Luce Scholarships provide stipends, language training and individualized professional placements in Asia for up to 18 individuals each year who have had limited exposure to Asia (i.e. those who have not majored in Asian studies and who have spent less than an accumulated total of 18 weeks in one or more Luce Scholars placement countries in Asia since graduating from high school. Luce Scholars gain new perspectives on their host countries through placements arranged on the basis of their professional interests, backgrounds and qualifications.
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. Personal qualities such as flexibility, adaptability, creativity, humility, openness to new ideas and sensitivity to cultural differences are as important as academic achievement.
Luce Scholars receive a monthly stipend sufficient to meet their normal living expenses in Asia, with awards varying by their placement.
Eligibility
Candidates must be U.S. citizens who, by July 1 of the year they enter the program, will have received at least a bachelor’s degree and will not have reached their 30th birthday. Candidates who already have significant experience in Asia or Asian studies are not eligible. They may have spent up to a total of eighteen weeks in one or more countries where Luce Scholars are placed.
University nomination
Columbia University may nominate up to three candidates each year. Students and alumni/ae of Columbia College, Columbia Engineering, the School of General Studies, as well as Columbia graduate and professional schools, are eligible. Candidates may not apply directly for this fellowship without first having been nominated by Columbia.
Columbia students apply for nomination by clicking "Start Your Application" and completing all application materials before the internal deadline. Letters of recommendation should be submitted directly through the online application form by the internal deadline stated.