Nov. 6, 2025
University of Missouri senior Josh Donaldson has been selected as a Rhodes Scholarship finalist.
The Rhodes Scholarship funds graduate study at the University of Oxford in England. Nearly 1,000 students from the United States apply for it and around 200 finalists from across the country are named. A total of 32 scholarships will be awarded.
“I am honored to be a Rhodes finalist and incredibly excited to meet the other finalists in November,” Donaldson said. “I am grateful for the Office of Global and National Fellowships, my mentors on campus and my family back home for helping me get to this point. This application process challenged me more than any other. Through intense introspection and reflection on my experience, I grew into a more grounded leader and community member.”
Donaldson is a senior biological engineering major who is also pursuing the Honors Certificate at Mizzou.
Also this month, Donaldson found out he’s a finalist for the Marshall Scholarship, another high-profile award. Earlier this year, he received the prestigious Truman Scholarship, and he was recently one of four Tigers who received the Remington R. Williams Award from the Board of Curators, which is the highest student leadership award bestowed on students across the UM System.
Donaldson also earned a Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) last year, which allowed him to study Swahili in Tanzania.
Donaldson has conducted undergraduate research at Mizzou and serves as the president of Mizzou chapter of Engineers Without Borders. A former executive director of Tiger Pantry, Donaldson is currently the Basic Needs Officer for the Missouri Students Association, where he coordinates the Midwest Food Pantry Alliance.
Donaldson will interview for the Rhodes Scholarship in Kansas City, Missouri, in mid-November.
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