American University ranks sixth in the nation for 2024 Presidential Management Fellowship (PMF) finalists with 21, besting Yale, Michigan, and UC Berkeley. The PMF is the premier pipeline for steering graduates with advanced degrees into leadership positions throughout the federal government.

AU’s finalists represent six schools and colleges across campus. The School of International Service led the way with 10. Six are from the School of Public Affairs and two are from the Washington College of Law. One each hail from the College of Arts and Sciences, School of Communication, and Kogod School of Business.

“Every year we see applicants from a variety of AU schools succeed in being named PMF finalists in this competitive federal fellowship program,” said Brian Rowe, director of experiential education. “AU graduate community members from across disciplines continue to demonstrate their commitment and success to public service.”

Finalists will have 12 months to secure an appointment with a federal agency, which brings with it training, mentorship, and the opportunity to embark on a challenging and fulfilling career in public service.

“This is an outstanding opportunity that truly kick-starts the careers of leaders in government. The PMF program allows them to observe, explore, and contribute to a variety of programs over a relatively short period of time,” SIS dean Shannon Hader said. “We look forward to sharing more stories from our ever-growing pool of finalists to inspire the next group of applicants.”

This year 825 current students and recent graduates from 264 higher education institutions around the globe were selected as finalists from a pool of 7,193 applicants. AU converted 75 percent of its semifinalists into finalists.