Churchill Scholarship
Apply through Reed Fellowships and Awards Committee
Internal Deadline: September 20th, 2023 at 12:00 PM pacific
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Description
The Churchill scholarship awards sixteen scholarships annually for one year of graduate study in science, mathematics, and engineering leading to a either an MPhil (Master of Philosophy) or MASt (Master of Advanced Study) at Churchill College at the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. The standard MPhil is a research degree that entails full-time research in a lab and culminates in a thesis and a viva (an oral examination). The MASt is a taught course comprised of lectures and written examinations. The award covers tuition, roundtrip airfare to the UK, visa fees and health surcharge, and a stipend that is set 5% higher than the UK Research Council standard. Recipients are eligible to apply for a special research grant as well.Eligibility
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 twelve months before the deadline. Upon taking up the Churchill Scholarship, a Churchill Scholar must hold a bachelor's degree or equivalent.
Eligibility for this scholarship also requires admission to the University of Cambridge, which has a minimum GPA requirement of 3.5 (or 3.7 if the Cambridge course requires a "first") for most courses. You must be eligible for your selected course at Cambridge to be considered for the Churchill Scholarship. You can view the entry requirements for your course in the Course Directory.
Selection Criteria
Outstanding academic achievement
Most applicants have a very high average, but there is no minimum GPA for the scholarship. However, admission to Cambridge does list a minimum GPA (see Eligibility above). The Churchill Committee looks at achievement in STEM courses, especially in the major, as indicated by course grades and recommendation letters.
Proven talent in research
Applicants in the sciences and engineering will demonstrate extensive laboratory experience, internships, or other related work, while applicants in mathematics will show substantial independent work or other projects. The Committee looks for originality and creativity.
Outstanding personal qualities
Understanding the time commitment required by research, the Churchill Foundation does not seek so-called “well-rounded” applicants; instead, it seeks applicants with what we call interesting “jagged edges.” The Committee takes into account interests and achievements outside of research, but it does not favor any particular kind of activity.
An additional statement from the former executive director of the program:
The factors that make an applicant stand out are a certain intellectual spark; a commitment to making a serious contribution to your field of inquiry, the promise of intellectual leadership, and less easily defined personal qualities that suggest you will benefit from a year in Cambridge and that Churchill College and the University of Cambridge will benefit from your presence there.
The Winston Churchill Foundation of the United States is committed to a policy against discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, gender, marital or parental status, race, color, religion, national origin, or disability or any other characteristic protected by law.
Application Procedure
Interested students should review the internal application instructions. The Cambridge University Postgraduate Course Directory can be found online. Applications for the Churchill Studentship are reviewed by Reed's Committee on Fellowships and Awards. Reed students and graduates interested in the Churchill Scholarship should also consider applying to the Gates Cambridge Scholarship program. We also highly recommend you apply to any other available funding via Cambridge as well. Nominees must apply separately to the University of Cambridge in early October. Note that some departments or degrees at Cambridge may require the GRE. Contact CLBR Fellowships with any questions.