Four Harvard students and a recent graduate are among the 40 American students chosen to spend two years in the United Kingdom as British Marshall Scholars, an official confirmed yesterday.

Current seniors Adam E. Cohen of Winthrop House, Sarah E. Lewis of Mather House, Davesh Maulik of Quincy House and Kevin S. Schwartz of Kirkland House, and graduate Daniel B. Baer '00, formerly of Quincy House, will begin their studies at British universities next fall.

Seven current and former Harvard students won the prize last year.

Baer said he intends to study international relations at the University of Oxford, in order to pursue a degree in law.

Hailing from Littleton, Colo., Baer concentrated jointly in social studies and in Afro-American studies. He was a member of Phi Beta Kappa and was named a Truman Scholar.

He said that Oxford will be an inspiring setting for his studies.

"Part of what captures me is the romantic vision of spires and gothic architecture," he said.

Maulik, from Roslyn, N.Y., is a mathematics concentrator, a member of Phi Beta Kappa and a Goldwater Scholar. Although he said his plans are subject to change, he hopes to pursue master's degrees in math and biology in order to study the overlap between the two fields.