Truman Scholarship

Summary

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 Truman Foundation seeks future "change agents" who aspire to leadership positions in federal, state, or local governments or in the not-for-profit and education sectors where they can influence public policies and change public programs. Criteria for selecting Truman Scholars are mainly:

• Extensive (substantial & sustained) records of public and community service
• Commitment to careers in government or elsewhere in the public sector
• Desire to influence public policies or education programs
• Outstanding leadership potential and communication skills

Additionally, Truman Scholars tend to be strong students. However, this does not require that applicants have a perfect GPA. Truman views an applicant's leadership or public service record as more important than grades alone. Furthermore, Truman is interested in one's overall transcript more than just GPA. A challenging selection of coursework, even with a lower GPA, will be rated higher than a perfect GPA in less challenging courses.

Campus Nomination Process

Overview: In order to access the online application, students must receive login credentials from the Assistant Director for Fellowships in the Office of Undergraduate Academic Affairs (OUAA). We strongly encourage prospective applicants to review Truman's "before applying" information prior to starting an application.

The complete application is due by the campus deadline of November 3. All three of the following must be completed by this date:

• Complete your Truman application in the  online portal. Instructions for how to use the portal are available on the Truman website. It's also a good idea to review the Advice and Guidance to candidates page.
• Three Letters of Recommendation must be uploaded to the campus Truman application Box folder. You should also send your letter writers a copy of the sample letter of recommendation, which is provided at the bottom of Truman's sample application materials page.
• Your most recent unofficial transcript must be uploaded to the campus Truman application Box folder. Transcripts should be downloaded as a PDF from Banner. If you have transcripts from more than one institution, please upload those as well.

Note: Each letter of recommendation must clearly address one area of the Truman selection criteria. We encourage applicants to send letter writers the Reference Request Form that aligns with the type of letter you are asking for. Letter writers should then use this form as a cover letter for their recommendation.

Candidates with strong applications will be invited to complete an interview with the campus committee. This interview, in tandem with your application, is how the campus committee will determine which applications to endorse.

Application Format: The campus application is completed by the applicant through Truman's online application portal. The OUAA must upload letters of recommendation and transcripts for each applicant.

Deadlines and Timeline: 

• Early fall: Interested applicants should email the Assistant Director for Fellowships in the OUAA to request that an account be made for you in the Truman portal. This is required to begin a Truman application.
• Sunday, November 3 at 11:59 p.m. EST: Campus Application Deadline. By this date the application materials outlined above must be completed in Truman's application portal. Letters of recommendation must also be uploaded to W&M's Truman Box folder.
• Mid-November through mid-December: Applications are reviewed and campus committee interviews take place.
  
• Late December through early February: Applicants whose materials have been endorsed by the campus committee will be able to edit their applications before submitting them in time to meet Truman's national deadline.

Nominations: William & Mary has the opportunity to nominate up to four Truman candidates who have spent all of undergrad at W&M. In addition, William & Mary may nominate up to three juniors who spent their first one or two years at another institution. The candidates are chosen by a committee of faculty, and all nomination decisions are final.

National Application Process

The Truman national deadline usually falls in early February. A more detailed deadline will be posted once Truman makes it available.

All students must meet the campus deadline in order to be eligible for endorsement by the national deadline. Learn more about the Truman Scholarship including details about the program, requirements for applicants, and application tips for interested students.