Lu Memorial Foundation Welcomes 17 Students to the Class of 2026
June 30, 2026
After a secondary review period and the careful work of finalizing pending awards, the 2026 Lu Scholar cohort is complete. It is our great privilege to welcome 17 students to the Lu Scholar Class of 2026.
Waitlist decisions are now available in the application portal. To every applicant who waited with patience through this final stage, thank you for your trust, your steadiness, and the care you brought to this process.
We are especially glad to share that, during this final stage, we were able to extend offers to 2 applicants from the waitlist. Their addition completes a class whose range of experience, ambition, and perspective will strengthen the Lu Scholar community for years to come.
The final shape of this class reflects both the strength of the applicant pool and the Foundation's continuing work to expand opportunity where support can make a lasting difference.
A Word From the Selection Committee
“The newest cohort of students selected to become Lu Scholars, the Class of 2026, represents a diverse, talented, and accomplished group of individuals,” says Steven Tang, chair of the Lu Scholar Selection Committee.
“Their acceptance into the Lu Scholar community is an invitation to become more aware of the complexity of the world's challenges and to learn multiple approaches to solve them. They represent the next chapter in our Foundation's history, and I am eager to see all that they will accomplish.”
By the Numbers
A small cohort with a wide reach
The Class of 2026 brings together first-generation, international, and regionally diverse scholars in a deliberately small cohort.
Lu Scholars Welcomed
Final Class of 2026 cohort
First-Generation Students
Students who are first in their families to pursue this path
International Students
Students whose journeys cross national borders
U.S. States Represented
Communities across the United States
Countries Represented
Countries represented in the final cohort
Cohort Cloud
The many words behind one class
The identities, responsibilities, and strengths that shape this cohort.
Who They Are: First-Generation, Dreamers, Immigrants, Caregivers, Resilient, Survivors, Leaders, Mentors, Volunteers, Innovators, Trailblazers, Visionaries, Scholars, Athletes, Artists, Activists, Builders, Storytellers, Changemakers, Pioneers, Advocates, Polyglots, Self-Starters, First-in-Family, Community-Builders, Bridge-Builders, Optimists, Problem-Solvers, Doers, Fighters, Believers, Refugees, Orphaned, Overcomers, Caretakers, Big Siblings, Hard Workers, Curious Minds, Risk-Takers, Quiet Achievers, Newcomers, Multilingual, Globally-Minded, Grounded, Tenacious
Why These Students
From the first read, the Committee believed in these students' capabilities, not only in their academic strength, but in their capacity to navigate a complex and rapidly changing world with curiosity, integrity, and resolve. They arrive at a moment that asks a great deal of young people, and they meet it with exactly the kind of quiet conviction that defines a Lu Scholar.
This cohort also marks a meaningful step forward in our work to expand the Lu Memorial Scholarship and widen the paths that lead to it. For the first time, the 2026 cohort includes recipients of our newly opened graduate scholarship, extending our support to students at a later and equally pivotal stage of their journeys.
Alongside that work, we launched a new program offering free college counseling for first-generation students from China, helping talented young people navigate a process that too often rewards access over ability. These efforts reflect a commitment that sits at the heart of everything we do: expanding access, so that the door to opportunity opens wider with each passing year.
Gratitude
“My profound gratitude goes to all the staff in our Offices of Scholarship Programs,” says Tang. “Their fearless work to reach, recruit, and yield students of this academic caliber and from such diverse financial backgrounds is the reason this cohort exists. We could not do this without them, and I am deeply thankful for all they give.”
Looking Ahead
To every student who applied this cycle: we hope you will remain engaged with us and watch for future scholarship opportunities for which you may be eligible. Your journey with the Lu Memorial Foundation does not have to end here.
If you have questions about your decision or the process, please reach out through the application portal's sidebar. We are here to help.
Congratulations to the Class of 2026. We are delighted to call you Lu Scholars.