NOTICE: As of March 14, 2024 the US-Ireland Alliance has announced they are pausing the George J. Mitchell Scholarship Program. The last year of the award is 2025, there will not be a class of 2026.
DESCRIPTION
Named in honor of former US Senator George Mitchell’s contribution to the Northern Ireland peace process, the Mitchell Scholars Program introduces and connects generations of future American leaders to the island of Ireland. Up to twelve scholarships are awarded each year to American students.
AWARD
The Mitchell Scholarship Program provides tuition, accommodation, and a stipend for living expenses and travel for one academic year of postgraduate study in any discipline offered by institutions of higher learning in Ireland and Northern Ireland. No allowance is made for the expenses of an scholar’s spouse, partner, or dependents. It is important to note that the relevant government agency in Ireland or Northern Ireland may require spouses/partners to prove financial resources for the year in order to obtain the necessary visa or residency permit.
ELIGIBILITY
- U.S. citizen
- Between the ages of 18 and 30 years on September 30th of the application year
- Hold a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution (not necessarily in the U.S.) before the scholarship term begins
- Extensive service and leadership experiences recommended
SELECTION CRITERIA
- Academic excellence
- Leadership
- Commitment to community and public service.
All three areas are equally important, and membership or participation in a long list of extracurricular activities is less convincing than demonstrating a significant, tangible impact on an applicant’s community or school. The scholarship foundation recommends studying the profiles of current and past scholars to learn more about the qualities they seek in a scholar.
APPLICATION PROCESS
To be considered for nomination, senior undergraduates must submit a complete campus application to the UAA Office by the campus deadline (see section below). The campus committee reviews applications and selects nominees. Nominees complete and submit the official Mitchell online application, which includes a video interview, by the national deadline in September. The national selection committee identifies semi-finalists who are interviewed virtually in October and 20 finalists who are interviewed virtually in November. Recent graduates do not require university nomination and may apply directly to the Mitchell Scholarship.
CAMPUS NOMINATION PROCESS
Please submit the following materials by 11:59 p.m. on the campus deadline. Items 2-5 below will be submitted via the online campus application form (link below). Letters of recommendation are to be submitted separately via email to the Undergraduate Academic Awards Office, awards@provost.wisc.edu.
- Campus Application Form
This is the campus application to be considered for nomination for the Rhodes, Marshall, Mitchell, and/or Churchill scholarships. You can apply to be nominated for more than one scholarship. Please note: You should be able to leave the online application and re-enter to finish it later from the same computer. Or you can plan your responses using the 2023 campus application PDF and then complete the online application in one sitting. Email awards@provost.wisc.edu with any technical difficulties.
- Personal Statement (no more than 750 words) describing your academic and other interests. Help the reader understand who you are and how your academic passions and future goals have evolved. Reflect on and analyze some of the significant activities/experiences that have shaped you. Read over Professor Caroline Levine’s “Advice for Writing a Personal Statement.” (Professor Levine was a Marshall Scholar and serves on the campus nominating committee.)
- A “Résumé” or CV (two pages, no smaller than 11 pt font) Organize your résumé/CV to showcase your strengths. Common headings include:education (universities attended, majors, degrees earned); research; presentations and publications; awards, scholarships, and honors; service/volunteerism; employment and internships; other activities/interests. Emphasize your leadership experiences. Please do not include a photograph in your resume. Don’t assume the reader will be familiar with UW-Madison or the surrounding community.
- Proposed Academic Program Essay(s) For each scholarship you check on the application form, write an essay (no more than 350 words each) concisely explaining your reasons for wishing to pursue your first choice academic program(s) and university, and how this course of study fits in your academic trajectory. See Choosing a University in the UK.
- Transcripts from all colleges attended (for campus purposes, an unofficial transcript or a copy of your UW-Madison student record is fine, as are photocopies of transcripts from other institutions).
- Letters of recommendation at least four for the Mitchell Scholarship. For full-time undergraduate students, at least two of the four letters must be from persons with whom the applicant has done academic work. For those who are not full-time students and have not been for the past year, at least one of the letters must be from someone with whom the applicant has done academic work. For the campus application (required for current undergraduates only), recommenders can submit one “combined” letter, recommending you for all the scholarships for which you are applying. They can address the letter to “Members of the UW-Madison Nominating Committee” and email an electronic copy to awards@provost.wisc.edu. Should you receive university nomination, your recommenders will need to submit a separate letter to each of the scholarship foundations. Please read over and give your recommenders a copy of Effective Recommendation Letters for UK-Ireland Scholarships.
See the Mitchell Scholarship Website for official information on the Mitchell Scholarship (which supersedes any information provided here).
RESOURCES
UAA Comparison Guide – UK-Ireland Scholarships
Effective Recommendation Letters
Previous Mitchell Scholars
Mitchell Scholarship Info Session May 18, 2023
UK-Ireland Info. Session Webinar May 20, 2021
UK-Ireland Info. Session Webinar May 12, 2021
UK-Ireland Info. Session Webinar June 17, 2020