Schwarzman
Scholars Accepting Applications for Second Class of Scholars

New York
& Beijing, April 15, 2016 – Schwarzman Scholars today announced that it is
now accepting applications for its second class. The class of 2017-2018 will
enroll in August 2017. Schwarzman Scholars is a highly selective, one year
Master’s degree program based at Tsinghua University in Beijing, one of China’s
top academic institutions. Inspired by the Rhodes Scholarship, Schwarzman
Scholars is designed to prepare the next generation of leader
s for the
geopolitical landscape of the 21st Century.

The scholarship is
fully-funded for all participants, including travel costs and a modest personal
stipend. This program is supported through many generous contributions to
Schwarzman Scholars and we are on track to reach a $450 million fundraising
goal, a sum that will sustain the program in perpetuity. This unparalleled
opportunity will be extended to 125 students, up from 111 in its first year,
with 45% of scholars coming from the United States, 20% from China, and 35%
from the rest of the world. The program is open to students and young
professionals between the ages of 18 and 28 years old, regardless of
nationality, who are proficient in English and have obtained an undergraduate
degree or its equivalent from an accredited college or university. To learn
more about application requirements, please click here.

With the application
now live, the rigorous selection process commences. In addition to evaluating
applicants’ proven intellectual and academic ability, the admissions process is
heavily focused on evaluating applicants’ leadership potential, strength of character,
ability to anticipate and act on emerging trends and opportunities, and desire
to understand other cultures, perspectives and positions. Those selected will
have demonstrated their potential to not only benefit from but also
contribute to the Schwarzman Scholars program.

To evaluate
candidates across a globally diverse applicant pool, the process relies on
readers from many different regions and backgrounds who can provide insights to
identify the highest level of leadership and academic excellence. More than 300
semi-finalists will be invited to an in-person regional interview in Beijing,
Bangkok, London or New York, and will go before panels of distinguished figures
comprised of CEOs, former heads of state, university presidents, non-profit executives,
journalists and other leaders from around the world.

The program recently
announced its inaugural class of 111 scholars set to arrive in Beijing in late
August 2016. The first class was selected from over 3,000 applicants, making
the program one of the most selective in the world with an acceptance rate of
3.7%. This first class is composed of students from 32 countries and 75
universities. Of the applicants offered admission into the inaugural class of
Scholars, 95% accepted their offer, representing a higher yield than the most
competitive U.S. business and law schools. Please click here to view the full
list of Schwarzman Scholars, and here for
a list of the academic institutions attended by the scholars. To watch a short
video highlighting the process of selecting the first class of Schwarzman
Scholars, please click here.

Based at Tsinghua
University, one of China’s most prestigious institutions of higher education
with a 100 year history of strengthening ties between China and the rest of the
world and a record of producing high-level leaders within China, the program’s
academic curriculum was crafted by some of the most talented academic leaders
from prestigious universities globally including Harvard, Yale, Princeton,
Stanford, Oxford, and Tsinghua. In addition to a core curriculum, scholars
will focus on one of three academic disciplines: public policy, economics and
business, or international studies. The program has recruited a group of
leading scholars from Tsinghua University as well as visiting scholars from
leading institutions around the world.

Beyond the
classroom, scholars will gain unrivaled exposure to China and a broader network
of important relationships through prestigious internships, mentorship
opportunities, distinguished speakers and extensive travel throughout China
aligned with their academic concentrations and professional interests. Scholars
will be provided with career services support, giving them access to the best
career opportunities and global network both while in Beijing and after they
graduate. This combination of coursework and real-life experience will provide
students with the first-hand, in-depth understanding of China critically
important to lead in the 21st Century.

All scholars will
study and reside at Schwarzman College, a newly constructed state-of-the-art
campus at Tsinghua University, designed to encourage close friendships,
cross-cultural connections, and intellectual exchange. When completed,
Schwarzman College will be the first academic building in China with both LEED
Gold and China Green building Label 2-Star certification.

The application can
be found on the Schwarzman Scholars website, www.schwarzmanscholars.org, and
must be submitted by September 15, 2016. Finalists will be invited to interview
in Bangkok (October 28th), London (November 2nd), or New
York (November 7th) and will be notified of their acceptance in
mid-November of 2016. For applicants who hold passports from Mainland China,
Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macao, regardless of where they attended
university, the appropriate application can be found on the Tsinghua University
website and must be submitted by June 15, 2016. Those candidates will be
invited to interview between July 6th and 9th and will be
notified of acceptance before October 1, 2016.

Please click here to
watch an informational webinar with Rob Garris, Global Director of Admissions
at Schwarzman Scholars, and here
to read the Schwarzman Scholars frequently asked admissions questions.

About
Schwarzman Scholars:

Schwarzman Scholars
was inspired by the Rhodes Scholarship, which was founded in 1902 to promote
international understanding and peace, and is designed to meet the challenges
of the 21st century and beyond. Blackstone Co-Founder Stephen A. Schwarzman
personally contributed $100 million to the program and is leading a fundraising
campaign to raise an additional $350 million from private sources to endow the
program in perpetuity. The $450 million endowment will support up to 200
scholars annually from the U.S., China and around the world for a one-year
Master’s Degree program at Tsinghua University in Beijing, one of China’s most
prestigious universities and an indispensable base for the country’s scientific
and technological research. Scholars chosen for this highly selective program
will live in Beijing for a year of study and cultural immersion, attending
lectures, traveling, and developing a better understanding of China. Admissions
opened in the fall of 2015, with the first class of students in residence in
2016. Learn more at www.schwarzmanscholars.org,
like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SchwarzmanScholars and
follow us on Twitter at @SchwarzmanOrg.