U.S. Senate Youth Program Scholarship

 

The (USSYP) Washington Week will take place March 7-14, 2026.  Two students from each state will be selected to attend the online or in-person Washington Week program and each student will receive a $10,000 undergraduate college scholarship.

Qualified high school juniors or seniors must show demonstrated leadership by serving in elected or appointed positions in which they are actively representing or previously represented a constituency in organizations related to student government, education, public affairs, and community service. They must be actively serving in qualified leadership positions, enrolled in high school, and living in the state (and for these purposes, the District of Columbia) that they will represent for the entire 2025-26 academic year.  All student leadership positions are subject to the judgment and verification of the state selection administrators. 

The USSYP, established in 1962 by U.S. Senate Resolution, is a unique educational experience for outstanding high school students. Each year, two student leaders from each state, the District of Columbia, and the Department of Defense Education Activity get to spend a week in Washington, D.C., experiencing their national government in action. The selected delegates will be required to completely block out the timeframe of the program and attend all Washington Week events to receive the scholarship. Again, the dates of Washington Week are March 7-14, 2026.  Delegates will be required to acknowledge in writing that they fully understand all rules relating to this scholarship program.  Student delegates who are selected and fail to attend all events of the Washington Week program, will understand they forfeit the scholarship funds to an alternate delegate.

South Carolina delegates are nominated by their high school principal and/or the high school’s designated US Senate Youth Scholarship coordinator. Each public, private, charter school, or homeschool association may submit only one student online application in the scholarship competition. 

2025-26 US Senate Youth Scholarship Program (USSYP) Information

• Student must be a U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident status at the time of application to the U.S. Senate Youth Program, and one of their parents or the guardians is a legal resident of South Carolina. Due to security clearance requirements, students not in possession of the Green Card at the time of application are ineligible to apply for this program.
• Student is a junior or senior actively enrolled in a South Carolina high school.
• Student required to be currently serving in an elected or appointed capacity in student government or another district, regional, or state-level educational or civic organization for the entire school year of 2025-26. All student leadership qualifying positions are subject to the judgment of the state selection administrator and will be verified and confirmed.
• Unelected positions in student government, National Honor Society, Beta Club, or participation in experiential learning programs programs such as Mock Trial, Debate Team, Model U.N., or Boys/Girls State do not represent an ongoing demonstration of selected leadership representing a constituency and therefore do not meet the eligibility requirements.
• High school principal must sign and verify the student’s application submission and nomination to the program.
• Student must have a minimum 3.0 overall grade point average.
• Student must have strong academic performance in social studies and have extensive knowledge of current events.
• Student must have knowledge of the state and federal government’s political systems.
• Student must be attending high school through graduation in spring 2026. A student who graduates high school at the close of the fall 2025 semester/quarter is NOT eligible to apply.
• Student must be able to attend the entire 2026 in-person or online Washington Week scheduled for March 7-14, 2026.

Application Information:

Part 1: Start Your Application
Submit your initial application, which includes:

• Contact and eligibility information
• Contact information for:
  • Parent/Guardian
  • School Principal
  • Organization Supervisor (where you hold a leadership position)
  • Teacher Recommender
  • USSYP Exam Administrator (school staff)

 After submitting Part 1:

• Your principal and parent/guardian will receive verification forms
• Your teacher and organization supervisor will receive forms to upload a letter of recommendation
• You’ll receive an email with the link to Part 2

Important: Gather all contact information before beginning Part 1. Part 2: Submit Additional Materials
In Part 2, you’ll upload:

• Two essays (personal and persuasive)
• A digital presentation (template provided)
• A video submission (prompt provided in the application)

Application Checklist
All items must be submitted by October 6, 2025, at 5:00 p.m.:

• Part 1: Initial Application
• Part 2:
  • Two Essays
  • Digital Presentation
  • Video Submission
• Principal Verification Form
• Parent/Guardian Verification Form
• Organization Supervisor Recommendation
• Teacher Recommendation
• USSYP Exam (administered by school staff)

 Students will receive email confirmations after each part is submitted.  Key Dates

• Application Opens: August 13, 2025
• Final Deadline: October 6, 2025
• Notification of Status: Week of November 10, 2025
• Finalist Interviews (Top 10 Students): Week of November 17, 2025, in Columbia, SC (Exact date TBD)

Start Your Application
Click below to begin your USSYP application:
2026 Application

Resources