Home
Awards
Truman Scholarship

Truman Scholarship

Truman Scholarships fund up to $30,000 in scholarship support for graduate school. U.S. citizens or nationals with strong academic records and commitment to a career in government or public life are eligible. Applicants must be juniors and the scholarship is awarded in the spring of their junior year.

Eligibility:

Undergraduate applicants are eligible if they submit their applications for Indiana University’s internal competition in either the spring of their sophomore year or the fall of their junior year. Seniors who complete their undergraduate degree in three years may submit their applications in their third and final year. For more details on when you should apply, seehttp://www.truman.gov/are-you-potential-truman-scholar
US citizens
Nominated by their university
In the upper quartile of their class (typically with GPAs above 3.5)

Benefits:

Truman Scholars receive up to $30,000 for graduate or professional school
Leadership development programs
Opportunities for internships and employment with the federal government.

Selection Criteria: Candidates should be able to demonstrate significant and deep commitment to public service and leadership. Scholars are selected on the basis of:

commitment to proposed plan to solve a significant public problem
extent and quality of community service and government involvement;
leadership record;
academic performance, writing and analytical skills; and
suitability of the proposed program of study for a career in public service

Details

Campus Nomination Deadline: Monday November 14, 2022

National Deadline

February 7, 2023

Campus Representative: Professor Judy Failer; trumaniu@indiana.edu

Eligibility:
To be eligible for consideration for the Truman Scholarship, a student must:

• be a U.S. Citizen or National
• be nominated by his or her university
• will be a full-time junior-level student at a four-year institution pursuing a bachelor's degree during the 2022-2023 academic year. 'Junior' here means a student who plans to continue full-time undergraduate study and who expects to receive a baccalaureate degree between December 2023 and August 2024.

Because the Truman Scholarship attracts the interest of top candidates around the country, IU only nominates students with outstanding credentials. The foundation chooses scholars on the basis of their excellent academic performance and communication skills, record of and potential for leadership, extensive records of public and community service, and commitment to careers in government or elsewhere in public service. IU's nominating committee and the Truman Foundation selectors are looking for candidates who show promise of making a difference in the world through their public service.

IU Nomination Process:

The IU committee will select up to four nominees for the national 2023 Truman competition. Copies of the application form being used for the process at IU can be downloaded from the Truman website: https://www.truman.gov/sample-application-forms/

The completed application must include the 500-word policy proposal on a significant issue related to the candidate's intended area of public service. Students seeking consideration should also include ALL of the three letters of recommendation described in the Truman application materials. Letters should be sent to trumaniu@indiana.edu and recommenders are advised to review the Guidance for Recommenders on the Truman website.

Please note that the national Truman process requires three notably different recommendations although a recommender may comment on all the criteria:

• One focused on Leadership Potential and Abilities
• One focused on a Commitment to a Career in Public Service
• One focused on Intellect and Prospects for Continuing Academic Success

Additional information about the national criteria and process is available at the Truman Foundation website here: http://truman.gov.

Truman Scholarship

Truman Scholarship

Details

Requirements for eligibility

Nomination and selection standards

Application and IU nomination process