Truman Scholarship

Student in a library looking at black and white photos taking notes

The Harry S. Truman Scholarship is the federal memorial to President Truman. The Truman Foundation awards 60-65 scholarships annually to juniors interested in careers in public service and with the potential to be “change agents.” 

The Scholarship provides up to $30,000 in support for graduate study and the opportunity to participate in a Truman Scholars Leadership Week and a Summer Institute in Washington, D.C.

This is a nomination-required opportunity, which means you must apply for and win one of four campus nominations before you can compete at the national level. This page walks through all instructions for both the campus and national competitions.  

Selection Criteria

Applicants should:

  • Be U.S. citizens
  • Hold a strong GPA, typically 3.7 or higher.
  • Have strong records of both public service and leadership.
  • Plan to attend graduate school to earn any degree other than an MBA and pursue a career in public service.
  • Be considered a junior, either by having junior-level academic standing or have senior-level standing in your third year.

Step 1: Apply for the Campus Nomination

Deadline: November 27th, 2026

Notification of nomination: December or January

Required materials:

  • First, contact curf@ku.edu to request access to the online Truman application and Canvas page. 
  • Online application. This includes short essays on leadership and service experience, focus and motivation for public service, and graduate school plans, as well as a draft of your policy proposal.
  • Student Academic Summary. This must be uploaded as an assignment to the Canvas space. You may also upload unofficial transcripts from other schools as needed.
  • Three letters of recommendation. These need to be submitted via the campus letters of recommendation submission form. IMPORTANT: one letter should focus on your leadership, one on service, and one on academics. Please read letter writer advice from the Truman Foundation before contacting your recommenders. Share the link with your writers as well as the submission link. Letters must be received by November 30th. 

Campus committee reviews applications and invites students to interview in December. Interviews are typically 25 minutes long and will be conducted by the committee either in-person or via Zoom. 

Email the Center for Undergraduate Research & Fellowships at curf@ku.edu to express your interest and gain access to the application.

Step 2: Apply for the national competition

Once you are nominated by KU, staff and faculty from CURF will work with you to improve your application materials for the national competition. Only complete these materials if you have been nominated.

Students nominated at the campus level will be selected by the Truman Committee as finalists before winners are announced. Finalists will have to participate in an interview with the committee. CURF will help coordinate practice interviews prior if needed.

Deadline: February 2nd, 2027

Finalists notified: February 15th, 2027

Scholars notified: April 23rd, 2027 

Required materials:

  • KU release forms. Complete the nominee waiver form and news release biography form as soon as possible. Look for an email about getting your photo taken for the campus news release.
  • Revised materials. Revise all application materials with the help of your mentors, letter writers and CURF staff. These must replace previous versions in the Truman national portal.
  • Updated unofficial transcript with fall grades.
  • Updated letters. You may ask your letter writers to update their letters as needed, and have them resubmit via the KU campus letters of recommendation form. 

Information Sessions

CURF will be holding a virtual information session in September (exact date TBD).

Helpful Resources