What is the Churchill Scholarship?

The Winston Churchill Foundation funds 18 scholarships per year, comprised of 16 Churchill Scholarships in science, mathematics, and engineering, and two Kanders Churchill Scholarships in science policy. It is for one year of master’s study at the University of Cambridge. 

The Churchill Scholarship is tenable from 9-12 months, in accordance with the chosen academic program at Cambridge. There are two different degree courses available to applicants for the Churchill Scholarship: the MPhil (Master of Philosophy) and MASt (Master of Advanced Study). The standard MPhil is a research degree, a program that entails full-time research in a lab, and culminates in a thesis and a viva (an oral examination). The MASt is a taught degree course comprising lectures and written examinations. Some MPhil courses involve a mixture of taught courses and a research paper, and most MASt courses provide the opportunity to write a research paper. Check the department’s website for a full description of each course.

See this list of Programs of Study eligible for the Scholarship. 

The many benefits of the Churchill Scholarship (beyond the funding!) are listed below. 

• Students are able to conduct independent research (with no other academic obligations at all) at one of the best-resourced universities in the world.
• Cambridge labs tend to treat master’s students as equals, rather than as junior members of a group.
• Most students call their Cambridge year the best of their lives, for the intellectual growth, opportunity to explore new things inside and outside the lab, and for finding a work-life balance that they did not have before.
• Typically, students will publish at least one first author paper from their year of research. Churchill also has a fund for conference travel; most scholars will present their work to an international audience.
• Many students continue to collaborate with their Cambridge lab after their return to the US.
• Churchill College is the only Cambridge College that focuses on STEM subjects, and therefore has one of the highest concentrations of great scientists from around the world that students will have as housemates, dining companions, and friends.
• Churchill Scholars also enjoy science policy seminars and engagement training.
• Churchill Scholars are invited to engage with the legacy of Sir Winston Churchill through guided visits to Chartwell (his country home) in Kent and the Churchill War Rooms in London.