Home > Offices > Fellowships

Truman candidates must satisfy the following 10 qualifiers:

1. A candidate must be in the upper quarter of her class. This is guaranteed with a GPA of at least 3.6.

2. A candidate already demonstrates leadership and evidences potential to be a change agent in sufficient abundance that the college can easily cite examples to the foundation [See Foundation website for examples to evaluate potential change agents].

3. A candidate qualifies as an outstanding representative of the institution, for example, is worthy of being put forward:

• as a student trustee,
  
• as a student member of a dean or presidential search committee,
• or for other positions of exceptional responsibility, such as being invited to argue an unpopular cause to the institution trustees on behalf of students or the community.
  

4. A candidate must show two or more years of sustained service to at least two of the following:

• to the campus community [Application Question 2],
  
• to the community at large [Question 3],
  
• possibly some government involvement (e.g. public advocacy groups, partisan political campaigns, or governmental institutions such as commissions, boards) [Question 4].
  

One or more service activities should relate to a candidate's intended career [Questions 13 and 14].

5. A candidate must demonstrate sustained leadership to achieve some goal or objective [Question 7].

6. A candidate makes a clear connection among responses to Questions 9, 10, 12, 13, 14 and the Policy Proposal.

7. A candidate identifies a specific graduate school and shows some understanding of the proposed graduate program [Question 12].

8. A candidate describes a credible career in public service [Questions 13 and 14].

9. A candidate provides an interesting or intriguing response to Question 15, a vital answer, using it to explain her motivation for career interests unless covered previously. [The Guidance to Candidates section on www.truman.gov provides examples of satisfactory and unsatisfactory responses to Question 15 as well as to Questions 7, 8, 9 and 12].

10. A polished application is essential to win. A candidate must write engagingly and present a clearly laid-out application with flawless grammar, spelling and punctuation. Questions 7, 8, 9 and 12 must be addressed with precision. It is suggested that nominees consult a writing guide such as Strunk & White's Elements of Style.

— From the Truman Scholarship Foundation