Credit: Curtis Chan / Penn State. Creative Commons
September 22, 2025
By Nayshalinez Cruz
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Six Penn State students and recent alumni were nominated for the 2026 Rhodes and Marshall scholarships, two of the most prestigious and competitive awards available to U.S. students.
The Rhodes Scholarship supports students in pursuing graduate study at the University of Oxford. As one of the oldest and highly competitive awards of its type, it recognizes students motivated to change and address global challenges. The Marshall Scholarship, founded in 1953, supports American students offering one to three years of graduate study in the United Kingdom. This gives them the opportunity to study in any field at a university of their choice in the U.K.
The following Penn State students and recent alumni have been recognized as nominees for the Rhodes and Marshall Scholarships:
Students must be nominated by the University to apply for the Rhodes or Marshall scholarships. Undergraduate Research and Fellowships Mentoring (URFM) guides students in determining which awards best match their goals, supports potential nominees with their application materials and prepares them for interviews with the help of the Penn State U.K. Awards Nomination Committee.
Nominees will submit their materials to the national review committees, and finalists will be invited to interview in November.
URFM seeks students with outstanding academic excellence, leadership, courage and a commitment to making change. The nominees for the Rhodes and Marshall awards have already met these distinguished expectations, showing their hard work and accomplishments. Beyond the nomination itself, prior applicants say the skills developed from the rigorous process, such as the essay, resume and interview prep develop valuable growth. For all applicants, whether or not they receive the award, the process provides knowledge and preparation for future academic and personal goals.
Students interested in pursuing Rhodes and Marshall should meet with an adviser in URFM to discuss the process.
Undergraduate Research and Fellowships Mentoring is part of Penn State Undergraduate Education.
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