Marshall Aid Commemoration Commission - Marshall Scholarships

What the Marshall Scholarship gives you

You will receive full funding for a postgraduate course at a British university of your choice. The scholarship covers your tuition fees in full and provides you with a monthly living allowance. For 2025–26, this amounts to 1,452 GBP per month outside London (about 1,680 EUR) and 1,781 GBP per month in London (approximately 2,060 EUR), with the amount reviewed annually by the UK government. You will also receive return economy-class flights between the US and the UK at the start and end of your stay, your visa fees, the NHS health surcharge, and additional allowances for the ‘ambassador’ activities expected of you as part of the programme. The scholarship is administered by the Marshall Aid Commemoration Commission, a UK government body primarily funded by the UK Department for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs. It was established in 1953 to thank the American people for the post-war Marshall Plan.

You choose one of five degree programmes: a one-year Master’s programme (at least 10 months), two consecutive one-year Master’s programmes, a single two-year Master’s programme, a PhD (PhD/DPhil) with guaranteed funding for up to 3 years, or a one-year Master’s programme followed by a PhD programme in the second year. For 2027, up to 50 scholarships are available, some of which are reserved for STEM subjects.

Who can apply

• Nationality: You are a US citizen at the time of applying.
• Your first degree: You hold, or are due to obtain, a first Bachelor’s degree from an accredited four-year US college or university.
• Grades: You have a grade point average of at least 3.7 on a scale of 4.0. Rounding up is not permitted.
• Timing: During the 2027 cycle, you graduated in April 2024.
• No prior UK study: You do not yet hold a UK higher education qualification or an equivalent UK qualification.
• Where you study: Any British university. Applications from universities outside Oxford, Cambridge and London are particularly welcome.
• Field of study: Virtually any subject at postgraduate level. Not eligible: a second bachelor’s degree, postgraduate diplomas or certificates, medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, five-year law degree programmes, MBAs, master’s programmes in finance, distance-learning or part-time programmes, and pure research without a degree.

How to apply

You must complete the online application and submit it to your US university, which must verify it and forward it to one of eight regional committees in the US. For the 2027 cycle, you must apply by 29 September 2026 at 17:00 in the time zone of your certifying university; the university will then submit the application by 1 October 2026. Shortlisted candidates will be invited to interviews in early to mid-November. The selection process takes equal account of three areas: academic achievement, leadership potential and suitability as an ambassador.

How realistic are your chances?

This is one of the most selective scholarships available to US graduates: each year, up to 50 scholarships are awarded from a nationwide pool of applicants. Each university may nominate a maximum of 24 candidates, meaning you are already competing for a nomination before you even appear before the selection committee. Whilst a grade point average of 3.7 gets you through the initial screening, good grades alone are not enough given the three-stage selection process. A clearly demonstrable track record of leadership and a genuine interest in UK–US relations are what set the finalists apart. Applicants specialising in STEM subjects or those looking beyond Oxford, Cambridge and London may face slightly less competition.