Churchill Scholarship

Important Deadlines

  • Preliminary Application Deadline: Wednesday July 15, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. PDT.
  • Internal Deadline: Monday, September 28, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. PDT
  • National Deadline: Monday, November 2, 2026, at 2 p.m. PDT (5 p.m. EDT)
    Note: Nominees must also submit their application to Cambridge University by mid-October (see details below).

Purpose

Each year, The Winston Churchill Foundation awards 16 fellowships that enable outstanding American students to study and do research in the sciences, mathematics, and engineering at the University of Cambridge, while residing and holding membership in Churchill College. Pomona is one of a limited number of U.S. colleges and universities invited to nominate two candidates each year.

The Foundation also awards two Kanders Churchill Scholarships annually in public policy, to help address the growing divide between science and science policy. The Kanders Churchill Scholars will hold a bachelor’s degree in science, mathematics, or engineering (either as a major or minor concentration) from any US college or university and will pursue a Master’s in Public Policy. Unlike the other Churchill Scholarships, there is no application to the Churchill Foundation. Instead, candidates state their interest in the Kanders Churchill Scholarship in their Cambridge application. Please refer to the Churchill Scholarship website for more details.

Programs Funded

The Churchill Scholarship is for one year of study at the University of Cambridge for an MPhil (Master of Philosophy) or MASt (Master of Advanced Study). The MASt is only available in pure or applied mathematics (also called Part III). The standard MPhil is a research degree that entails full-time research in a lab (no courses) and culminates in a thesis and a viva (oral examination). Applicants to the MPhil are required to provide correspondence with a supervisor to ensure that the placement is appropriate. A year of independent research at the master’s level is extremely rare in the US and represents a unique opportunity for Churchill Scholars.

In a few cases, students can apply for an MPhil course that is hybrid: part-taught, part-research. Correspondence with a potential supervisor is still required for these courses. The only part-taught courses that are currently eligible are Advanced Computer Science, Cognitive Neuroscience, and various options in Engineering (Energy Technologies, Machine Learning and Machine Intelligence, Nuclear Energy). Applicants interested in other courses not listed here should contact the Foundation.

Eligibility

Applicants must be United States citizens due to graduate from college during the same academic year as the deadline or have graduated within the past 12 months before the deadline. Scholars must have a baccalaureate degree before the scholarship commences and have majored or minored in a STEM field. There is no minimum GPA, but most applicants have a very high average.

Selection Criteria

  • Outstanding academic achievement – The 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.
  • Outstanding personal qualities – Understanding the time commitment research requires, the Committee takes into account interests and achievements outside of research but does not favor any particular kind of activity.

Application/Nomination Process

Potential applicants should explore programs at Cambridge by discussing their plans with relevant faculty and research supervisors, following links on the Churchill Scholarship site, and reading course descriptions in Cambridge’s Graduate Prospectus. They should also review Pomona’s Researching British Universities guide, which discusses terminology used at British universities, types of programs, and related matters. Applicants, especially those pursuing a research course, are expected to have corresponded with a potential research supervisor before the internal deadline.

Applicants must also submit their graduate application to Cambridge University, listing Churchill College as their first choice. The Foundation strongly recommends filing the graduate application by the Gates Cambridge deadline in mid-October.

Internal Application

Completed drafts of the two Churchill application statements (Academic and Research History and Proposed Program of Study), a current resume and unofficial transcript, and at least two letters of recommendation must be submitted by the internal deadline to the Churchill Scholarship SurveyMonkey Apply site, which opens August 31, 2026. Recommendations must be submitted through SurveyMonkey Apply (not emailed to the CDO) and may be in draft form; final versions on letterhead are required only for Pomona’s two nominees. Links to all application materials and instructions can be found on the Foundation’s website.

Letters of Reference

Four letters of reference are required from individuals directly familiar with the applicant’s academic or research work. Provide recommenders these instructions.

Potential applicants are encouraged to explore the Gates Cambridge Scholarship, the Marshall Scholarship, and the Downing Scholarship, all of which support graduate study at Cambridge. The Faculty Advisors listed below can advise you about the possibility of applying for more than one of these fellowships.

Advisors for 2026-2027

  • Jordan Daniels
  • Vin de Silva
  • Emiliano Huet-Vaughn
  • Amira Lundy-Harris
  • Richard Mawhorter
  • Laura Perini
  • Sarah Raff
The winston churchill foundation of the united states

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