Through the newly established Penn Asia Matched Scholarship (PAMS), alumni and friends are expanding financial aid for international students and advancing Penn’s long-term vision of offering need-blind admissions globally.
Bringing the Future Closer
Through the first-of-its-kind Penn Asia Matched Scholarship, donors are bringing the University even closer to its goal of need-blind admissions for international students
Published: March 5, 2026
Over the past 15 years, Penn has increased financial aid for international students by 200 percent, thanks to the generosity of our alumni, parents, and friends. While Penn’s need-blind admissions policy ensures that talented students from North America are admitted without regard to their financial circumstances, that policy has not yet extended worldwide. Achieving need-blind admissions for all students—no matter their background or country of origin—will further enrich our campus community with global perspectives and experiences.
Today, that future is coming into focus.
In Hong Kong, a group of committed alumni leaders has recently come together to launch PAMS, a scholarship with consideration for students educated in Asia. Thanks to the vision and leadership of founding donors Ferdinand Cheuk, W’96; Kevin Lo, W’07; and Dina Shin, W’10, Penn has taken a meaningful step toward making international need-blind admissions a reality.
International students enrich the Penn community by sharing their unique voices, experiences, and perspectives. The Penn Asia Matched Scholarship expands our ability to support international students, enhancing the Penn experience for all.”J. Larry Jameson, MD, PhD
President, University of Pennsylvania
The founding donors have committed initial funding to establish an endowed scholarship that will support one or two students each year. Their impact is amplified by four cornerstone matching donors—William Cheung, D’81, GD’82; George Hongchoy, WG’91; Goodwin Gaw, ENG’91, W’91; and Kenny Lam, W’96—who are providing a 1:1 match on all gifts up to $500,000. Through this match, donors at every stage of their philanthropic journey can help build a lasting endowment for financial aid—amplifying the impact of every gift, no matter the size.
“The Penn Asia Matched Scholarship moves Penn meaningfully toward need-blind admissions for international students,” said Shin, co-president of the Penn Club of Hong Kong. “This is the first alumni-driven matched scholarship and the largest international scholarship launch of its kind in Penn’s history.”
More broadly, PAMS supports the Quaker Commitment, the University’s longstanding promise to make a Penn education possible for all exceptional students, no matter their financial circumstances. In the fall of 2024, building on the University’s signature financial aid policies, Penn significantly expanded the Quaker Commitment, ensuring that Penn is effectively tuition free for all students from families with incomes under $200,000, with typical assets, and removing home equity from financial aid calculations.
To learn more about supporting undergraduate financial aid or the Penn Asia Matched Scholarship, contact Maryann O’Leary Salas, Executive Director of Development for Undergraduate Financial Aid & Penn First Plus, at maryanno@upenn.edu.
