The Lu Memorial Scholarship is $5,000.
It is for students who are ready to succeed in their education and whose path is narrowed mainly by money.
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We select the students for whom this award changes what happens next.
In 2026 we read 1,635 applications and made 17 awards. The 2026 selection data has the rest of the figures.
In this cycle we fund five students from each application form per round.
What you do not need
You do not need a minimum GPA, test scores, a resume, or U.S. citizenship. You need a transcript you already have and one adult outside your family who knows your situation.
| Lu Memorial Scholarship | $5,000 |
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How we choose
We ask what $5,000 would change for you, and we ask you to lay out your costs for one year. Both carry weight in the reading.
Three questions decide it, in this order of weight.
- Can you finish? Your transcript and your recommendation set a floor. There is no GPA cutoff, and this is not a ranking.
- What would $5,000 change? This question carries the most weight of the three.
- What did you do with what you had? We also ask who your education is for. Paid work and family responsibilities count the same as clubs.
We do not score test scores, honors lists, the number of activities you list, the name of your school, or how polished your writing is. How we read an application sets this out in full.
Finalists are interviewed, and the interview is part of deciding who receives the award.
Where to start
There is one scholarship and three ways into it.
There are two application forms. High school students use one. Undergraduate and graduate applicants share the other.
What we ask, and why lists every question the application puts to you about your household and your circumstances. Your plan and costs works through the arithmetic one line at a time.
Latest news
What's changing in the 2027 application
The award is $5,000. We corrected four things this site had wrong, dropped several requirements, added questions about what the money would change, and finalists are now interviewed.
Lu Memorial Foundation Welcomes 17 Students to the Class of 2026
Waitlist decisions are now available, and the Foundation is honored to welcome the finalized Lu Scholar Class of 2026.
Lu Memorial Scholarship Decisions Now Available Online
Decisions for the 2026 Lu Memorial Scholarship cohort are now available in the application portal.
For recommenders and counselors
If a student asked you to recommend them, what we ask a recommender tells you what the recommendation involves and how long it takes.
If you are a counselor, what counselors need to know says what we no longer ask your office to send.
Tingyu Lu, 2006-2025