News & Events

Udall Foundation Announces 2026 Udall Scholars


Posted: 5/13/2026

The Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation (Udall Foundation) is pleased to announce that 65 students from 49 colleges and universities have been selected as 2026 Udall Scholars. This year's class was selected on the basis of commitment to careers in the environment, Tribal public policy, or Native health care; leadership potential; record of public service; and academic achievement. The 2026 Udall Scholars were selected from 383 candidates nominated by 181 colleges and universities. Forty-seven Scholars intend to pursue careers related to the environment, 10 Native American or Alaska Native Scholars intend to pursue careers related to Tribal public policy, and eight Native American or Alaska Native Scholars intend to pursue careers related to Native health care. For 2026, the Udall Foundation increased the number of scholarships from 55 to 65 and the award amount from $7,000 to $7,500.

Selected statistics on the 2026 competition

Applicant Statistics

  • 383 eligible applicants were nominated by their academic institution.
  • 324 students applied in the Environmental category, 31 in Tribal Public Policy, and 28 in Native Health Care.
  • 379 applicants came from four-year institutions and four came from two-year colleges.
  • 116 Sophomores and 267 Juniors.
  • 181 institutions nominated students; four schools nominated students for the first time.
  • Nominees came from 48 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and 32 Tribes and Alaska Native Villages.

Scholar Statistics

  • 65 Scholars were selected.
  • 47 Scholarships were awarded in the Environmental category, 10 in Tribal Public Policy, and eight in Native Health Care.
  • 11 Sophomores and 54 Juniors.
  • Four Scholars were also Scholars in 2025.
  • 49 institutions have Scholars; three of those have Scholars for the first time and 14 have Scholars for the first time in three or more years.
  • Scholars come from 31 states and 12 Tribes.

Each Scholarship provides up to $7,500 for eligible academic expenses for the Scholar’s junior or senior year of academic study. Since the program’s inception in 1996, the Udall Foundation has awarded 2,073 Udall Scholarships totaling over $11.130 million.

Follow these links to learn more about the Udall Undergraduate Scholarship and meet the 2026 Udall Scholars.

More Information

For additional information about the Udall Undergraduate Scholarship Program, please contact Alicia Harris at scholarship@udall.gov.

About the Udall Foundation

The Morris K. Udall Foundation was established by the U.S. Congress in 1992 as an independent executive branch agency to honor Morris K. Udall's lasting impact on this Nation’s environment, public lands, and natural resources, and his support of the rights and self-governance of Native Americans and Alaska Natives. In 2009, Congress enacted legislation to also honor Stewart L. Udall, Morris K. Udall’s brother, for his more than 50 years of distinguished national leadership in environmental and Native American policy. The agency is known today as the Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation (Udall Foundation) and is headquartered in Tucson, Arizona.

The Udall Foundation is authorized by Congress to:

  • Award Scholarships, Internships, and Fellowships to eligible individuals for study in fields related to the environment and Native American and Alaska Native health care and Tribal public policy.
  • Through the Stewart L. Udall Parks in Focus Program, invite youth to participate in education programs and provide training and education programs to professionals who work with youth to (1) increase awareness of the importance of and promote the benefit and enjoyment of the Nation’s natural resources and (2) foster greater recognition and understanding of the role of the environment, public lands, and resources in the development of the United States.
  • Provide funding to the Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy to conduct policy research and outreach on the environment and related themes.
  • Provide funding and other assistance to the Native Nations Institute for Leadership, Management, and Policy, a program of the Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy, for research, education, and training on Native American and Alaska Native health care issues and Tribal public policy issues.
  • Provide funding to Special Collections at the University of Arizona Libraries to serve as the repository for the papers of Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall and other such public papers as may be appropriate and assure such papers' availability to the public.
  • Provide assessment, mediation, collaboration, training, and other related services on a wide range of environmental, natural resources, Tribal, and public lands issues, conflicts, disputes, and potential disputes involving the Federal Government through the John S. McCain III National Center for Environmental Conflict Resolution.
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