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Michel David-Weill scholarship
Michel David-Weill was a renowned banker and businessman, a passionate collector, and a generous patron of the arts. At once a Frenchman and a New Yorker, Weill was dedicated to strengthening the French-American relationship through business and philanthropy alike, as the many recent testimonials have shown.
Himself an alumnus of Sciences Po, David-Weill created a scholarship at the university that embodies his legacy of dedication to transatlantic exchange and partnership, using education to build bridges between the US and France. The Michel David Weill scholarship was endowed in 2011 to attract the best and brightest American students to continue their postgraduate education at Sciences Po in Paris. It carries a monetary value of $80,000 and covers the cost of tuition and living expenses during a two-year master’s program at Sciences Po, and is awarded each year to one American student who exemplifies the core values embodied by its name-sake: excellence, leadership, multiculturalism, and high achievement. In addition to their academic qualifications, awardees demonstrate strong character, instincts to lead, and commitment to both local and global community.
Eligibility
To qualify as a candidate you must:
- Be a US citizen currently enrolled as an undergraduate senior at an eligible Sciences Po partner institution
- Have a 3.7 or higher GPA and be aged19-25 without a doctoral degree
- Be accepted to an eligible Sciences Po master’s program
Prior knowledge of French is not required, as the majority of programs offered at Sciences Po are taught in English, with French tracks or bilingual tracks offered for some programs.
Candidates are selected on the basis of their academic accomplishments and capacity for critical analysis as well as demonstrated history of leadership and a proven commitment to community.
- Boston College
- Brown University
- Columbia University
- Cornell University
- Emory University
- Duke University
- Georgetown University
- Harvard University
- Johns Hopkins University
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Middlebury College
- New York University
- Northwestern University
- Princeton University
- Rice University
- Stanford University
- Tufts University
- University of California at Berkeley
- University of California at Los Angeles
- University of Chicago
- University of Michigan
- University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
- University of Notre Dame
- University of Pennsylvania
- University of Southern California
- University of Virginia
- Vanderbilt University
- Washington University-St. Louis
- Wellesley College
- Yale University
Sciences Po's master's programs prepare students for a wide range of professions in the public and private sectors and uniquely combine academic excellence with a focus on professional development. Our programs are four semesters long: three semesters are taken at Sciences Po in Paris and one semester is dedicated to either additional academic work at an international partner university or an internship. Most programs are taught in English; some are taught in French or require both languages.
Although there is no restriction on the specific field of study at Sciences Po, students who are interested in pursuing an economics curriculum are strongly encouraged to apply, as this is Michel David-Weill’s field of expertise.
Eligible programs are any two-year master’s programs taught entirely at Sciences Po, with the exception of the masters offered by the School of Journalism, as well as the joint master in journalism and international affairs (not eligible. Dual degrees with partner institutions and executive training courses do not qualify for the scholarship.
More information on the master’s programmes offered at Sciences Po.
Application and Selection Process
Each partner institution is responsible for conducting its own internal nomination process and selecting one candidate to compete for the Michel David-Weill Scholarship.
Once the student has won the institutional nomination of his or her home university, the university should submit the following application materials to Science Po’s Center for the Americas.
- Completed candidate information form
- Candidate personal statement explaining motivation (1000 words)
- CV
- One institutional letter of support
- Three letters of recommendation (of which two must be academic)
- Recent graded research paper (8-10 pages with professor comments)
- Candidates must also apply for a Science Po’s master’s program via our online application no later than November 15, 2024.
After receiving all Michel David-Weill Scholarship applications Sciences Po will notify nominees regarding their admission to a Sciences Po master’s program. Then finalists will be chosen among nominees and their names will be submitted to the US Sciences Po Foundation, which works closely with the Michel David-Weill Foundation and the Scholarship Selection Committee.
Finalists will be invited to participate in an interview with the Michel David-Weill Selection Committee in New York. The interview will involve a discussion of the student’s essay, as well as his or her application materials. The selection committee will designate the laureate of the Michel David-Weill Scholarship shortly thereafter.
The Michel David-Weill Scholarship Selection Committee is composed of several panelists, with one representative from each of the following organizations : The Michel David-Weill Foundation, Sciences Po and the US Sciences Po Foundation. Additional panelists have backgrounds in academia, government, non-profits, journalism or other domains.
Application Calendar
Sciences Po strongly urges partner institutions to begin the candidate selection process as early as April or May of the year in which the application will be submitted. This allows students ample time to apply for and secure admission to one of Sciences Po’s eligible master’s programs.
October 2024
Partner institutions select candidates for nomination to the Michel David-Weill Scholarship. Nominees begin their Sciences Po master’s program online applications via Sciences Po’s admissions website.
November 2024
Nominees must submit their application to a Sciences Po Master's program by November 15, 2024.
Partner institutions submit their nominee’s application materials by the same date.
Candidates must have submitted a complete online application for Sciences Po master’s program (including a TCF or DALF French language test score for those wishing to pursue a bilingual track or French track at Sciences Po; no French language score is required for English track programs).
January / February 2025
Finalists are invited to an interview with the Michel David-Weill Scholarship Selection Committee. Non-finalists are also contacted at this time.
Late February 2025
Finalists are interviewed by the Michel David-Weill Scholarship Selection Committee. The scholarship laureate is contacted soon thereafter, as are the other finalists.
Contact
For any questions about this scholarship, please contact Sylvain Quatravaux, at the Sciences Po’s Center for the Americas.
