Below you’ll find answers to the questions we get asked the most about applying to the McDonnell Academy.

Eligibility & Applying

Am I eligible to apply to the McDonnell International Scholars Academy?

The McDonnell Academy accepts applicants from all countries! To be eligible to apply to the McDonnell Academy, you must be a graduate or professional degree candidate who has applied to an eligible Washington University doctoral or master’s degree program and also meets one of the following criteria:

  • Partner Scholar – an international graduate or professional degree candidate who is a graduate of one of our Partner Universities; OR
  • Global Scholar – an international graduate or professional degree candidate from a university (international or U.S.) outside the partner network; OR
  • U.S. Scholar – a U.S. citizen who has spent most of their life and earned previous degrees in the United States.

Still not sure if you’re eligible, use the “Am I Eligible” tool on our admissions webpage.

I am an international student who has received a degree(s) from a U.S. institution, am I eligible to apply?

Yes! If you are an international student who has spent most of your life outside the United States but received your undergraduate degree in the U.S., you are eligible to apply as a Global Scholar

I am currently enrolled in a Washington University graduate degree program, am I eligible to apply?

No. In order to qualify for the McDonnell Academy fellowship, graduate students must be entering their first year of an eligible doctoral or professional degree program.

How do I apply to the McDonnell International Scholars Academy graduate fellowship program?

The McDonnell Academy application must be completed through the WashU Graduate Application Portal as part of your degree program application. If you have not applied to an eligible WashU graduate program, you are not eligible for McDonnell Academy fellowship consideration at this time.

Applying to any WashU PhD, JSD, MPH, MSW, MArch, MLA, and/or MFA program:The McDonnell International Scholars Academy graduate fellowship application is included as a component of the WashU PhD, Brown School MSW and MPH, School of Law JSD program, and Sam Fox School March, MLA, and MFA application. Applicants may opt-in to submit the required materials for the McDonnell Academy application along with the degree program application. Only completed applications will be reviewed. Please ensure that you have completed and submitted all required materials for your degree program and McDonnell Academy application to be considered for admission to the McDonnell Academy.  

Applying to a master’s or professional degree program (JD, MBA): As part of the application to a master’s or professional degree program (MBA, JD), applicants will be asked to indicate their interest in applying to the McDonnell Academy graduate fellowship program. Applicants who opt-in and submit a completed degree program application will receive an email with additional information about the fellowship and credentials to apply through the WashU Graduate Application Portal. Please note: You must opt-in when prompted in your application to the program, and the application must be fully complete, submitted, and reviewed to receive an email to apply to the McDonnell Academy.

Applying through SOPHAS: The SOHPAS application does not include a feature to indicate interest in or apply to the McDonnell Academy fellowship. If the program to which you are applying is a McDonnell Academy eligible program, upon submitting your SOPHAS application, you will automatically receive an email providing additional information about the fellowship and credentials to apply through the WashU Graduate Application Portal. Please note: Your application to the program must be fully complete and submitted to receive an email to apply to the McDonnell Academy.

Applying to the Doctor of Medicine (MD) Program: The MD program application does not include a feature to indicate interest in or apply to the McDonnell Academy fellowship. Applicants who have submitted an application to Washington University School of Medicine MD program may opt-in to apply the McDonnell Academy here. Please note: Your application to the MD program must be fully complete and submitted to be eligible to apply to the McDonnell Academy.

The McDonnell Academy application is available through January 31st.

I have already applied to a Washington University graduate or professional degree program but have just determined that I am eligible to apply to the McDonnell Academy. What should I do now?

Your next step should be to complete the McDonnell Academy online application by January 31st. Please see “How do I apply to the McDonnell International Scholars Academy graduate fellowship program?” for instructions on how to apply.

I have applied to more than one Washington University degree programs, do I need to complete a McDonnell Academy application for each program?

Yes; however, you may use the same materials and recommender for each application.

I have not applied to a Washington University graduate or professional degree program and would like to apply to the McDonnell Academy. What should I do now?

Applying to an eligible Washington University graduate or professional degree program is required to be considered for admission to the McDonnell Academy. Please visit wustl.edu/admissions to explore Graduate and Professional Degree programs offered at WashU. Please see “How do I apply to the McDonnell International Scholars Academy graduate fellowship program?” for instructions on how to apply to the McDonnell Academy.

I have applied to a Washington University graduate or professional degree program, but have not yet been accepted. Should I apply to the McDonnell Academy before receiving an acceptance letter from the program to which I have applied?

Yes, you should apply to the McDonnell Academy before the January 31st deadline. The McDonnell Academy makes its decisions with WashU graduate program decisions and deadlines in mind. The McDonnell Academy admissions committee interviews selected candidates during the evaluation period; however, final selections are not made until the graduate program releases its decision. Only those accepted into a graduate program are eligible for admission to the McDonnell Academy.

I have been denied admission to the Washington University program to which I applied. Am I still eligible for the McDonnell Academy fellowship?

No. The McDonnell Academy graduate fellowship is only available to candidates accepted into eligible WashU graduate programs.

Application Process & Requirements


What is the application process?

The McDonnell Academy accepts applications beginning October 1st through January 31st every academic year via an online portal. You will be required to complete the following:

  • Personal essay
  • Video introduction
  • Recommendation letter

Complete details can be found on the Application Instructions page.

Is there any further information I need to provide to the McDonnell Academy in addition to the application?

No. Only your completed application is necessary. The McDonnell Academy does not require you to submit CV’s, GRE scores, or other academic records as part of the McDonnell Academy Application.

How do I submit my video introduction?

The McDonnell Academy application includes a section for applicants to provide a URL to their video. To obtain a shareable link to their video, we recommend that applicants upload their video to an online video or file-sharing service. There are several options available, including YouTube, Vimeo, Google Drive, Dropbox, Box, WeTransfer, etc. Please adjust the video privacy settings accordingly to ensure your video is viewable.

Does the McDonnell Academy review application materials submitted as part the academic program application?

Please note: While the McDonnell Academy has access to and may review the materials submitted as part of the graduate degree program application, the admissions committee primarily reviews the materials submitted as part of theMcDonnell Academy application. If there is specific information or experiences that applicants would like to highlight, we encourage you to include that information in your McDonnell Academy essay and/or video.

I have submitted my application but would like to change my essay, video url, or recommender info, what do I do?

After submission, the application data cannot be changed. Please carefully review all aspects of the application and ensure all information is accurate before submitting. You may contact McDonnell Academy admissions to request a correction only in the case of a technical error. For help with your letter of recommendation, please review the letter of recommendation section for detailed instructions. 

Letter of Recommendation

How many letters of recommendation are required for the McDonnell Academy application?

The McDonnell Academy requires only one letter of recommender.

May I use a recommender who has already submitted a letter of recommendation for my academic program application for the McDonnell Academy application?

The admissions committee reviews departmental recommendation letters included in your graduate program application (in consultation with the academic department). We ask candidates to provide a separate letter from the graduate degree program application because we want to learn about the leadership qualities rather than the academic credentials of our candidates. You may provide contact information for a recommender who has already written a letter for your graduate school application if that person can speak to your leadership skills, character, and potential. The recommender will need to write a separate letter to the McDonnell Academy addressing these attributes.

My recommender does not have a professional email address, what do I do?

While we strongly encourage applicants to provide a professional email address for their recommender, we understand there are circumstances in which a professional email is not available. In these cases, you may provide your recommender’s personal email address.

I have submitted my application. When is the deadline to receive a letter of recommendation from my recommender?

Upon submission, your recommender will be sent a letter of recommendation request email which includes a link to upload the recommendation letter.  Recommenders are given 14 days from receipt of the letter of recommendation request email to upload the letter of recommendation. The upload link provided to the recommender automatically expires after the 14-day period. The application deadline is January 31st, which means recommendations can be submitted until February 14th and still be considered on time. This 14-day grace period allows us to accept recommendation letters until 11:59 PM US Eastern Time on February 14th.

I have provided contact information for my recommender but they have not received an email to provide a letter of recommendation.

Have you submitted your application?

  • No: The letter of recommendation request email will not be sent to the recommender until you have completed all required sections and submitted your application. Once you have submitted your application, an email with instructions will be sent to your recommender automatically. All instructions and requirements will be detailed in the email to your recommender.
  • Yes: If you have indeed submitted your application, please review the “I have submitted my application but my recommender did not receive an email to provide a letter of recommendation” FAQ response below.
I have submitted my application but my recommender did not receive an email to provide a letter of recommendation.

Upon application submission, your recommender will be sent a letter of recommendation request email from the McDonnell Academy, which includes a link to upload the recommendation letter. If your recommender has not received the letter of recommendation request email, please review the contact information you provided for your recommender and check their email address for errors. Changes to your application following submission are not permitted. If the recommender’s information requires updating, you may request changes by completing an Admissions Inquiry Form.

If you have verified that the contact information provided is correct, the email may have been blocked by the email host’s security protocols. Please ask your recommender to check their junk/spam folders. If your recommender has not received the email, please send us a message via the Admissions Inquiry Form.

Your application is NOT fully complete without the letter of recommendation.

My recommender is unresponsive or unable to provide a letter of recommendation. Can I change my recommender?

Yes, you may request changes by completing an Admissions Inquiry Form.

Application Evaluation & Decisions

Does the McDonnell Academy conduct interviews?

Yes. The McDonnell Academy extends interviews to selected candidates based on the quality of their application in early March. Due to the high volume of applications the McDonnell Academy receives each year, we are unable to extend interviews to every applicant. Interviews are conducted virtually via Zoom.

How many Scholars are admitted to the program each year?

On average, there are between 20-25 Scholars admitted each year.

When will acceptance or regrets be determined?

The McDonnell Academy admissions committee reviews each application thoroughly; decisions are typically made by the end of March, and usually no later than mid-April. Please keep in mind that this can be a lengthy process and the timeline is subject to change.

Can I still be accepted in to the McDonnell Academy if I do not receive an offer from a WashU degree program?

No. Candidates be accepted in to an eligible WashU degree program to be eligible for McDonnell Academy consideration.

How am I notified of the decision? Can I check the status of my application online?

After you have begun the online application process, you can check the status of your application on your application dashboard. Your applicant dashboard within the online graduate application will be updated to reflect the decision that is reached regarding your acceptance.  Accepted individuals will also receive an email notification with further information.