Most major national fellowships pick their winners by interview. Marshall finalists get 20 to 30 minutes with a panel of up to six, Truman finalists get 20 minutes, and Schwarzman finalists get 25, ending with a surprise current-events question. Here is how each one runs its interviews for the current cycle, what they say they look for, and the sample questions they publish, all from the programs’ own pages.
From the scholarships’ own pages2026-27 competitionsChecked October 28, 2026
Practice with a mock interviewOne-on-one on Zoom with Julie Cunningham, MA, CCC-SLP.
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Interview formats by scholarship
| Scholarship | Format | What their page says |
|---|---|---|
| Rhodes (U.S.) | In person, district receptions and interviews | “District receptions and interviews are now held annually on the second weekend of November (Friday and Saturday).” “Election announcements are made at the conclusion of the Saturday interviews.” Source |
| Marshall | In person, 20 to 30 minutes, panel of up to six | Interviews run November 16-20, 2026 in eight regions. “The interviews will take place in person.” A regional chair writes, “You only have between 20-30 minutes to convince a selection committee that you should be a Marshall Scholar.” Source |
| Truman | In person, 20 minutes | Regional panels meet March 1 to April 15, 2027. “Each candidate will have a 20 minute interview.” “The questions will begin immediately.” Source |
| Gates Cambridge | In person or virtual, 25 to 30 minutes | “You will be invited for a 25-30 minute interview and, depending on where you are, you can interview either in person or virtually.” For U.S. citizens living in the U.S., panels meet January 22 and 23, 2027. Source |
| Knight-Hennessy | Recorded Zoom interview, then Immersion Weekend | “Your individual interview will last up to 25 minutes.” “It will be recorded and the recording will be evaluated by the scholar selection committee.” Immersion Weekend, March 5-6, 2027, includes “one evaluative group interview.” Source |
| Schwarzman | In person, 25 minutes, panel of 5 to 6 | “Interviews are free-flowing conversations, driven by but not limited to your written application.” “A typical panel has 5-6 members.” Source |
| Paul & Daisy Soros | Virtual | The top 77 applicants “will be asked to appear for virtual interviews in late January and early February of 2027.” Thirty become Fellows. Source |
| Fulbright U.S. Student | Campus interview; some host countries interview | Students applying through a U.S. school get a campus interview with the Fulbright Program Adviser. Later, “The host country review process may include applicant interviews.” Source |
| NSF GRFP | No interview | Reviewers “evaluate each application according to the two NSF Merit Review Criteria,” Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts. The review page describes no interview. Source |
What happens inside the room
Marshall: a lead interviewer from your field
The chair of the New York committee describes the format (Marshall Scholarship). The committee is “comprised of up to six people from a broad range of academic institutions and professional fields.” The member closest to your field “becomes your lead interviewer and they prepare a significant proportion of the questions you are asked.” After an introductory question, the lead interviewer asks “in-depth, detailed questions,” then the whole committee joins in, and the chair closes with a “one last question” request. Everything is measured against three criteria: “Academic Merit, Leadership Potential, and Ambassadorial Potential.”
Her warnings are worth reading twice. She describes a candidate who projected “every pre-rehearsed answer” and did not win. And: “If you say a sentence in your interview (or write one in your application) that makes as much sense when we substitute another country’s name for the UK then you have not made a sufficient argument.”
Schwarzman: a timed structure and a news question
Schwarzman lays out the 25 minutes (Schwarzman Scholars). You introduce yourself in about one minute, and “Please do not bring notes for your self-introduction.” Panelists then ask questions from your application. “At the 20 minute mark, the time keeper will pause the conversation, and one panel member will ask a randomly selected question from current news events, outside of your area of specialty.” Panelists are “distinguished senior figures from politics, business, universities, and the non-profit world.”
Gates Cambridge: four sections
Gates Cambridge interviews by subject panel (Arts, Biological Sciences, Physical Sciences, and Social Sciences) and covers four parts: a welcome, your knowledge of and motivation for the scholarship, your academic and career plans, and your final thoughts and questions. “You may also be asked probing intellectual or ethical questions, to which there are no ‘right’ answers” (Gates Cambridge).
Knight-Hennessy: behavioral questions
“You will be asked behavioral questions based on the three primary evaluation criteria,” which are “independence of thought, purposeful leadership, and civic mindset.” Knight-Hennessy’s advice: “The best preparation is simply to know yourself” (Knight-Hennessy).
Official sample questions from the Truman Foundation
The Truman Foundation publishes practice questions and says they are “typical of the type of question asked during Truman interviews” (Truman Foundation). A selection:
- “What does your favorite book (work of art, play, poem) tell us about you?”
- “If you could take part in any social movement of the 20th century what would it be?”
- “What makes you tick and what ticks you off?”
- “How did you respond to a recent failure?”
- “What do you think is the most pressing problem facing America today?”
- “If the problem that most interests you is fixed overnight, what would you do and what problem would you turn your attention to next?”
- “Argue a political position you feel strongly; now argue the other side.”
- “How would Truman respond to your policy?”
Source: Truman Foundation. These work for any fellowship panel. The last one has a Marshall version (why the UK?) and a Schwarzman version (why China?).
How to prepare
- Reread your whole application. A Marshall lead interviewer reads it “multiple times,” and Schwarzman’s questions are “driven by but not limited to your written application.”
- Know the criteria by name. The Marshall chair warns against answering a leadership question with your own definition of leadership: committees assess you against their published criteria.
- Follow the news. Truman tells finalists to “Keep up with current events, particularly as they relate to your topic of interest,” and Schwarzman ends with a news question outside your field.
- Practice, but not too much. Truman suggests “a few 20 minute practice interviews” and adds: “If you feel as if your answers are starting to sound insincere or canned - stop having practice interviews!”
- Pick two or three things you want remembered. Truman recommends exactly this, and the Marshall chair says the interview is “your chance to add to, rather than rehash, the material in your application.”
- Be ready to say “I don’t know.” The Marshall chair says it is “a better use of time to admit where you might not be a perfect fit (or where you cannot answer a question) and move on.”
Sources: Truman Foundation, Marshall Scholarship, and Schwarzman Scholars.
Still writing your personal statement or study proposal? See our fellowship and grant personal statement examples, or work with Lauren Hammond, PhD, our personal statement editor. For graduate program interviews, see our grad school interview guide.
Rehearse with a real panel feel, without sounding canned. My wife, Julie Cunningham, MA, CCC-SLP, is a licensed speech-language pathologist who runs mock admissions interviews on Zoom, including panel interviews. She works on how your answers come across: getting to your point fast, pace, voice, filler words, staying steady under follow-up questions, and how you look and sound on camera. It’s $250 an hour.
Frequently asked questions
How long is a Marshall Scholarship interview?
A regional chair writes that you have between 20 and 30 minutes, with a committee of up to six. For the 2027 competition, interviews are in person, November 16 to 20, 2026.
How long is a Truman Scholarship interview?
Twenty minutes. The Truman Foundation says the questions begin immediately, and the panel secretary gives you the chance to make a closing statement at the end.
What questions are asked in a Truman interview?
The Truman Foundation publishes practice questions, such as “What makes you tick and what ticks you off?” and “How would Truman respond to your policy?” It says they are typical of the questions asked, with no guarantee they will come up.
What happens in a Schwarzman Scholars interview?
A 25-minute conversation with a panel of 5 to 6. You give a one-minute self-introduction without notes, answer questions from your application, and at the 20-minute mark get a randomly selected current-events question outside your specialty.
Does the NSF GRFP have an interview?
No. Reviewers evaluate the written application on the two NSF Merit Review Criteria, Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts.
Is the Knight-Hennessy interview live?
It is held on Zoom with a facilitator but recorded, and the recording is evaluated by the selection committee. Finalists also attend Immersion Weekend, which includes one evaluative group interview.
Related guides: Faculty and postdoc job interviews. See all interview guides by program.
Every date, format, and quotation on this page comes from the scholarship’s own website or a document it publishes, linked where it appears. Last checked October 28, 2026.