Institute for Public Democracy Scholarship

Drake University’s Institute for Public Democracy Scholarship is for entering first-year students who care about the world, who want to invest in making their communities better, and who are excited to grow as leaders.  At the Ron and Jane Olson Institute for Public Democracy, we know that democracy is a collective lived experience – and it can be messy, complicated, inspiring, and energizing!  That’s why we work to encourage collaborative and novel approaches to advance public participation, informed discussion and civil discourse, and civic leadership.

The Ron and Jane Olson Institute for Public Democracy champions democratic practices –things we do every day that advance the project of living and governing together.  Applications are encouraged for students entering in any field of study – scientists and artists are as important to democratic practice as lawyers and legislators!

Drake’s Public Democracy Scholars will each receive a $5,000 tuition scholarship for each year of their Drake undergraduate degree program.  They will also have the opportunity to apply for additional summer support for work in otherwise-unpaid internships or research opportunities with Ron and Jane Olson Institute for Public Democracy faculty and practitioners-in-residence.

Drake University Public Democracy Scholars will do and learn the following:

• Immersive experiences and programming, all focused on democratic engagement: from social movements to legislative policymaking, from campaigns/elections to non-profit leadership.
• Fully-funded travel opportunities to study current issues, and the communities they impact.
• Close engagement with Ron and Jane Olson Institute for Public Democracy faculty alongside a Practitioner-in-Residence.
• Leadership opportunities during the Institute’s summer Civic Leadership Academy and Summer Institute programs, encouraging interaction with civic leaders, journalists, scientists, activists, scholars and citizens.
• Additional opportunities for post-graduate awards to pursue education, internships, or work in public democracy.  

Application Process

The deadline to apply is January 29, 2026. The following criteria is required for a complete application:

• Entering first-year students must apply for admission and submit all required application materials to the Drake University by January 29, 2026.
• Eligible candidates must have a minimum of 3.5 high school GPA on a 4.0 scale. Transcripts must be postmarked or submitted with your application for admission by January 29, 2026.
• In addition, applicants must apply and submit the separate Public Democracy Scholar application by January 29, 2026.

Preference will be given to students with demonstrated financial need.

Recipients will be notified by March 20, 2026. Students who are selected must enroll at Drake by May 1, 2026 in order to hold their place in this program.

Apply Now

Please log in using your Office of Admission application credentials. (If you have not yet started your admission application, you must start it before you can set up a scholarship/special program application.

Scholarship Details

Entering first-year students can apply to be a Public Democracy Scholar. Public Democracy Scholars will a receive a renewable $5000 scholarship. This is a tuition-specific scholarship (see Cost Specificity of Awards for more information). It is not available for the summer term.

Recipients must be enrolled full-time and maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress standards. The scholarship is available for the lesser of a) four years of undergraduate study, or b) until a bachelor’s degree has been earned. Students enrolled in blended undergraduate and graduate programs (Law 3+3, Pharmacy, MATR 3+2, OTD 3+3) should review Program-Specific Policies to understand the structure of financial aid and billing in those programs.

All scholarships require full-time enrollment (minimum of 12 credit hours per semester) and satisfactory academic progress. Individual scholarships may have additional eligibility or application requirements. 

Undergraduate scholarships are available only to students enrolled at the undergraduate level, for up to 4 years total or until a Bachelor's degree is earned (whichever comes first). Students entering one of Drake's joint undergraduate/graduate degree paths should refer to Program-Specific Policies to understand which years are designated as undergraduate-level for billing and financial aid purposes. Scholarships will renew automatically if all renewal requirements are satisfied.