Applying from outside the United States
You can apply from any country. The award is $5,000, and neither citizenship nor immigration status is a condition of selection.
The application is the same for everyone. The form is the same, the deadline is the same, and the award is the same $5,000. Follow the instructions for high school applicants, undergraduate applicants, or graduate applicants, whichever describes you.
We read your record in the context of your school and your country. You do not convert your marks into an American grade point average, and we do not compare schools against each other. What we are working out is whether you are ready to finish your education, what $5,000 would change for you, and what you have done with the resources you had.
If a question here is not answered below, write to us at scholarship@lu-memorial.org. We answer in English, and a question written in imperfect English counts against nothing.
What we ask you to show
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. Any one of these works: an aid award letter, a funding or assistantship offer letter, a FAFSA Submission Summary, a bursar or financial aid office letter, a meal-eligibility letter, a counselor letter, or a signed statement from a school official or employer.
One staff member at the Goal Get It! Lu Office of Financial Aid reads that document. The selection committee does not see it.
We never ask you for tax returns, bank statements, Social Security numbers, passport numbers, or other government identification numbers.
We do not partner or work with paid agents or credentialing services, and no agent has any standing with us. Nobody can improve your chances by charging you for them. We expect you to complete your own application materials without such a service.
Questions and answers
Am I eligible if I am not a U.S. citizen?
Yes. Citizenship, visa status and country of residence are not conditions of selection, and they are not read as part of the application. If you are in the United States without status, see undocumented applicants, which covers what the form asks and what we do with the answer.
May I translate my own documents?
Yes. You may translate your own transcript and your own school documents. So may a member of your family, a teacher, or anyone else you trust. We do not require a certified or professional translator.
Upload the document in the original language as well as the translation, so we can see both. If a document is already in English, no translation is needed.
How do I apply from a school with an international curriculum?
Send what your school issues. Internal marks, external marks, final results and predicted results are all useful, and an unofficial copy is accepted. You upload the transcript yourself. We ask for an official copy only if you are selected.
There are no required courses and no required qualifications. We read your marks against what your school offered, not against a course list written for American students.
Which curriculum should I take?
We have no preference. A-Level, IB, AP, a national curriculum or anything else is read the same way. Take the courses that make sense for where you are and for what you want to study next.
What if my school has no guidance counselor?
Nothing changes. We do not ask for a counselor letter and we do not ask for a school report form. We ask for one recommendation, and it does not have to come from a counselor. Any adult who knows your circumstances and is not a member of your family can write it: a teacher, a head of year, a principal, a coach, an employer. They answer four short questions on a form. They do not write a letter.
Are standardized tests required?
No. We do not accept test scores at all. An SAT or ACT score will not be read, so sending one cannot help you and not having one cannot hurt you.
Do I need an English proficiency exam?
No. We do not require TOEFL, IELTS, the Duolingo English Test, or any other exam, and we have no preferred one. We do not ask for a score and we do not read one if you send it.
Write your short responses in English. We are reading what you say, not how polished the sentences are.
Is the deadline different in my time zone?
No. There is one deadline for everyone: April 1, 2027 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific. Work out what that is where you live, and submit a day early if the conversion is close. The form closes on Pacific time, not on yours.