State reports boost in foreign service applications

The Trump administration says that the number of applicants for the foreign service hit a ten-year high, suggesting President Donald Trump’s deep cuts to the State Department haven’t negatively impacted recruitment.

Over 5,700 Americans sent in applications during the October 2025 cycle, according to data provided by the State Department to Semafor. That number is the highest it’s been since the February 2014 cycle, and up significantly from a February 2022 low under the Biden administration, when roughly 1,500 Americans applied for the test, according to Trump administration officials. However, officials earlier this year canceled a round of foreign-service applications and exams, suggesting there may have been a buildup of demand.

Anywhere from 300 to 900 applications will be accepted into the program, a State Department official said. Applicants will take “a streamlined test which gets back to basics,” according to the department. Last month the department announced changes to the foreign service test that included dropping a situational awareness portion and adding in a logic and reasoning section, Reuters reported at the time.

The administration argued that Trump’s overhaul of US foreign policy is driving an increased number of applicants. “President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have recommitted the State Department to advancing our national interests first — and Americans have taken notice,” State Department principal deputy spokesperson Tommy Pigott told Semafor in a statement.

Trump has undertaken massive changes within the State Department, including laying off hundreds of employees and cutting foreign assistance. Earlier in the year, there were reports of low morale at the agency as the administration shuttered the United States Agency for International Development (merging and shrinking it within the State Department) and implemented layoffs as a result of a reorganization plan.