Carnegie Mellon University

Schwarzman Scholarship

This scholarship provides a year of study leading to a Master's degree in Public Policy, Economics and Business, or International Studies at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China. All courses are taught in English.   

ELIGIBILITY

  • Seniors, graduate or professional students, and alumni under the age of 28.
  • U.S. and non-U.S. citizens
  • Note: Applicants who hold passports from Mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan or Macao have a separate deadline of mid-May, 2024 (see more information below).

CANDIDATE PROFILE

Candidates are evaluated based on their potential to be future leaders in their professional fields and broadly in society, who seek a better understanding of China's role in the world. Students from any major can apply and Mandarin classes are included in the coursework. The program expects to fully fund 200 students annually (90 from the U.S., 40 from China, and 70 from the rest of the world). The Schwarzman Foundation endeavors to mix practical and theoretical knowledge to train those who aspire to make the world a more peaceful and prosperous place. The specific criteria are:

  1. A strong academic record and potential to excel in a graduate program
  2. Potential to be a future leader in areas such as politics, business, or science
  3. Seeking a better understanding of China’s role in the world

WEBSITE

https://www.schwarzmanscholars.org

HOW TO GET STARTED

Make an appointment in spring semester or early summer with a member of the OURSD team in order to discuss your fit with the award. (Once in Handshake, go to "Specialized Appointments," then "Undergraduate Research and Fellowships/Scholarship Appointments.")   

Students are not required to apply through OURSD or receive Carnegie Mellon endorsement, but are encouraged to get application feedback from us ahead of the deadline.  If you do choose to seek endorsement through our office, you must comply with the campus deadline. In this case, we will submit an endorsement form that will accompany your application. 

FINAL DEADLINE for students from China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Macao: MAY, 2024

Applicants who hold passports from Mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macao must officially apply online through the China application system prior to May, 2024. Finalists will be invited to interview at Tsinghua University in Beijing in early July. The Schwarzman Scholarship does not formally require a university endorsement process for Chinese applicants. Thus, Chinese applicants may choose to independently submit application materials to the Schwarzman. However, if you are interested in obtaining feedback on your application from the Fellowships and Scholarships Office, please provide a complete PDF of your Schwarzman Scholars application and a current résumé for our review. In any case, the Fellowships and Scholarships Office would appreciate a copy of all materials prior to your final submission. We also will provide additional information and coordinate mock interviews for those students called to an interview.

CAMPUS DEADLINE for non-Chinese students: AUGUST 20, 2023

Unlike other prestigious scholarship processes, the Schwarzman Scholarship does not formally require university endorsement. An applicant may choose to independently submit application materials to the Schwarzman Scholarship. However, if you are interested in obtaining feedback on your Schwarzman Scholarship application from a campus committee, then you need to submit materials by this deadline. You will receive feedback from the review process, and a campus committee will determine whether you will receive endorsement to submit your application to the Schwarzman Foundation.

Required Materials:

  1. A signed Scholarship Waiver
  2. Three letters of recommendation addressing specifically your qualifications as a Schwarzman Scholar. Two letters should be from academics (generally) or professionals in your field. The third recommender should focus on leadership and ideally also be aware of the leadership example you used for your essay. Please see Schwarzman criteria for more specific guidelines. For the August 20 deadline, do not register your letter writers online until after you have received endorsement. Instead, have letters sent directly to the Fellowships and Scholarships Office as attachments at fso-general@andrew.cmu.edu. Letters should be written to the attention of the "Schwarzman Scholarship Selection Committee."
  3. A complete PDF of your Schwarzman Scholars application.
  4. A current résumé.
  5. Optional 1-minute video introducing yourself.

FINAL APPLICANT DEADLINE for non-Chinese applicants: SEPTEMBER 19, 2023

All candidates need to upload and submit required documents (with any revisions) to the online Schwarzman application site, including official transcripts from all colleges (including community colleges where you may have only taken 1 course and study abroad transcripts, unless both the grades and credits of all courses appear on your Carnegie Mellon transcripts). By this date, you also must register your letter of recommendation writers in your online application, and their letters must be uploaded. The Fellowships and Scholarships Office would appreciate a copy of all materials (including letters) prior to submission.

NATIONAL SELECTION PROCESS

Short-listed candidates will be called for a regional interview in mid-October. The final selections will be announced shortly after the interviews. The Fellowships and Scholarships Office will coordinate mock interviews for those students called to an interview.