Overview

Established in 1974, the Luce Scholars Program is intended for "young leaders who have had no prior experience of Asia and who might not otherwise have an opportunity in the normal course of their careers to come to know Asia or their Asian counterparts and contemporaries."

The Luce Scholars Program is not academic in nature. Although some scholars may be attached to Asian universities in teaching or research capacities, no scholar is formally enrolled as a student in a college or university and no academic credit is given. Instead Luce Scholars participate in internships of approximately ten months. As important is the value that the program places on the cultural experience. "Each scholarships placement provides a professional venue and perspective, but the assignments themselves must be viewed simply as a mechanism through which to gain a broader understanding and appreciation of the culture in which one is living."

The Award

The program lasts approximately eleven months. In late August there is an orientation at Princeton University that lasts one week. This is followed by country specific orientations in San Francisco (at the offices of the Asia Foundation). On arriving in the host country the scholar will begin the internship. During the year there is a meeting of the scholars in Hong Kong and at the conclusion of the year there is a final evaluation meeting.

Currently the Luce Scholars Program sends scholars to: Japan, South Korea, China, Mongolia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Singapore and Indonesia. Placement in any other countries is not possible.
Selection Criteria

Eligibility

Stanford is allowed to nominate two applicants to the Luce Program (in exceptional years there may be three nominations allowed).

Institutional nomination is the only way to apply. Applications submitted directly to the Luce Foundation will not be accepted.

Applicants for the Luce Scholarship:

Must be U.S. citizens who have not reached their 30th birthday by September 1st of the year they enter the program
Must have at least a bachelor's degree by the beginning of the program
Must be in good physical and emotional health
Should have a strong and clearly defined interest in a specific field
Should have demonstrated a strong motivation and potential for accomplishment within their chosen field
Should have a record of outstanding academic achievement, particularly in their specialty
Should be open to new ideas and be sensitive to their fellow human beings.

The single most important consideration is that applicants provide evidence of potential for leadership and accomplishment, both within a chosen profession and as a member of the broader American community.

Applicants are not judged on the basis of whether they have developed specific plans for the Asian experience.

Important:

Applicants will be considered ineligible if they have a professed career interest in Asian Affairs, or if they have made that an area of academic concentration. Asian Affairs would include: Asian Language, literature, history, politics, philosophy, or any other aspect of Asian studies. A single course or two in these areas would NOT disqualify an applicant
Applicants will be considered ineligible if they have already had a significant exposure to East or South-East Asia (e.g. through service in the Peace Corps, a period of foreign study or residence, or extensive travel in that region). If you have questions about any prior experience you may have had please contact the staff at the ORC
Luce scholars are strongly advised to undertake serious language study both before and during the course of the program but prior language study is not a criterion for selection.

Further information on the selection criteria and the program can be obtained at the ORC or through the Luce Program Web site.

The Campus Application

In order to have an application forwarded as a Stanford nominee, applicants must be reviewed and endorsed by a campus selection committee. .

A campus application consists of:

A cover sheet, obtainable from the ORC
Biographic Information Sheet
Personal Statement
Academic Transcripts
Two recent Passport-Sized Photographs (black and white preferred) with name printed on the back of both pictures
Four letters of recommendation (references should represent a range of academic, professional and personal references)

NOTE: Applicants should submit the original and three copies of the application collated in the order listed above.

References can be mailed to the ORC or can be delivered, in signed, sealed envelopes by the applicant. References must arrive by the campus deadline.

The National Application

Those applicants who are selected as Stanford nominees will have their applications forwarded to the Luce Foundation by the national deadline–which is the first Monday in December.

An initial screening of the nominated applicants will be made by the Luce Foundation during December and January. A personal interview with each nominated applicant will be held during this period at a location convenient to both the applicant and the Foundation. Please note that only certain institutions in the U.S. participate in the Luce Scholars Program.

In February/March, approximately 45 finalists will be interviewed at one of three regional selection committees. The 45 finalists "are chosen without regard to geography or professional interest." Each regional committee will interview 15 candidates and each regional committee will select 6 Luce Scholars.

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