Press Release: 2026 Truman Scholars

 PRESS RELEASE: Embargoed until 2:00pm EDT, Friday, April 24, 2026  
CONTACT: info@truman.gov

JANET NAPOLITANO ANNOUNCES 2026 TRUMAN SCHOLARS  

WASHINGTON, DC – Former Arizona Governor and Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano (NM 1977), President of the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation, announced today the 55 exceptional college students from 48 U.S. colleges and universities selected as 2026 Truman Scholars. The Truman Scholarship is the premier graduate scholarship for aspiring public service leaders in the United States.  

 “Resourceful, patriotic leaders, today’s Truman Scholars would make President Truman proud,” says Dr. Terry Babcock-Lumish, the Foundation’s Executive Secretary and a 1996 Truman Scholar from Pennsylvania. “Rising to meet their moments in this century as he did his in the 20th century, they are dedicated public servants who do not shy from challenge.”  

 Highlights of our 2026 class include:   

  • Three institutions have a Truman Scholar for the first time – Marist University, North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University, and Ramapo College of New Jersey. 
  • 26 (47%) Scholars attend public universities. 
  • 19 (35%) Scholars attend private research universities. 
  • 7 (13%) Scholars attend private liberal arts colleges
  • 3 (5%) Scholars attend service academies.  

 See the full list of 2026 Truman Scholars at https://www.truman.gov/.  

 Truman Scholars demonstrate outstanding leadership potential, a commitment to a career in government or the nonprofit sector, and academic excellence. Each Truman Scholar receives funding for graduate studies, leadership training, career counseling, and special internship and fellowship opportunities within the federal government.  

The 55 new Truman Scholars were selected from 781 candidates nominated by 305 colleges and universities. They were recommended by seventeen independent selection panels based on the finalists’ academic success and leadership accomplishments, as well as their likelihood of becoming public service leaders. Regional selection panels included distinguished civic leaders, elected officials, university presidents, federal judges, and past Truman Scholarship winners.  

 Established by Congress in 1975 as the living memorial to President Harry S. Truman and a national monument to public service, the Truman Scholarship carries the legacy of our 33rd President by supporting and inspiring the next generation of public service leaders. When approached by a bipartisan group of admirers near the end of his life, President Truman embodied this commitment to the future of public service by asking Congress to create a living memorial devoted to this purpose, rather than a traditional brick-and-mortar monument. For almost fifty years, the Truman Foundation has fulfilled that mission: inspiring and supporting Americans from across the country.  

Now, the 55 awardees are part of a community of 3,673 Truman Scholars named since the first awards in 1977. Prominent Truman Scholars in government service include United States Supreme Court Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch (CO 1987), Senators Chris Coons (DE 1983) and Andy Kim (NJ 2003), Representative Gabe Amo (RI 2009), Representative Dusty Johnson (SD 1998), Representative Greg Stanton (AZ 1990), and former White House National Security Advisors Susan Rice (DC 1984) and Jake Sullivan (MN 1997).   

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Prior Press Releases:
2025 Truman Scholars
2024 Truman Scholars
2023 Truman Scholars
2022 Truman Scholars
2021 Truman Scholars