UK Fellowships
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Selected Fellowships for Postgraduate Study in Britain and Ireland
Whether you are a US citizen or an international student at Yale, an aspiring actor or zoologist, there are all kinds of fellowship options for postgraduate study in Britain and Ireland. As with other external awards, some require institutional nomination while others do not. What follows is not exhaustive but should give you an idea of what is out there.
Whichever fellowship for postgraduate study in Britain or Ireland you're considering, you'll find application advice here and the Fellowships office offers one-on-one advising for any Yale applicant for these awards.
TOC:
Fellowships for which to Apply through Yale
At Yale, the institutional endorsement and evaluation processes for the following fellowships are coordinated by Fellowship Programs, part of the Yale Center for International & Professional Experience. See the Student Grants Database for details about campus application deadlines and processes, as well as links to official websites for complete eligibility and other important information. (Although most of the fellowships requiring institutional nomination are open only to US citizens, there are many more fellowships which do not require institutional endorsement or US citizenship: scroll down this page to find a selected list of these—and don't miss "where else to look," below that.)
Churchill Scholarship
Supports one year of graduate study (including one-year research degrees) in science, mathematics, or engineering at Cambridge. Eligible: graduating seniors and recent alumni of Yale College who are US citizens with majors in appropriate STEM fields. Campus application deadline typically in mid-October. Read about recent Yale Churchill Scholars and the first Kanders Churchill Scholar from Yale.
Fulbright Grants for US Students
Support a year (or occasionally more) of study or research abroad in any discipline, or year-long English teaching assistantships (ETAs) abroad in programs designed by the host countries. UK Fulbright grants fund degree study, and application is more like that for the Marshall Scholarships than like other Fulbright grants. Eligible are graduating seniors and alumni who are US citizens. Read about Fulbright awards to the Yale College class of 2015 and Fulbright awards given to Yalies in 2018.
- Graduating seniors are strongly advised to apply with the help and support of the campus committee: campus deadlines begin in August (See Yale Student Grants Database for details). Here is the campus application timeline and checklist.
- Alumni apply directly for the Fulbright, or through their current graduate/professional school, but Fellowship Programs gladly offers alumni advice on Fulbright in the spring and early summer, before the August rush of seniors applying for Fulbright.
Henry Fellowship
Supports one year of graduate study in any discipline at Cambridge or Oxford. Eligible: graduating seniors at Yale. US citizenship is not required. Campus application deadline typically at the beginning of February.
Keasbey Scholarship
Supports one or two years of study at the Universities of Oxford, Cambridge, or Edinburgh; normally open every three years to Yale College applicants. Eligible are US citizens who are graduating seniors at Yale in a Keasbey year (the next eligible class is that of 2023). Campus application deadline typically in October.
Supports a one-year full-time Master's course in any subject (with the exception of MBA) at King's College in the University of Cambridge. Eligible: graduating seniors at Yale. US citizenship is not required. Campus deadline typically at the beginning of February.
Marshall Scholarship
Supports one or two years of study in any discipline at a university in the United Kingdom. Eligible are graduating seniors and recent alumni who are US citizens. Campus application deadlines for Yale's endorsement typically begin in early August (read more here). Read about Yale Marshall Scholars beginning study in Britain in 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017.
Mitchell Scholarship
Supports one year of study in any discipline at a university in Ireland. Eligible are graduating seniors and alumni who are US citizens between the ages of 18 and 30. Campus application deadlines for seniors (who must seek institutional nomination) typically begin in early August (read more here); alumni apply directly for the Mitchell (and are not required to seek institutional nomination).
Paul Mellon Fellowship
Supports up to three years of study in any discipline at Cambridge. Eligible are graduating seniors in Yale College (US citizenship not required). Campus deadline typically at the beginning of February.
*Although Berkeley College, and not Fellowship Programs, coordinates the Yale selection process for this fellowship, Yale seniors are welcome to seek application advice from Fellowship Programs.
Rhodes Scholarship
Supports one to three years of study at Oxford. Only American, Canadian, and Global applicants for the Rhodes are required first to apply for institutional endorsement, and Yale's application deadlines typically begin in August (read more here). (Applicants from countries other than Canada, US, and the Global jurisdiction should see the fuller Rhodes entry below, as well as the official Rhodes Trust website for eligibility details by country.) Read about Yale US Rhodes Scholars beginning study at Oxford in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019.
Saint Andrew’s Society Graduate Scholarship
Supports one year of study in any discipline at a university in Scotland. Eligible are US citizens with Scottish heritage and financial need. Campus application deadline typically in November. The application form (to be submitted via the Yale Student Grants Database) may be found here.
Fellowships for which to Apply Directly (not through Yale)
Most of the following fellowships are not limited to US applicants. Fellowship Programs offers advice on these and other awards, time-permitting, to Yale College students and alumni. It is wise to plan ahead, as the Fellowship Programs advising calendar is usually fully booked in September and early October; on the other hand, it's easy to book an appointment between March and July, and to talk via telephone or Skype if you're not on campus.
Alumni & Friends of the LSE Scholarship
Supports a year’s tuition fees at the London School of Economics & Political Science. Eligible are US citizens and permanent residents. Application is rolling: apply early for better chances.
Associated Board International Scholarships for Music
Support one or two years of postgraduate study of performance, conducting, or composition at one of the Royal Schools of Music. Eligible are citizens of countries outside the EU. Apply to the degree course of choice for consideration for these scholarships. Deadline is variable, but early: see websites for details.
Cambridge Commonwealth, European and Overseas Trust Scholarships
Support postgraduate degree study at the University of Cambridge. Eligible are applicants for graduate study at Cambridge. Apply at the same time as for the Gates Cambridge, or by the appropriate deadline at the beginning of December or January, depending on citizenship; see website for details.
Canon Collins Educational Trust
Supports a year (sometimes more) of postgraduate degree study in southern Africa, the UK, or Ireland. Eligible are seniors and recent graduates from southern Africa. Application deadlines vary by program: see website for full details.
Chevening Scholarships
Chevening is the UK government’s international awards scheme aimed at developing global leaders. It supports one-year master’s courses in the UK for students committed to returning and contributing to their home countries. Eligible are recent graduates from Chevening-eligible countries (see website for which countries/territories these are; but they do not include the US or UK). Application deadline typically early November.
Commonwealth Scholarships
Support postgraduate study in the UK by citizens of Commonwealth countries, or for citizens of the UK postgraduate study in other Commonwealth countries. Application deadlines vary by program: see website.
Ertegun Graduate Scholarships in the Humanities
Fully support postgraduate degrees in the humanities at the University of Oxford. Read the. Eligible are applicants for a postgraduate degree course in the humanities: apply to the degree course of your choice and to the Ertegun by the January deadline in order to be considered. (Read the profile of recent Yale Ertegun Scholar Spence Weinreich, PC '15.)
Fulbright Grants for US Students
Support a year (or occasionally more) of study or research abroad in any discipline, or year-long English teaching assistantships (ETAs) abroad in programs designed by the host countries. UK Fulbright grants fund degree study, and application is more like that for the Marshall Scholarships than like other Fulbright grants. Eligible are graduating seniors and alumni who are US citizens.
- Graduating seniors are strongly advised to apply with the help and support of the campus committee: campus deadlines begin in August (find out more about the campus application process via the Yale Student Grants Database).
- Alumni apply directly for the Fulbright, or through their current graduate/professional school, but Fellowship Programs gladly offers alumni advising in the spring and early summer, before the August rush of seniors applying for Fulbright with the support of the campus committee.
Gates Cambridge Scholarships
Supports graduate study in any discipline at the University of Cambridge. Eligible are citizens of any country apart from the UK. Application deadline typically in mid-October for US applicants and the beginning of December for the international competition (details here). (Read the profiles of recent Yale Gates Scholar Selen Uman, BR '15, Biomedical Engineering.)
Kanders Churchill Scholarship
Supports the one-year Master's in Public Policy at the University of Cambridge. Eligible are US citizens who are majoring in science, mathematics, or engineering. Application deadline in early October.
Marshall-Sherfield Fellowships
Support postdoctoral fellowships at British universities or research institutes. Eligible are US citizens who will hold a PhD in a science or engineering subject by the start of the fellowship. Application deadline typically in October.
Mitchell Scholarship
Supports one year of study in any discipline at a university in Ireland. Eligible are graduating seniors and alumni who are US citizens between the ages of 18 and 30. Campus application deadlines for seniors (who must seek institutional nomination) typically begin in early August; alumni apply directly for the Mitchell (and are not required to seek institutional nomination).
National Institutes of Health Graduate Partnership Program
Supports three years of a PhD in the biomedical sciences at the National Institutes of Health and one of the NIH university partners, including University College London (for neuroscience), Oxford, and Cambridge. Eligible are US citizens and permanent residents, graduating seniors and alumni applying for appropriate programs, or in some cases who have already begun their graduate training. Application deadlines vary by program but are usually in early December: see website for details.
Oxford Clarendon
Supports postgraduate degree study in any subject at the University of Oxford. Eligible are all applicants for postgraduate study at Oxford: apply to the degree course of your choice by the January deadline in order to be considered for the Clarendon (and many other Oxford scholarships).
Oxford Pershing Square Graduate Scholarship
Full-cost scholarships for the MBA year of the Oxford 1+1 MBA program. Eligible are applicants for the 1+1 MBA program. Apply for the partnering master's degree of your choice and for the MBA by January if your chosen master's degree closes then, or by March (when other master's and the MBA close), and for the Pershing Square.
Rhodes Scholarships
Support one to three years of study at Oxford. Eligible are graduating seniors and alumni who are citizens of Australia; Bermuda; Canada; China; Germany; Hong Kong; India; Israel; Jamaica and the Commonwealth Caribbean; Kenya; Malaysia; New Zealand; Pakistan; Southern Africa, including South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia and Swaziland; Syria, Jordan, Lebanon & Palestine; the United Arab Emirates; the US; Zambia; or Zimbabwe, and who meet the eligibility requirements specified by the Rhodes Trust. Application deadlines vary between late July and mid-October; see the appropriate country page of the Rhodes Trust website for specifics.
- Only US, Canadian, and Global applicants are required to seek Yale's nomination for the Rhodes (read more here), but any Yale applicant for the Rhodes is warmly encouraged to reach out to Fellowship Programs for advice—and we will gladly put you in touch with past Yale Rhodes applicants from your country if we can. (Read about Yale German Rhodes Scholar Tim Rudner, SM '16, and Syria Rhodes Scholar Marwan Safar Jalani '20.)
- Again: it is wise to plan ahead, as the Fellowship advising calendar is usually fully booked in September and early October; on the other hand, it's easy to book an appointment between March and July, and to talk via phone, Skype or Zoom if you're not on campus.
Society for Classical Studies Lionel Pierson Fellowship
Supports one year of postgraduate study of Classics at an English or Scottish university. Eligible are American & Canadian college seniors at time of nomination by their undergraduate Classics department. Deadline for nomination typically at the end of September.
Where Else to Look
Especially if you've found a degree course which sounds like a great fit for you, don't just look at the fellowships listed above. With a little creativity and persistence, it's amazing what you can find.
Look locally. Explore funding information provided for prospective students by individual universities, usually including information about scholarships for study specifically at that university. A few commonly requested examples:
Look at British websites like the British Council’s helpful information about scholarships and financial support, Scholarship Search, and the website of the Development Studies Association of the UK.
Students from developing countries and/or students interested in development studies might like to explore Scholarships for Development.
International students at Yale might also try the website of the ministry of education (or equivalent) in their home countries to see what postgraduate scholarship opportunities may be available.
Last but not least, try the terrific database maintained by the Michigan State University Libraries, here. Many thanks to the folks there who put so much time and effort into keeping this valuable resource up to date.