | Matthew Spence||Stanford University||University of Oxford||2000||deputy assistant secretary of defense for Middle East policy |- | Zachary D. Kaufman ||Yale University||University of Oxford||2000|| legal academic and social entrepreneur |- |Adam Cohen |Harvard University |University of Cambridge |2001 |professor of chemistry, Harvard University |- | Krish O'Mara Vignarajah||Yale University||University of Oxford||2001||president & CEO, Global Refuge |- | Anne McClain ||U.S. military academy||University of Bath and University of Bristol||2002||Colonel, U.S. Army, NASA astronaut. |- | Collin O'Mara||Dartmouth College||University of Oxford||2003||president of National Wildlife Federation |- |Andrew Klaber |Yale University, Harvard University |University of Oxford |2004 |Partner at Paulson & Company |- | Scott MacIntyre ||Arizona State University||Royal Holloway, University of London, Royal College of Music||2005|| musician, *American Idol* season 8 contestant |- |Finale Doshi-Velez |Massachusetts Institute of Technology |University of Cambridge (Trinity College) |2007 |Computer scientist |- | Marc Gustafson ||New York University||University of Oxford||2007 || Director of the White House Situation Room and Intelligence Advisor to President Biden |- |- |John M. Jumper |Vanderbilt University |University of Cambridge (St. Edmund's College) |2007 |Nobel Prize in Chemistry |- | Tianhui Michael Li ||Princeton University||University of Cambridge||2007 || first data scientist in residence at Andreessen Horowitz |- |Miles Taylor |Indiana University |University of Oxford |2012 |National security expert, author, former DHS chief of staff |- |R. F. Kuang |Georgetown University |University of Cambridge, University of Oxford |2018 |Fantasy novelist, historian |} == See also == * Churchill Scholarship at University of Cambridge * Fulbright Scholarship * Gates Cambridge Scholarship at University of Cambridge * Harry S. Truman Scholarship * Knight-Hennessy Scholarship at Stanford University * Mitchell Scholarship at universities in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland * Rhodes Scholarship at University of Oxford * Schwarzman Scholarship at Tsinghua University * Yenching Scholars at Peking University * Jardine Scholarship at University of Oxford and University of Cambridge * Erasmus Mundus Scholarship at universities in the European Union and their non-EU partners == References == [[Category:Marshall Scholars| ]] [[Category:Scholarships in the United Kingdom]] [[Category:Higher education in the United Kingdom]] [[Category:Scholarships in the United States]] [[Category:1953 establishments in the United Kingdom]] [[Category:United Kingdom–United States relations]] [[Category:International educational organizations]] [[Category:Student exchange]]