Churchill Scholarship Internal Application Instructions
The Churchill program requires you to obtain an endorsement from Reed College to be considered for one of their scholarships. The process below outlines how to apply for that endorsement from Reed.
Look through the eligible programs on the Churchill Scholarship website, and then look up those courses on the Cambridge postgraduate admissions course directory. If nominated by Reed, you will also need to apply to Cambridge separately to be based at Churchill College (in the UK system, colleges are more residential/social, so Churchill College is not an academic entity, but rather where your life would be based). You should begin your application to Cambridge during the internal application process so that you're prepared should you be nominated by Reed.
Internal Application Deadline
September 18th, 2024 at 12:00 PM noon, Pacific Time
Application Steps
Your internal application will consist of filling out the online application on the Churchill Scholarship website, having two people submit internal letters of recommendation by email, and completing the online waiver. See below for details on each item.
Online Application
Go to the Churchill Scholarship website and follow the application instructions to create an account and sign in to the electronic platform. The online application includes an application form, a 1-page Proposed Program of Study, a 2-page Academic and Research History, your transcript, and correspondence with a potential lab supervisor (if applicable). Complete the entire application with the following exceptions:
- You can include an unofficial transcript for the internal deadline (if nominated you'll need to order a free copy of your official Reed transcript via these instructions).
- Do not add your recommenders to the online portal.
- Do not try to submit your application. CLBR staff can see your application and will download a pdf of it after the internal deadline.
Internal Letters of Recommendation
For the internal deadline you will need to request internal letters of recommendation from two people who are directly familiar with your academic or research work. Direct them to send their letters via email to clbrfellowships@reed.edu. You should also share this guidance from the Churchill Scholarship with them. If you are nominated, then you'll add your recommenders in the application and request more formal letters via the online system.
- The final application requires you to include four recommenders, so have two other people in mind should you be nominated by the committee. Formal letters of recommendation will not be required unless you are nominated by Reed's committee.
Make sure to give your recommenders several weeks notice and read our guidance on requesting letters of recommendation.
Waiver
You will need to complete this online waiver form as the final step in submitting your internal application.
Applicants submitting application materials electronically by email or online will generally receive a confirmation within 24 hours. If you do not receive a confirmation during this time, please follow up with the Center for Life Beyond Reed at clbrfellowships@reed.edu to ensure that the application was successfully submitted.
Next Steps
You should hear back within a week whether or not you've been selected for an endorsement by the committee and Reed College.
If you are endorsed you can then continue to work on your application. A member of the fellowships & awards committee will need to meet with you to get context for the endorsement letter which will be included with your application. You'll need to reach out to your recommenders to let them know you've been endorsed by Reed and add them to the online application where they'll need to submit recommendations for you prior to the national deadline.
If nominated, you'll also need to apply to Cambridge early. Because Cambridge has rolling admissions, it's highly recommended that Churchill nominees apply by the early October deadline for the Gates Cambridge Scholarship. We recommend also applying to the Gates Cambridge Scholarship and/or applying to funding sources available through Cambridge. Since there are only 16 Churchill Scholarships, applying to multiple funds increases your chances of being able to attend Cambridge, if accepted.
Churchill applicants are normally notified of the results by late December with public awards announcements by early February.