Although a campus endorsement is not required to submit an application, all candidates applying to the Luce Scholars Program are strongly encouraged to work with the Office of National Fellowships Advising, ccs-fellowships@cornell.edu, in preparing their applications.
Important Dates
| Early October |
Deadline: October 1, 2025 |
| Mid-November |
Semi-finalist invited for virtual interviews with Luce alumnus. |
| Early-December |
Finalists are notified of their status and invited to a finalist weekend |
| Mid-January |
Finalist Weekend, during this Thursday – Saturday, 34 finalists attend programming, workshops, and two person panel interviews at an in-person selection in San Diego, California. Attendance at the finalist weekend is required for all applicants selected as finalists. All expenses associated with the selection process (travel to the finalist weekend, lodging, food, etc.) will be covered by the program. |
| Early February |
Announcement of winners. |
The award provides for a year’s experience in Asia in an internship arranged for each Scholar on the basis of his/her specific interest, background, qualifications, and experience. The program was designed as a cultural experience 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… both to broaden their professional perspective and to sharpen their perceptions of Asia, of America, and of themselves.” Placements can be made in: Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Timor Leste, and Vietnam. Luce Scholars are chosen from 75 colleges and universities, including Cornell. About 18 awards are made each year. Read the Luce Foundation website for further information.
Eligibility
Open to U.S. citizens or permanent residents. Candidates may be graduating seniors, recent graduates, or young professionals under the age of 32, OR if older than 32, candidates must have received their bachelor’s degree within the past three years. Candidates who have spent a significant amount of time (18 weeks or more since beginning college) in more than one of the countries where we place Luce Scholars are not eligible to apply for the Luce.
Selection Criteria
Applicants first submit their materials to a campus committee for review in early October. During October, Cornell chooses two to three students as nominees to the national Luce Scholarship competition. Students’ and alumni’s applications must be processed and endorsed through the CCS fellowships office to be eligible for the competition at the regional and/or national level. Endorsement decisions are final and not subject to appeal.
The campus committee offers the two to three nominees advice (through the Fellowship Coordinator) on how to improve their materials for final submission. In late October, nominees submit the final version of their applications. Selection decisions (on-campus and the national level) are based on the following criteria:
- Clearly defined career interest in a specific field: employment, professional affiliations and activities, publications, and awards should provide clear evidence of leadership and accomplishment in the chosen field.
- Academic record: outstanding academic achievement, especially in the chosen specialty.
- Four letters of recommendation: A range of academic, professional, and personal references. Choose people who know you well and who can attest to your academic qualifications, abilities and leadership in your chosen career, and personal qualities such as flexibility, tact, adaptability, sensitivity, and personal initiative.
- Personal statement: An essay of 1,000 words or less outlining your long-range career interests, how they have developed, and your plans for pursuing them in the future, as well as your reasons for applying to the Luce Scholars Program.
Application Process
Applications are available online
- Contact Information Form
- Application
- Personal Statement
- College transcript(s) from each institution attended
- Two recent passport-sized color photographs with name printed on the back of both photos
- Four letters of recommendation
Contact:
Office of National Fellowships Advising
100 Barnes Hall
ccs-fellowships@cornell.edu
