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Students will receive a comprehensive scholarship that includes:

• Tuition Fees
• Room and board
• Travel to and from Beijing at the beginning and end of the academic year
• An in-country study tour
• Required course books and supplies
• Lenovo laptop and smartphone
• Health insurance
• A modest personal stipend of $3,500

• Undergraduate degree or first degree from an accredited college or university or its equivalent. 
  Applicants who are currently enrolled in undergraduate degree programs must be on track to successfully complete all degree requirements before orientation begins. There are no requirements for a specific field of undergraduate study; all fields are welcome, but it will be important for applicants, regardless of undergraduate major, to articulate how participating in Schwarzman Scholars will help develop their leadership potential within their field.
• English language proficiency. 
  Applicants must demonstrate strong English language skills, as all teaching will be conducted in English. If the applicant's native language is not English, official English proficiency test scores must be submitted with the application. Acceptable test options are:
  • Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL PBT)
  • Internet-based Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL iBT)
  • International English Language Testing System (IELTS)
  • Pearson’s (PTE Academic)

  This requirement is waived for applicants who graduated from an undergraduate institution where the primary language of instruction was English for at least three years of the applicant’s academic program.

• Age.
  Applicants must be at least 18 but not yet 29 years of age by the start of the program.

The following items are not part of minimum eligibility requirements:

• Marital status. Married applicants may apply and will be at no disadvantage in the application process. Spouses/partners may accompany Schwarzman Scholars to Beijing, but Scholars are expected to live in the dormitory and participate fully in the program like single students. Spouses/partners may not live in the dormitory, and no additional funding will be provided to support spouses/partners living off-campus.

• There are no citizenship or nationality requirements.

• Grade point average/class rank/pre-requisites. Academic excellence will be a requirement for successful applicants, but there is no minimum GPA or class rank required to apply. Applicants are expected to have demonstrated excellence in their academic studies, and the most competitive candidates will be among the top students in their graduating class. There are no course prerequisites for applicants to the program, although some individual classes at Tsinghua University may have prerequisites.

Interested students are required to complete an intent to submit application in the spring preceding the fall in which they hope to apply. Members of the Student Fellowships Committee will review the applications and briefly interview each candidate. Based on each candidate’s preliminary application and interview, the Student Fellowships Committee will either endorse, conditionally endorse, or not endorse each applicant.

• Endorsed:  The candidate has received the College’s endorsement and does not need to be interviewed by the Student Fellowships Committee again.

• Conditionally Endorsed:  The Student Fellowships Committee invites the candidate to continue to work on their application over the summer and be re-interviewed by the Committee at the end of August or early September, at which point the Committee will make a final decision about endorsing the candidate.

• Not Endorsed:  The Student Fellowships Committee determines that the candidate is not yet ready to apply.

Students will be required to provide information about themselves (e.g., class year, citizenship, etc.) and whether they have any Honor Code violations. Applicants will also be required to indicate which fellowship(s) they are interested in applying to and upload the following three documents:  

• Unofficial Academic History from Polaris
• Resume (PDF format)
• Personal essays, which should be submitted as a single PDF addressing the following five prompts. Please label each prompt and put your name in the header. 
  1. Please describe why you are interested in applying for this particular fellowship(s) (500 words). The primary purpose of these fellowships is not to offer financial aid to students in need but rather to create a community of scholars who will fulfill and carry out a mission particular to each national fellowship. But another way, each fellowship is looking for students who possess intellectual merit, a history of exercising leadership, and a "something else" that is particular to the mission of that fellowship (e.g., Marshall's "something else" is ambassadorial qualities and Schwarzman's "something else" is a reason for wanting to better understand China). Briefly explain why you believe you possess the "something else" that is particular to the fellowship(s) to which you intend to apply and how your affiliation with the particular fellowship(s) will enable you to better achieve your aspirations.
  2. Proposed Academic Program (600 words). Describe the graduate degree you propose to undertake during your fellowship(s) and at what institution(s). Please follow the guidelines provided by the fellowship(s) to which you intend to apply. For example, if applying to Marshall, please provide two, two-year plans. Describe why this is the appropriate course of study for you (e.g., are there particular faculty you want to work with, are there particular research centers at this institution that you would like to engage with, etc.). If your proposed academic program requires a thesis, outline what you might focus on. Have you been in touch with anyone at these universities?
  3. Connection to Your Future (300 words). How will the graduate degree(s) you have identified build on what you have done to date and prepare you for your future professional goals?
  4. Leadership (500 words). All the national fellowships that support graduate study value leadership. Please describe a time when you exercised leadership, regardless of whether you were in a position of authority. What changed because of your actions? What impact did your efforts have on others? Please be as specific as possible.
  5. Engagement (300 words). If you are awarded a fellowship, in what ways will you engage with your local community and/or new institution(s)?
  6. Recommendations. Who would you ask for letters of recommendation? If you are applying for the Rhodes, please list eight names, including titles and brief descriptions of how you know each individual. If you are applying for any of the other fellowship(s) please list four recommenders, including at least one that could speak to your leadership qualities.

In the intent to submit application, you will also be asked to identify one º¬Ðß²ÝÑо¿ÊÒ faculty mentor. The application will automatically generate an email to that individual, asking them to submit a letter of recommendation on your behalf. Please make sure you have already discussed this recommendation with your mentor before you complete your intent to submit application.

By the Initial º¬Ðß²ÝÑо¿ÊÒ Deadline, (see above), applicants must submit to the Office of Student Fellowships and Research:

• A copy of their Schwarzman application
• Unofficial academic history from Polaris
• Signed and witnessed "Permission Form and Waiver"

All materials should be saved as a PDF and electronically submitted to gpappas@bowdoin.edu.

The Committee will review these materials and interview all applicants deemed competitive.

Applications for the Schwarzman Scholarship must be submitted electronically by the official Schwarzman deadline (see above).

Please also submit a copy of your final application to the Office of Student Fellowships and Research by this deadline. Applications should be saved as a PDF and electronically submitted to gpappas@bowdoin.edu.

Additional information about the selection process:

Finalists will be notified in mid-October if they are invited to interviews. Interviews will take place in three locations around the world, with candidates being invited to the closest geographical location. Admissions decisions will be made by mid-November.