Churchill Scholarship

About the Churchill Scholarship

The Winston Churchill Foundation of the U.S., established the Churchill Scholarship in 1959, which supports outstanding American students to do graduate work in engineering, mathematics, and the sciences at Churchill College, Cambridge University. The Scholarship is worth around $60,000, depending on the exchange rate. It covers all University and College tuition and fees. In addition, Churchill scholars receive a living allowance, a travel allowance and a research allowance, as well as reimbursement of application fees for a U.K. visa.

The Churchill Foundation launched the Kanders Churchill Scholarship in Science Policy in 2017 to address the growing divide between science and science policy.

At present there are two Kanders Churchill Scholarship available each year. The recipient will join the cohort of the existing 16 Churchill Scholars in science, mathematics, and engineering, bringing the size of the group to 18 Scholars.

The Kanders Churchill Scholar will hold a bachelor's degree (either as a major or minor concentration) in science, mathematics, or engineering, and will attend the Cambridge Master's in Public Policy.

Timeline Details

The Churchill Scholarship has a campus process and requires a Stanford nomination. Therefore, you need to be aware of two deadlines: a campus deadline and a national deadline. Stanford can nominate two candidates to the Churchill Foundation for further selection. The campus deadline is typically in mid-October and the national deadline in early November. The application process is lengthy and requires many months of preparation.

Candidates must apply for the scholarship and apply for admissions to a graduate program in science, math, or engineering at University of Cambridge separately. They must also put Churchill College as their first choice.

Interested Stanford applicants need to fill out our Churchill Intent to Apply Form.

Campus Application Process

Applicants must submit the following

• University of Cambridge Application Form (Applicant Portal available on the Cambridge website.
• Register and complete the Churchill Scholarship Online Application at by the campus application deadline.
• Four Academic Letters of Recommendation. Four people who are directly familiar with your academic or research work should submit their letters through the Churchill online portal by the campus application deadline.
• Applicants email the following to our Office of Global Scholarships by the campus application deadline.

1. PDF of application (to be downloaded from Churchill application system once you submit your application)
2. Stanford Churchill Cover Sheet
3. Stanford Nomination form waiver (available from OGS)

Application Materials

• Application form
• Proposed program of study essay (1 page)
• Academic and Research History essay (up to 2 pages)
• Correspondence with the laboratory supervisor at Cambridge (email is acceptable). It should indicate a willingness to accept the student into his or her laboratory, pending a successful application.
• Official Transcripts (current and previous institutions, study abroad or summer program transcripts if not already included on institution’s transcript.)

Should I apply?

Important information, which can help you determine if the Churchill Scholarship is right for you, can be found at the Churchill - Should I Apply Handout

Campus Application Deadline

Thursday, October 8, 2026 at 5:00 pm PST. 

National Application Deadline

Monday, November 2, 2026 at 5.00 p.m. EST.

Additional Information about the Churchill Scholarship

Additional information on the Churchill Scholarship, including application criteria, can be found at the Churchill Scholarship website.