Your complete guide to Luce Scholars Program

Luce Scholars around the world

Each year, Luce Scholars are placed in various locations throughout Northeast, Southeast, and South Asia, ranging from big cities to small villages. These individuals work in multiple fields, including public health, the arts, economic development, and environmental science, to name a few. NGOs, government agencies, private companies, universities, think tanks, and museums utilize their talents. In the past, Luce Scholars have had placements in countries such as Cambodia, Hong Kong, China, India, Japan, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, and Malaysia. Mongolia, Nepal, Singapore, Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, and Timor Leste also received Luce Scholars. Let’s find out more about the Luce Scholars Program.

Overview

The Luce Scholars Program, founded in 1974, is a nationally competitive fellowship that provides early-career leaders with immersive professional experiences in Asia. The program hopes to strengthen links across borders by providing young Americans with opportunities to enhance their ties and understanding of Asian countries, cultures, and people.    

The Luce Scholars Program, open to US citizens and permanent residents, provides stipends, language training, and individualized professional placement in Asia to 18 Luce Scholars each year. They seek submissions from college seniors, graduate students, and young professionals with diverse backgrounds and experiences who have had minimal exposure to Asia. 

Today, around 800 Luce Scholars alumni live worldwide, making essential contributions as global leaders and citizens while developing lifetime professional partnerships that began with this program. Their experiences show that sustained, intensive, in-person involvement with others is the best method to foster mutual understanding and a feeling of common purpose.

What do they look for in candidates?

Since its inception, the Luce Scholars Program has strived to broaden regional experience beyond individuals interested in establishing professional careers in Asia. They dedicate to bringing in young people who would usually not have the opportunity to meet and create professional networks in Asia. 

Luce Scholars are open-minded, curious, and involved in their communities. The scholars are open to new ideas and viewpoints. They are individuals from many fields and backgrounds. All scholars share the same goal- to improve the world.  

The program seeks scholars who exhibit the following characteristics and interests-

• Exploratory curiosity  
• Interest and embrace of diverse perspectives, beliefs, and modes of living 
• Adaptability 
• Open-mindedness 
• Resilience  
• Humility 
• Commitment to serving and supporting others 

Eligibility 

The program’s goal is to provide young Americans with an in-depth experience in Asia-

• Applicants should be citizens or permanent residents of the USA.  
• Applicants should be seniors, recent graduates, or young professionals under 32. Alternatively, they can have obtained their bachelor’s degree within the past three years, even if they are over 32. 
• Applicants who have spent a significant amount of time (18 weeks or more before commencing college) in more than one of the countries where Luce Scholars get placements cannot apply.
• Applicants who have spent 18 weeks or more (before commencing college) in only one of the countries where Luce Scholars will get placed are allowed to apply. However, they will not get placed in the nation where they have spent significant time.

Application process

First, candidates must fill out an eligibility questionnaire. If they are eligible, they must fill out an application that contains the following –

• Written application – Candidates submit biographical and contact information, answer short-answer questions, and compose a personal statement and a 400-word bio.
• Forms for two letters of recommendation (LOR) – Applicants fill out a form for each recommender. After submitting a form, they send an email to the recommender. The recommenders must upload their letters separately. LORs from academic or professional references are acceptable. They should come from persons familiar with the candidates and can speak to their abilities, skills, and potential. LORs should have a signature on official letterhead. 
• Academic transcripts- Candidates must upload transcripts from all undergraduate and graduate studies. 
• A 1-2 minute video- Candidates must record and upload a 1-2 minute video. It allows program administrators to get to know the candidate outside the page. 

Please note that the deadline for application submission is October 16 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Kindly submit your application, transcripts, and letters of recommendation on time. You can work on your application at your own pace and save your progress. After submission, you can no longer access your application. They recommend printing a copy for your records.

Selection process

The foundation chooses Luce Scholars through a rigorous process that includes three rounds of evaluation-

• Applications are assessed and evaluated by distinguished teams of readers and program professionals in the first round to determine a group of 45-50 semi-finalists. 
• Semi-finalists will have an invitation to two virtual interviews with two experienced Luce Scholars in early to mid-November. Those interview remarks will help them narrow down a group of 34 candidates.  
• The attendance of all 34 finalists is mandatory for the weekend of interactive programs, workshops, and interviews as part of the final selection process. It is a competitive process, but it is also a learning opportunity and a period of growth for all finalists. It includes those who were unable to qualify as Luce Scholars. They will announce the scholars the weekend following the finalist weekend. 

Key takeaways

• The Luce Scholars Program offers a unique opportunity for young Americans to engage in immersive experiences in Asia. 
• It provides highly competitive fellowships to support a year of living and working in one of several Asian countries. 
• Key aspects of the program include fostering cross-cultural understanding, promoting intellectual growth, and developing leadership skills. 
• Luce Scholars engage in challenging projects, gain language proficiency, and build lasting relationships with their host communities. 
• With a strong emphasis on cultural exchange, the program aims to create a diverse network of leaders who can navigate the complexities of an interconnected world and contribute positively to global issues.

Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you’re interested in studying abroad and want information on international universities.

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FAQs

Q1. The Luce Scholars Program welcomes individuals from which fields?

Answer- The Luce Scholars Program welcomes individuals from diverse backgrounds with experience in different fields such as arts, journalism, law, medicine, public health, science, business, environmental studies, and international relations. It’s important to note that the program doesn’t judge candidates based on their professional interests. 

Q2. What do I do if I miss the application deadline? 

Answer- You must submit all application materials by October 16 at 5:00 p.m. ET. The association will reject late applications or documentation, such as transcripts and letters of recommendation.

Q3. Do you need to cover your travel to the finalist weekend? 

Answer- No, the program will cover all expenses involved with the selection process (transport to the finalist weekend, hotel, food, etc.).