American Foreign Service Association Scholarship

Over the course of its 250-year history, the United States has projected leadership abroad through a mix of hard and soft power. At the center of this effort has been the U.S. Foreign Service, the nation’s professional diplomatic corps, which carries out U.S. foreign policy and advances American interests overseas. From negotiating peace agreements and managing crises to fostering long-term alliances, the Foreign Service is the front-line institution of American diplomacy.

Soft power is how a country attracts and persuades others without force. It includes culture (music, films, books), educational and professional exchanges, independent, fact-based news, and development and disaster aid. These tools help the United States build trust and lasting relationships.

In 2025, those tools took a significant hit. The U.S. Agency for International Development was dismantled; the U.S. Agency for Global Media (home to Voice of America) was effectively closed; most exchange programs, including Fulbright, were suspended; and the Foreign Service itself was cut by about 25 percent. How can the United States build and sustain relationships without these efforts?

In 1,000 to 1,500 words, make a case for one of two positions: either explain how the United States can maintain global leadership without these tools, or argue that it cannot—and why.

In either direction, focus on the role of the U.S. Foreign Service with fewer people and fewer tools. If you believe leadership can be sustained, lay out clear, realistic steps diplomats could take to achieve their goals. If you believe it cannot, show where capacity would fall short, which risks would rise, and what costs would follow.

Eligibility Requirements:

Financial Aid Scholarships

To be eligible to apply for an AFSA undergraduate Financial Aid Scholarship, a student must:

• Be a current high school senior or college freshman, sophomore or junior and enrolled or plan to enroll (in the case of high school senior) in college/university as a full-time undergraduate.
• Be a dependent child of a Foreign Service employee who is an American Foreign Service Association (AFSA) member. The AFSA member must be or have been an employee (active duty, retired, deceased, and/or separated) with a foreign affairs agency as defined by the Foreign Service Act of 1980 (Department of State, USAID, USAGM, FCS, FAS or APHIS).
• Have a minimum GPA of 2.75.
• Demonstrate financial need.