Nebraska High School Students Encouraged to Apply for 2027 United States Senate Youth Program 

The United States Senate Youth Program (USSYP) is now accepting applications for its annual statewide selection process. Two Nebraska students will join 102 other delegates from across the country for the 65th annual Washington Week to be held March 6 – 13, 2027.

More than 6,400 students have participated in this extremely competitive merit-based leadership program which brings two students from each state, the District of Columbia, and the Department of Defense Education Activity to Washington each year to experience an intensive week-long educational program about the workings of the Senate and the federal government overall. Each of the 104 student delegates will receive a $12,500 undergraduate college scholarship in addition to an all-expenses paid trip to the nation’s capital.

In addition to outstanding leadership abilities and a strong commitment to volunteer work, the student delegates generally rank academically in the top one percent of their states among high school juniors and seniors. Alumni of the program continue to excel and develop impressive qualities that are often directed toward public service.

The student delegates will visit Capitol Hill, the White House, the Pentagon, the State Department, the Supreme Court, and other historic sites in Washington. The agenda routinely includes meetings with U.S. Senators, the President, Cabinet Secretaries, a Justice of the Supreme Court, senior members of the national media, and other policymakers.

The Nebraska delegate selection is administered by the Commissioner of Education in cooperation with high school principals. Delegates must be juniors or seniors and elected student officers in their student government or other school based organization for the 2026-2027 academic year, and they must reside in the state where they attend school.

Names of students selected will be formally announced mid-December. Interested students can find more information and download an application at: https://www.education.ne.gov/socialstudies/united-states-senate-youth-program-hearst-foundations-scholarship/. The Nebraska application deadline is October 16, 2026.

The 2027 program brochure with detailed rules, selection process, and the annual yearbook may be accessed on the USSYP website at: http://www.ussenateyouth.org/.