Udall Scholarship

Two students outside by a stream collecting water samples

The Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation awards 60 Udall Scholarships each year in three categories:

  • The Environment: U.S.-citizen students of any ethnicity with a commitment to the environment and a good academic background are eligible for the scholarships in the environmental category.
  • Tribal Public Policy: Native American or Alaskan Native students who plan careers related to Tribal Public Policy
  • Native Health Care: Native American or Alaskan Native students who plan careers related to Native Health Care

Each scholarship provides $7,000 for undergraduate study to sophomores or juniors and participation in Udall Scholarship Orientation in Tucson, Arizona. The Orientation is a conference that gives all the new Udall Scholars the opportunity to network with each other and national leaders in their fields, attend educational workshops and information sessions, and learn more about the Udall legacy. Up to 50 students are also named Honorable Mention each year.

This is a nomination-required opportunity, which means you must apply for and win one of two campus nominations before you can compete at the national level. This page walks through all instructions for both the campus and national competitions. You may begin the process at any time after the national application portal opens. 

The KU nomination process uses the national application system. Contact the Center for Undergraduate Research & Fellowships at curf@ku.edu to gain access to the application portal and join the Canvas page.

  • When you email curf@ku.edu, please include A) whether you are a junior or senior, B) your field of study between environment, health care, or tribal public policy, and C) your nationality between US Citizen, US National, or permanent resident and D) your phone number.

Step 1: Apply for the Campus Nomination

Deadline: January

Notification of nomination: January or February

Required materials to be submitted to Canvas: 

  • Online application. This application, submitted via the Udall portal and Canvas, asks questions about your career goals, professional aspirations, graduate school plans (if any), campus involvement, leadership experiences, and public service activities. These questions are short and are part of one application you can access by emailing curf@ku.edu.
  • 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. Letters should demonstrate your leadership, public service, and academic achievements. These need to be submitted via the campus letters of recommendation submission form. Letters must be received by the campus deadline.

Step 2: Apply for the national competition

Deadline: Early March

Notification of acceptance: Late April

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. 

Helpful Resources