Questions and answers

We read every application against three questions, in this order of weight.

1. Readiness. Will you finish what you start? Your transcript and your recommender set a floor. There is no minimum grade point average and no ranking.
2. What $5,000 would change for you. This carries the most weight. We read what you told us about your costs beside what you told us you would do with the money.
3. What you did with what you had, and who your education is for.

Strong grades are a floor, not a decision. Awards, the number of activities you list, the reputation of your school, and the polish of your writing are not scored. We do not accept test scores, honors lists, resumes, or portfolios. We do not read them if you send them.

Reading the file is not the last step. Finalists are selected from the applications we read, and the finalist stage is part of the decision. Finalists are interviewed, and the interview is part of deciding who receives the award.

The numbers are part of the answer. In 2026 we received 1,635 applications and made 17 awards. In this cycle we fund five students from each application form per round. Many students we would be glad to fund are not funded.

In six steps.

1. You apply by the deadline.
2. The committee reads every application.
3. Finalists are selected.
4. Finalists are asked for one document confirming their costs, and finalists are interviewed.
5. The interview and the full file decide who receives the award.
6. Decisions are posted in the portal.

The reading is the longest part, but it is not the whole of it. The interview is online and lasts 30 to 45 minutes.

Yes. Financial need is central to this scholarship, not a tiebreaker. We select students for whom this award changes what happens next, so what you tell us about your costs is read closely.

We do not ask anyone for a document while we read applications. If you become a finalist, we ask for one document that supports what you told us about your costs. Finalists are interviewed, and the interview is part of deciding who receives the award.

Other Goal Get It! programs are generally need-blind.

No. Decisions are made by a committee, not by any one Lu Memorial staff member, so we cannot give you a specific reason for a decision. We do not re-read a file with you.

No. All Goal Get It! and Lu Memorial Foundation decisions are final, and we do not conduct an appeals process.

You complete and submit everything in the Goal Get It! applicant portal.

• The application itself, which includes a household and circumstances page, a plan and costs page, and four short responses.
• A transcript. An unofficial copy is fine. We ask for an official one only if you are selected.
• One recommendation, from an adult outside your family who knows your circumstances. It is a short form, not a letter. A second one is optional.
• If you are applying for a graduate program you have not started yet, confirmation of admission or enrollment.
• Optional: a link to a two-minute video of you talking about yourself.

We do not accept test scores, honors lists, resumes, or portfolios. We do not read them if you send them.

Your portal checklist shows exactly what is still outstanding.

That is the whole of what you send when you apply. Finalists are asked for one document about their costs later on, and finalists are interviewed.

Yes, for finalists. Finalists are interviewed, and the interview is part of deciding who receives the award.

Only finalists are interviewed, not every applicant. Nothing is asked of you at the point of applying, and an applicant who is not selected as a finalist is not interviewed.

The interview is online and lasts 30 to 45 minutes. The interview page sets out what we have settled and what we have not, for high school applicants and for undergraduate and graduate applicants.

Some Goal Get It! programs may have an application fee to help cover operations, and fee waivers are available for applicants who need them. If you need a waiver, use the fee waiver request form and do not submit sensitive information such as SSNs, passport numbers, or bank details.

Yes. You may apply to more than one Goal Get It! program as long as you meet each program's eligibility requirements. Each program has its own application and its own review, so answer each one in its own terms.

Yes. You are welcome to apply again in a future cycle if you still meet the eligibility requirements at that time. Send your most recent transcript and write your short responses again for where you are now.

Decisions go out in late May 2027.

We post decisions and updates in the applicant portal and email you when there is an update. You can check your application status at any time. Timelines can shift with application volume.

In general, no. Once an application is submitted, most answers cannot be edited. If you need to correct an error or send an important update, such as a revised transcript, email scholarship@lu-memorial.org as soon as you can and include your application ID.

The Lu Memorial Foundation funds the scholarship and sets what it is for. The scholarship is administered through Goal Get It!, which runs the applicant portal and the day-to-day operations on the Foundation's behalf: applicant support, collecting materials, coordinating the reading, and posting status updates.