Truman Scholarship

Award Amount
Award Amount

$60,000

Application deadline
Application deadline

February 04

Awarded By:

Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation

Number of Awards & Eligibility: 55 to 65 awards offered annually. The Foundation tries to have at least one Truman Scholar each year from each state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Islands (American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the Virgin Islands). The Foundation will also award more than one scholarship per state or territory if the selection committee agrees that two candidates are equally worthy. In prior years, there were 58 scholars selected.
In order to qualify, students must meet the following criteria:
  1. This award is for U.S. students.
  2. Must be a full-time student at a four-year institution.
  3. Must be a U.S. citizen (or a U.S. national from a Pacific Island), or must expect to receive citizenship by the date that the scholarship is awarded.
  4. Must plan to pursue a graduate degree in public service and be committed to a career in public service. Students should have an extensive record of campus and community service, committed to a career in government or the nonprofit and advocacy sectors, and have the skills necessary to become a change agent (excellent communication skills). The Foundation defines public service as employment in government at any level, uniformed services, public-interest organizations, non-governmental research and/or educational organizations, public and private schools, and public-service oriented nonprofit organizations such as those whose primary purposes are to help needy or disadvantaged persons or to protect the environment. Potential fields include law, public administration, public health, social work, education, public policy, or international affairs.
  5. Must have a college junior-level standing, or a senior-level standing in his/her third year of college enrollment, or be a senior and resident of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands or a Pacific island.
  6. Must have a strong academic record with likely acceptance to graduate school of the student's choice.

In order to qualify, students must meet the following criteria:

Description: U.S. college juniors who exhibit high academic achievement and leadership skills may be nominated for this award. Students must plan to pursue a graduate degree in public service and be committed to a career in public service. Click here to learn more and apply today!

Application requirements for the Truman Scholarship are:

  • Nomination
  • Recommendation letters (3)
  • Application form
  • Official Transcript
  • Policy proposal
  • Interview (finalists only)
Additional Information: Candidates must have extensive records of public and community service, be committed to careers in government or elsewhere in public service and have outstanding leadership potential and communication skills. Candidates should have participated extensively in two or more of the following activities: student government and/or campus-based extracurricular activities; community service-related activities that were not organized by his/her school or by his/her fraternity/sorority; government internships, commissions or boards, advocacy or interest groups, nonpartisan political activities, or military/ROTC; and partisan political activities and campaigns. Scholars are required to work in public service for three of the seven years following completion of a foundation funded graduate degree program as a condition of receiving Truman funds. Scholars who do not meet this service requirement, or who fail to provide timely proof to the foundation of such employment, will be required to repay funds received along with interest. The foundation will have an appeals process for special circumstances. Finalists will be announced on the website on Feb. 23. Regional Review panels will meet in March and April, during which time finalists will be required to interview with the panel. Scholars will be announced on April 18. All scholars are required to attend the Truman Scholars Leadership Week, which will be held on May 22-27.

Award Amount: Up to $30,000 annually, renewable for one year.  The total dollars awarded for this scholarship is $60,000.

Deadline Information:

Deadline for this scholarship is Tuesday, February 4

Deadline Information:

Deadline for this scholarship is Tuesday, February 4

Applications are not accepted directly from applicants. Each candidate must be nominated by a faculty representative from his/her current institution of higher education. In order to access the online application, each student must receive login credentials from his/her institution's faculty representative. If the student does not have a faculty representative, he/she may find his/her corresponding representative by going to the website listed and clicking on the 'Faculty Rep Locator' link. A Truman Application consists of an 'Institutional Nomination' form and letter, three additional letters of recommendation, a recent transcript, a 14-question application, and a policy proposal. The application must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. in the student's time zone on the deadline date. Please note: There may be an earlier deadline for submission of materials to each student's faculty representative.
About Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation:
Contact Information: Louis H. Blair, Executive Secretary
Address: 712 Jackson Place, N.W. Washington, District of Columbia 20006
Email: staff@truman.gov
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