Luce Scholars Program

About the program

The Luce Scholars Program is a nationally competitive fellowship program. It was launched by the Henry Luce Foundation in 1974 to enhance the understanding of Asia among potential leaders in American society. The program provides stipends, language training, and individualized professional placement in Asia for 15-18 Luce Scholars each year, and welcomes applications from college seniors, graduate students, and young professionals in a variety of fields including arts, journalism, law, medicine, science, public health, environmental studies, and international relations. 

A professional placement is individually arranged for each Scholar on the basis of his or her professional interest, background, and qualifications. Placements can be made in the following countries or regions: Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam. Although placements may be made at universities, the Luce program is not for study. Rather, the “Scholar” is expected to make a professional contribution to a host organization, and learns some of the many things that Asia has to teach.

Eligibility

  • US citizens or U.S. permanent residents
  • seniors, graduate students, or young professionals who will not be age 30 by June 20 of the year they enter the program
  • seniors must have received their bachelor’s degree by June 20 of the year they enter the program
  • a record of high academic achievement (minimum GPA of 3.5+ highly recommended)
  • physical health that will not restrict them from working in a foreign environment

Selection criteria

To be successful, candidates must demonstrate an outstanding capacity for leadership, have a record of high achievement, and have mature and clearly defined career interests with evidence of potential for professional accomplishments. All fields will be considered.

The Luce Scholars Program is experiential rather than academic in nature. Personal qualities such as flexibility, adaptability, creativity, humility, openness to new ideas, and sensitivity to cultural differences are as important as academic achievement.

Candidates are not judged on the basis of whether or not they have developed specific plans for their Asian experience. A candidate may have general ideas about the kind of placement preferred, but this is not considered as either a negative or positive factor.

Application process

The Luce Scholars Program no longer requires institutional nomination from BU, but applicants are strongly encourage to work with the Fellowships Office for support in preparing the application.

  • Luce Scholars Application (includes the components below)
  • Personal & Background Information
  • Academic Information
  • Professional Information
  • Personal Statement – The 500-word max personal statement is particularly important as it allows you to share your unique perspectives and aspirations.
  • Five Short Answer Questions - of varying length. 
  • 1–2 Minute Video – Applicants record and upload a 1–2-minute video based on the provided prompt. The video allows program administrators to get to know the candidate beyond the page.
  • 2 Recommendations
    • Recommenders should keep in mind that the Luce year is experiential in nature, not academic. The letters should address the qualities highlighted in the selection criteria noted above. One letter must be professional; the second may be either professional or academic. Two academic letters will not be accepted.