Eligibility

Eligible applicants are are US citizens with majors in appropriate STEM fields who are graduating seniors at Wellsley or who received their Wellesley degrees less than 12 months ago.

Selection is based on: outstanding academic achievement, especially in the major (previous Scholars have usually had a GPA of 3.9 or better); proven talent in research and a capacity to contribute to the advancement of knowledge in the sciences, engineering, or mathematics by pursuing original, creative work at an advanced level (as demonstrated by awards, prizes, research, and letters of recommendation; 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); and outstanding personal qualities.

Note that to be eligible for the Churchill, you must also apply to Cambridge for the degree course of your choice, listing Churchill as your first-choice college, by the early-October deadline listed on the Churchill website. (Some degree courses at Cambridge, especially highly quantitative courses, require standardized test scores, e.g. GRE, so plan accordingly.)

Choosing the right degree course for you can be far from straightforward, and you should check the Churchill website’s Programs of Study page for a guide and a list of ineligible courses. Interested Wellesley applicants are warmly encouraged to make an appointment with Kate Dailinger, Director Fellowship Programs, online through Handshake; she is delighted to help with the interpretation of Cambridge websites, the choice of program of study, application strategy, and more.

Cannot find an available Fellowships appointment? Drop by Fellowships Pop-Up Advising: no appointment required. See our Events listings for details, year-round. 

How do I apply?

Detailed information and application instructions, along with the official application, may be found on the Churchill website. This information should be read carefully, along with the Wellesley application information here; pay special attention to the official application instructions, which are detailed and very specific.

To apply for Wellesley’s nomination for the Churchill the following materials must be submitted by the campus application deadline:

1. Four academic letters of reference, from STEM faculty and ideally from STEM research supervisors (get as many letters from research supervisors as possible):  Please enter your recommenders' contact details into the official application system, so that they may submit their letters there. (Applicants should note the official instructions concerning the choice of recommenders, and may send further questions to fellowships@wellesley.edu, drop in to Fellowships Pop-Up Advising (details via Career Education events listings) or book a Fellowships advising appointment with Kate Dailinger via Handshake.)
2. Via the official online application system for the Churchill, submit your application. Be sure to include the required documents:
   • Proposed Program of Study essay (1 page max);
   • Personal Statement (2 pages max)  
   • Laboratory placement (if applicable & available); may simply be an email from the prospective PI
   • Transcripts: For the initial campus competition, unofficial Wellesley College grade reports may be submitted. Also required, at least an unofficial transcript/grade report from any other institution attended for post-secondary studies, such as an institution from which you transferred or at which you studied abroad. Note that official transcripts may be required for application to Cambridge in October; please plan ahead.
3. In addition to submitting your Churchill application via the official online system, by the campus application deadline also submit the following materials via the form found here:
   • at least a draft copy of your Cambridge postgraduate degree course application, which you must submit to Cambridge by the October deadline to be considered for the Gates and other scholarship funding, listing Churchill as your 1st-choice college.
   • Wellesley Fellowships office signature document (please print, sign & date this form, then submit a scanned pdf or other image of the signed document)

The campus committee (comprised of STEM faculty) reads applications for the Churchill and may choose to interview shortlisted candidates before selecting no more than two applications to send on to the national competition at the end of October. Nominees will have the chance to make final tweaks to their applications with the benefit of advice from the campus committee. After the national deadline, applicants are typically notified of results in December, and decisions are announced publicly in February.

Interested Wellesley applicants, are warmly encouraged to book a Fellowships advising appointment with Kate Dailinger via Handshake: note that appointments are available during the summer, as well as during the academic year. Note: with all the postgraduate fellowship deadlines in September and October, and all the interested Wellesley applicants, the August and September advising calendar fills up very quickly: why not beat the rush and talk with Kate earlier? As a bonus: planning ahead also makes it easier to ask for references and put a great application together, with much less stress...

Note that there is an optional opt-in to Postgraduate Fellowship Summer Support program: by submitting this Getting Started worksheet to this form by May 1, 2024, you are guaranteed help over the summer to plan and build your applications (outlining, essay review, choosing recommenders, etc.).  We also have an Optional Draft Deadline on July 24, 2024 for Wellesley applicants for postgraduate fellowships with deadlines that fall between August and December: if you submit drafts by the draft deadline you are guaranteed feedback before the relevant deadlines, and you'll get priority in the booking of advising appointments.

Or drop in online to Fellowships Virtual Pop-Up Advising (details via Career Education events listings on this website or in Handshake): no appointment required!

Questions?

Questions?
Email fellowships@wellesley.edu or call Caitlin Roberts-Donovan at 781.283.2347.  

*See also the Kanders Churchill Scholarship for science policy. Two scholarships are available each year to support an MPhil in Public Policy at the University of Cambridge for US citizens who have graduated from any college or university in the US within the past two years with a major or minor in a STEM subject and a demonstrated interest in science policy. The program builds upon the Churchill Scholarship's two days of science policy seminars and visits to UK government ministries. The Kanders Churchill selection committee will consider candidates' academic achievements in STEM as well as their preparation for the MPhil in Public Policy. 

To apply for the scholarship, apply to Cambridge for the MPhil in Public Policy by the early October deadline (typically the same deadline as that for US applicants for the Gates and other Cambridge scholarships). Note that this is a separate competition, for which you should apply directly: no institutional nomination is required, so you don’t apply through Wellesley. But Kate’s still more than glad to offer application advice: book a Fellowships appointment via Handshake and/or drop in to Fellowships Pop-Up Advising, details via Career Education events listings.