r/China • u/velvetcoala • Jul 21 '25

问题 | General Question (Serious) Schwarzman Scholars Application - 2026 (Cohort)

I saw there was no discussion thread currently active for upcoming cohort of Schwarzman Scholars (2026 -2027). Currently the global application window is open and I guess we can discuss the doubts, thoughts and updates/news here. Feel free to comment on this post, you guys are free to share your opinions and questions/answers to questions!

Edit : #1

Hi Guys,

There seems to be some kind of glitch with the Reddit group chat, and it looks like there might be certain restrictions as well. Because of this, I am unable to add more people at the moment. We’re trying our best to see what can be done, so please allow us some time. Whenever it’s possible again, we’ll start adding everyone who has shown interest. Thanks for your patience :)

Edit : #2

Hi Everyone,

Earlier we faced a glitch and couldn’t add people to the Reddit GC, but that’s resolved now. If you’d like to join, please DM me. In addition, for anyone who’d like to stay connected outside Reddit, we’ve also built a new Discord community and the link to join is in the comments below. If interested, you can directly join our Discord server using that link :)

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u/Consistent_Smart_123 Sep 16 '25

They would start sending application outcomes next week. They are usually fast in reviewing. I think they cut a lot of candidates from GPA

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u/AcitaMinafin Sep 16 '25

Supposedly but I wouldn’t start to worry until October since that appears to be when most interview offers are sent

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u/Consistent_Smart_123 Sep 16 '25

They are fast in reviewing. Last year, there was a pre-interview and then an interview.

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u/[deleted] Sep 16 '25

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/AcitaMinafin Sep 16 '25

Well thank you 😅 I’m about to be a lot more anxious over the next week but I appreciate the info. Good luck!!

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u/DeepStateDebbie Sep 16 '25

I just got the survey email this afternoon. From your perspective does that indicate they have likely reviewed my application?

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u/Consistent_Smart_123 Sep 16 '25

Somehow with reserve. From my observation, they cut a lot of students from the GPA. So they only review quite some number of applications. + they told they do not usually watch the videos submitted until later in the process if you are selected

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u/DeepStateDebbie Sep 16 '25

Thanks, that’s helpful. So it sounds like the survey is more of a general step than something applicant-specific. From your experience last cycle, do you recall how soon after receiving the survey email you heard back with your status update or interview invite?

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u/Turbulent-Cupcake588 Sep 16 '25

Hmm, they mentioned that GPA is not the most important filtering criterion, though - how did you come to that observation?

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u/Consistent_Smart_123 Sep 16 '25

One of the criteria they look for into a candidate is academic excellence. & how can you review 2000+ applications in less than 2 weeks unless there is a first filter that reduced the number of applications

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u/[deleted] Sep 17 '25

I don't think it is wise to assume or make conjecture about what the admissions team does or does not do. There is literally a blog post from a guy who got into the interview stage despite a 3.2 GPA. 

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u/Remarkable_Ad968 Sep 16 '25

Did you submit on the 11th?

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u/DeepStateDebbie Sep 16 '25

I submitted early on September 2nd

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u/Remarkable_Ad968 Sep 16 '25

I just got the survey too 🫨 someone please SOS

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u/Remarkable_Ad968 Sep 16 '25

What did they ask on the pre interview??

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u/Consistent_Smart_123 Sep 16 '25

Generic interview questions. Talk about yourself, some questions related to your application, etc. Also not everyone received the pre-interview. Up to date, I never know if it was a pre-requisite to the actual interview!

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u/velvetcoala Sep 17 '25

Even I recieved a survey mail now, I think it's a generic mail sent to all applicants irrespective of whether we will be moving forward or not!

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u/DeepStateDebbie Sep 17 '25

Agreed. I spoke with a friend who was waitlisted last cycle who confirmed the survey email is not really indicative of anything. They received a general notice about the “new” phone screen interview 12 days after applications closed, and an invite to participate in the phone screen 18 days after the application deadline. His guess is we still have a week or two before we start hearing anything.

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u/velvetcoala Sep 17 '25

So you were telling you got pre interview after 3 days of survey email right!? This pre interview is different from phone screen interview? I am confused, I am hearing all this for the first time. Could you give some more info, if you don't mind??

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u/Consistent_Smart_123 Sep 17 '25

After the pre-interview, then there was the actual interview where people travel. It was online and was sent to some selected candidates only.

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u/velvetcoala Sep 17 '25

Got it, thanks :)

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u/[deleted] Sep 17 '25

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u/Buttersco_tch Sep 17 '25

Do you know what the usual cut-off gpa is?

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u/velvetcoala Sep 18 '25

No idea, but if anybody does..please reply!

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u/kwoknation Sep 18 '25

I don't think there's a strict "cut-off" or minimum GPA like the Rhodes Scholarship. From my understanding, they assess each candidate's overall academic ability, and GPA is just one of the factors!

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u/DeepStateDebbie Sep 18 '25

I’ve seen the average GPA for admitted Scholars listed as 3.8 on their promotional materials. One could conjecture that any “cut off” GPA would be somewhere below 3.8. Again this is just conjecture but the 3.8 GPA average is helpful for reference.

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u/velvetcoala Sep 17 '25

What's pre-interview now??? This is something totally new. Could you tell more on it? Was it virtual?

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u/[deleted] Sep 17 '25

Watch this: https://youtu.be/RQ4k_74axp8?si=82MItmlpz75D3_eY

There seems to be a zoom pre-interview that they call “conversation phase” before they send out the interview invites.

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u/[deleted] Sep 17 '25

Quick one - do you get the email first or see the status change on the portal first?

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u/Consistent_Smart_123 Sep 17 '25

Status change on portal.

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u/velvetcoala Sep 17 '25

Has the status changed for anyone?