Schwarzman Scholars

Who can apply

Must have an undergraduate degree, or be on track to complete all degree requirements before 1 August of the enrolment year
Must be at least 18 but not yet 29 years of age as of 1 August of the enrolment year, which for the Class of 2028-2029 means 1 August 2028
Must be proficient in English: TOEFL 100, IELTS 7, Cambridge C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency at 185, or Duolingo 130, unless waived for at least two years of English-medium study
No requirement for a specific field of undergraduate study
Three recommenders, two essays (a 750-word Leadership Essay and a 500-word Statement of Purpose) plus two short-answer responses, a degree transcript per institution, and a two-page-maximum CV are required. A one-minute video introduction is highly recommended but not required
There is no application fee

The 2027-2028 cycle is closed; the next opens April 2027

The application window for the Class of 2027-2028 is now closed. If you missed the 9 September 2026 US/Global deadline, the next opportunity is the Class of 2028-2029 cycle: the US and Global application opens April 2027 and closes September 2027, with selection running October to November 2027 and the programme itself beginning August 2028. Applicants holding a passport from the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, Macao or Taiwan use a separate system, running March to May 2027 for that same class. Neither track has an application fee.

The age limit resets against your enrolment year, not the year you apply

One detail on the official page is easy to miss: the age limit is calculated against 1 August of the year you would enrol, not the year you apply. For the Class of 2028-2029 that is 1 August 2028, which gives some applicants an extra year of eligibility they might assume they don’t have if they’re only checking their age against the application year itself.

Recommenders need lead time, regardless of when the deadline falls

If you are currently enrolled at a university, your institution may set its own internal deadline for recommendation letters that falls before whatever date Schwarzman itself publishes. The programme is explicit that recommenders must submit through its online system before the application deadline and will not accept a letter submitted after, so chase your three recommenders early rather than close to the date, whichever cycle you’re applying to.

A three-pool selection structure, and what doesn’t affect your odds

The programme selects across three broad pools, 40 percent from the United States, 20 percent from China and 40 percent from the rest of the world, with no further national or regional quotas, and states plainly that the reputation of your undergraduate institution does not affect your chances provided it is properly accredited. One detail worth getting right: the video introduction is optional. The application instructions describe it as highly recommended, not required, so do not let it become the thing that delays your submission.

Interviews, and why a valid passport matters before you apply

Interviews are held in late October and early November at three locations worldwide, and candidates are normally invited to whichever is geographically closest. The programme pays economy airfare or train fare and one night in a hotel for the interview. Video interviews are granted only where a candidate cannot obtain a visa to reach an interview site, so a valid passport is worth arranging before you apply rather than after. If you’re weighing another China-based master’s scholarship, the Yenching Academy Scholarship at Peking University runs on a similar prestige, fully funded model, worth comparing before you commit to one application over the other.