Scholarships & Fellowships

Emory Scholars Program | Honor Societies | Honors Program | Learning Programs |
Scholarships & Fellowships | Science Programs | Undergraduate Research

Luce Scholars Program

Must be Senior or Graduate Student. Applicants must have institutional endorsement through Emory College. Contact Dean Joanne Brzinski at poljb@emory.edu or call 404-727-6160.

The Luce Scholars program is a major effort by the Henry Luce Foundation to create a new awareness of Asia among future leaders of American society. This scholarship involves a work experience rather than an academic placement.

Launched in 1974, the Luce Scholars Program is aimed at a highly qualified group of young Americans from a variety of professional backgrounds. It is unique among American-Asian exchanges in that it is intended for young leaders who have had no prior experience of Asia and who might not otherwise have an opportunity to come to know Asia or their Asian colleagues and contemporaries. Applications cannot be considered from those who already have had significant exposure to Asian culture or who have a specific career interest in Asian affairs.

The annual selection of eighteen Luce Scholars is an unusually rigorous process. Each candidate must first be nominated by one of the colleges or universities participating in the program. Each institution annually submits to the Luce Foundation three nominees from among their graduating seniors, graduate and professional school students, and recent alumni, and junior faculty.

To be eligible for the Luce Scholar program, a candidate must be an American citizen who has earned at least a bachelor's degree. Candidates must be in good health and no more than 29 years of age on September 1 of the year they would enter the program. Candidates should have a record of the highest academic achievement combined with evidence of outstanding leadership ability. Nominees must be in good physical and emotional health. More important than any other criterion is a mature and clearly defined career interest in a specific field. Candidates must give evidence of potential for professional accomplishment in that field. Personal characteristics that typify successful candidates include creativity, initiative, self-confidence, breadth of interest, enthusiasm, and sensitivity. Since the program is geared to the non-specialist, prior knowledge of an Asian language is not a selection criterion.

For nomination by Emory, a student must submit in November a completed application with letters of recommendation. Institutional nomination is the sole route to consideration; applications submitted directly to the Foundation are not accepted. The Emory Campus Selection Committee will interview candidates in November. Emory may nominate up to three candidates.

See also the Luce Foundation.

For more information contact Dean Joanne Brzinski at poljb@emory.edu or call 404-727-6160.