Marshall Scholarship Internal Application Instructions
You will want to spend some time looking through online postgraduate course directories to start identifying which institutions/programs you might want to apply for with the Marshall. You can choose from just about any institution in the UK. The course finder tool on the Marshall website is a great place to start. Use this Route Map to see what your options look like for the one-year Marshall or the two year Marshall. Note that the one-year Marshall Scholarship is aimed at applicants who have strong reasons for wishing to study in the UK but are unable to commit to the two-year scholarship. Applicants applying for a one-year scholarship will be asked to provide a statement explaining why they are unable to apply for a two-year scholarship.
You do not need to apply to or be accepted at a British University prior to applying to the scholarship. However, do note the deadline for any programs to which you would wish to apply. If you are selected as a Marshall Scholar, you would then need to apply to your chosen program/s directly. If the deadline for a program comes before Marshall award announcements, it's possible you would need to apply to that program prior to learning about the result of your Marshall application. Institutions with early deadlines include, but are not limited to, the University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, and the Royal Academy of Music.
We also encourage you to review Professor Emeritus Ken Brashier's website on applying for UK fellowships. It has not been updated recently, but it still contains insights into competitive awards in the UK.
ADVICE FROM PROFESSOR EMERITUS KEN BRASHIER
Internal Application Deadline
August 28th, 2024 at 12:00 PM noon, Pacific Time
Application Steps
Start the application process by setting up an account on the Marshall website. Full instructions will be found on the Marshall site once you begin your application. Fill out all sections of the application and submit it before the internal application deadline for institutional review. Make certain to carefully read the eligibility, criteria, and rules for candidates for your selected award before beginning your application and selecting institutions and courses.
Please note that the Marshall Scholarship requires a minimum 3.70 GPA on your Reed transcript (without rounding). There are no exceptions to this requirement.
Transcript
For the internal application, you can upload an unofficial copy of your Reed transcript. If you are selected for a nomination, you will need to request an official copy of your transcript.
Internal Letters of Recommendation
For the initial review, you will need three internal letters of recommendation sent by email to clbrfellowships@reed.edu by the internal application deadline. Give your recommenders several weeks notice and read our guidance on requesting letters of recommendation. Direct your recommenders to this link about internal letters and ask them to look at the page for Marshall advice at the bottom.
Note that in order to submit your application for the internal deadline you'll be required to enter the information for all three of your recommenders in the app. The Marshall app will then send your recommenders an email with instructions for submitting the final letters. Make certain to tell your recommenders to ignore those instructions for now.
Please review this information about the three recommendations from the Marshall website (more detailed instructions are found in the application on their site):
"You should state the names of three persons who can supplement the required Letter of Endorsement by providing further details as to your qualifications․ The first of these should be designated the Preferred Recommender and this recommender should have supervised your college or university training․ The general recommendation must be provided by an academic․ One of the recommendations should primarily address your leadership and ambassadorial potential, and this need not be provided by an academic․ At least two of these recommenders should be in the United States. When registering recommenders, please make sure that you register your preferred recommender first, and the recommendation about leadership as your last recommendation․"
Waiver
You will need to complete this online waiver form as the final step in submitting your internal application.
Applicants submitting application materials electronically by email will generally receive a confirmation within twenty-four hours. If you do not receive a confirmation during this time, please follow up with the Center for Life Beyond Reed at clbrfellowships@reed.edu to ensure that the application was successfully submitted.
Next Steps
You should hear back within two weeks whether or not you've been selected for an endorsement by the committee and Reed College.
If you are endorsed, your application will be unsubmitted in the online system so that you may edit it. A member of the fellowships & awards committee will need to meet with you to get context for the endorsement letter that will be included with your application. You'll need to confirm that the recommenders in your online application are accurate, and in the right order, and reach out to them to let them know you've been endorsed by Reed. If you are selected as a finalist by the Marshall Commission, you'll need to participate in an interview in the region of your application.