Application Procedures

Each of the colleges and universities invited to participate in the Luce Scholars Program has designated a member of its faculty or administration to serve as the campus liaison for this program. A participating institution may submit three nominations. The Luce Scholar liaison on each campus will establish procedures for internal candidate review. Completed applications of the institution’s nominees must be submitted to the Henry Luce Foundation to arrive no later than the first Monday in November. Nominations must be submitted by the liaisons and not by individual candidates.

Application Documents

Each nominee must complete the documents listed below online and submit a hard copy to the Luce Scholar liaison on campus for forwarding to the Luce Foundation. All such materials become part of the Luce Foundation’s files and cannot be returned.

• Luce Scholars Program Application. Please use the application form provided; do not attach separate resume.

• Personal Statement. A signed typewritten or computer generated document of no more than 1,000 words outlining (a) long range career interests, how they have developed, and plans for pursuing them in the future; and (b) reasons for applying to the Luce Scholars Program.

• Academic Transcripts. Official transcripts of all college and graduate work.

• Two Recent Passport-size Color Photographs. Name should be printed on the back of both photos.

• Four Letters of Recommendation. Letters should be signed and whenever possible, represent a range of academic and professional references.

• Contact Information Form.

Eligibility

Nominees must be American citizens who have not reached their 30^th birthday by September 1^st of the year they enter the program.

Nominees must have earned at least a bachelor’s degree or reasonably expect to receive that degree by September 1^st of the year they enter the program.

Nominees must be in physical health that will not restrict them from working in a foreign environment.

Nominees need not presently be on campus. They may be selected from the class of graduating seniors at the nominating institution, from graduate or professional students, from recent Alumni, or from junior faculty.

The intent of the program is to provide an immersion experience in Asia for an outstanding group of young Americans who would not otherwise have the opportunity to come to know Asia intimately.

Nominees will be considered ineligible if they have made Asian studies an area of academic concentration. A single course or two, however, would not disqualify an individual.

Nominees will also be considered ineligible if they have already had significant exposure to East or Southeast Asia, for instance through service at the Peace Corps, or a prolonged period of study and/or residence in Asia.

Criteria for Selection

An interview with each nominee will be held in November and December either in person or via telephone. Early in January, approximately forty-five finalists will be selected from the pool of nominees. They will be invited to appear, at Foundation expense, before one of three independent selection committees that meet in early February. The members of a selection committee will each personally interview the fifteen finalists appearing before the committee, from whom five to six Luce Scholars will be chosen. All fifteen to eighteen Luce Scholars will have been named by mid-February. All candidates will receive timely notification.

Nominees should have a strong, mature, and clearly defined career interest in a specific field. Any professional field will be considered, with one exception – Asian studies.

Nominees should have demonstrated a strong motivation and potential for accomplishment within their chosen field.

Nominees should have a record of outstanding academic achievement, particularly in their specialty.

Nominees should have shown evidence of an outstanding capacity for leadership.

Nominees should be open to new ideas and sensitive to cultural differences.

Please keep in mind that the single most important consideration is that a nominee gives evidence of potential for leadership and accomplishment, both within a chosen profession and as a member of the broader community.

Some estimate should be made about how well the nominee will function in an Asian setting, noting such qualities as flexibility, adaptability, humility, sensitivity, and personal initiative.

Nominees should not be judged on the basis of whether or not they have developed specific plans for the Asian experience. A contender may have general ideas about the kind of placement preferred, but this should not be considered as either a negative or positive factor.

Luce Scholars are chosen without regard to sex, race, religion, sexual orientation, ethnic background, marital status or financial need.

Click this link to go to the Luce Scholars Application Form