Harry S. Truman Scholarship

Harry S. Truman Scholarship

The Truman scholarship is a very competitive national award. Each year, the Foundation reviews over 800 applications for 60 to 65 Scholarships awarded annually. These applications do not include the students who compete on their own campus for one of a school’s four nominations.

The Truman Scholarship provides up to $30,000 in funding to students pursuing graduate degrees in public service fields. Students must be college juniors at the time of selection. The Foundation also provides assistance with career counseling, internship placement, graduate school admissions, and professional development. Scholars are invited to participate in several programs: Truman Scholar Leadership Week, The Summer Institute, and The Truman-Albright Fellows Program. Please visit the For Scholars section of the Truman website for an overview of the programs the Foundation currently offers for Scholars.

The Criteria

The Truman Scholarship recognizes outstanding leadership potential, academic achievement, and the desire to pursue a career in public service. The ideal candidate will demonstrate:

• Leadership: We consider leadership to be more than merely occupying a position of leadership. Truman Scholars either use their leadership position in unique ways or create opportunities for leadership where none existed.
• Commitment to a Career in Public Service: Truman Scholars have a lengthy record of service as well as detailed and ambitious plans for a future career as a leader in their area of interest.
• Likelihood of Success in Graduate School: We are less interested in a perfect academic record than we are in seeing a Truman Scholar who is intellectually curious and on track to succeed in their graduate program of choice.

Eligibility

The candidates must:

• Attend an accredited U.S. college or university
• Be nominated by the institution’s Truman Faculty Representative [candidates MAY NOT apply directly]
• Be U.S. citizens or U.S. nationals
• Be in the upper quarter of their junior class.
• Residents of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa or the Northern Marianas who must be in their senior class

The UW Campus Application Procedure

Applicants apply online through expo on the OMSFA website https://expo.uw.edu/expo/apply/665. Complete the following and upload to the online application:

• Resume that includes the following areas:

• • College Activities
  • Public Service & Community Activities
  • Government Activities
  • Awards
  • Work & Internships
  • Additional Info

• Several short-answer essay questions
• Unofficial transcripts
• List of recommenders – three to five individuals who would speak to the following areas:

• • leadership potential
  • commitment to public service
  • intellect and prospects for continued academic success.

UW Campus Deadline is December 1^st. Apply here for campus nomination.