Washington (9 December 2019) – The British Government today unveiled 46 recipients of the 2020 Marshall Scholarships, the second-largest class in the scholarship program’s 66-year history. Chosen following a rigorous selection process, the highly accomplished university students and recent graduates from across the United States will take up degree courses at leading British universities in a wide variety of disciplines beginning in September 2020.
"The Marshall Scholarship scheme continues to be one of the most important and successful programmes the British Government supports across the world,'' said Michael Tatham, Chargé d'Affaires at the British Embassy in Washington, DC. "The connections and friendships it creates are one of the most vital and valued building blocks of the UK-US relationship - and the fact that it is continuing to grow in its diversity and inclusion makes it even more valuable."
Christopher Fisher, who chairs the Marshall Commission, added: “This is the third consecutive year in which we have been able to make more than 40 awards, and in the 2020/21 academic year we will have the largest ever number of Scholars studying in the UK. While this Programme’s origins are in recognising the generosity of the past, its continuing currency reflects the value of supporting the promise of the future as represented by our Scholars. I am sure the new Class, which has all the attributes of talented young America, will do full justice to the opportunity arising from their time in the uK and thereafter in furthering US-UK relations.”
The 2020 Marshall Scholarship class will be among the scholarship's most diverse, representing a wide diversity of cultural, academic, institutional and socio-economic backgrounds. Over one-third of this year's class are from minority backgrounds and 61% of this year's class are female scholars.
Two universities -- Washington State University and Rutgers University - New Brunswick -- will send Marshall Scholars to the UK for the first time in their schools' histories, while the State University of New York - Stony Brook won only its second Marshall Scholarship ever and first since 2006.
Over one-third of scholars hail from state or public universities and five from military service academies. Overall, the 2020 class also represents a wide range of academic backgrounds and includes entrepreneurs, documentary filmmakers, record-holding Division I athletes, Shakespearean actors and climate scientists.
Winners were selected following a rigorous and high-competitive selection process that drew over 1,000 applications from top undergraduate students representing institutions across the United States. The program is principally funded by the British Government, but also benefits from generous support through partnership arrangements with world-leading British academic institutions, allowing winners to pursue graduate degrees in almost any academic subject at any university in the UK. The 2020 class will take up their studies at 16 different institutions across the UK beginning in September next year, ranging from Imperial College London to the University of the Highlands and Islands in the Scottish Highlands.
The scholarship program also continues to receive generous support from the Association of Marshall Scholars (AMS), the official alumni organisation of the Marshall Scholarship. Through the AMS, alumni provide substantial support to the program and current scholars on a continual basis in a variety of ways.