Record Schwarzman Scholars exemplify Franklin academic diversity

The diversity of opportunity in the Franklin College is exemplified in the record number of UGA Schwarzman Scholars for 2026.

Three Honors students, four Franklin degree programs charts the route to international study with one of the most prestigious major scholarships:

UGA set a record with three Schwarzman Scholars in a single year, and the Schwarzman Scholars program announced its 10th class of recipients.

The UGA recipients are seniors Aryan Thakur of Cumming and Amanda Whylie of Kingston, Jamaica, and alumnus Garrett Williams of Atlanta. The prestigious award will allow them to pursue a one-year master’s degree in global affairs at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China, starting this August.

“As is true of most of the opportunities afforded to us, they are as good as the people within them,” Thakur said. “The Schwarzman program is about people from all around the world coming together with common interests.”

Schwarzman Scholars are taught by leading international faculty and study a core curriculum focused on leadership, global affairs and China, helping them learn to navigate the complexities of an evolving global landscape.

“It is a global group of students, and I’ve never been in a group of people that diverse before, so I’m really excited to see what I can learn and talk about in that space,” Whylie said.

The 150 scholars in the incoming Schwarzman Class of 2026 were selected from a pool of nearly 5,000 applicants, the most ever to apply. The scholars represent 38 countries and 105 universities. Ten classes of Schwarzman Scholars have been named since the highly competitive program opened to applicants in 2015.

“You are a function of the people you spend time with, and I can think of no better way to spend my time than with 150 of some of the most interesting, ambitious and diverse twenty-somethings in the world through the Schwarzman program,” Williams said.

The addition of Thakur, Whylie and Williams brings UGA’s total number of Schwarzman Scholars to 11.

Read more about these outstanding UGA students and their academic journeys. Big ambitions? Prepare well in the Franklin College.

Image: From left: Aryan Thakur, Amanda Whylie and Garrett Williams (Photo by Stephanie Schupska)