The Bush Institute and the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) also released a first-of-its-kind report on human rights abuses in North Korea during the COVID-19 pandemic
Dallas, Texas – Today, the George W. Bush Institute awarded a total of $55,200 to nine students as part of the 2025 Lindsay Lloyd North Korea Freedom Scholarship. Established in 2017, the scholarship is designed to help escapees from North Korea and their children pursue higher education and build productive, prosperous lives.
Administered by Communities Foundation of Texas, the scholarship program selects recipients based on merit and need. Scholarships are used for vocational school, community college, and university as recipients aspire to lead a variety of careers in fields ranging from psychology and computer science to architecture and global affairs. To date, nearly $400,000 has been awarded in the form of 93 scholarships since 2017.
The 2025 Lindsay Lloyd North Korea Freedom Scholarship recipients – who prefer not to reveal their identities publicly to protect loved ones still living in North Korea – include:
- A recipient who is studying cultural studies with a concentration in media at Claremont Graduate University.
- A recipient who is studying psychology and political science at The College of Wooster.
- A recipient who is studying psychology at San Diego Mesa College.
- A recipient who is studying to become a dental assistant at University of Pittsburgh.
- A recipient who is studying clinical mental health counseling at Duquesne University.
- A recipient who is studying English literature at Columbia University.
- A recipient who is studying international relations at University of Chicago.
- A recipient who is studying data science at University of Michigan.
- A recipient who is studying computer science at Washington University of Virginia.
Today, the Bush Institute and CSIS also released a first-of-its-kind report on the North Korean regime’s human rights abuses during the COVID-19 pandemic. The report is based on the voices of 100 ordinary North Korean citizens conducted in the second half of 2023, just as the country’s lockdown restrictions and border controls were lifted. Read the report here: https://www.bushcenter.org/publications/a-view-into-north-koreas-covid-19-experiences.
The scholarship and report are part of the Bush Institute’s ongoing work to improve the human condition in North Korea, which aims to expose the suffering of the North Korean people and put their stories on the radar of policymakers and opinion leaders. According to the Refugee Processing Center, 224 North Korean escapees have been admitted to the United States between 2006 and December 2024.
“We are honored to support brave North Korean escapees, who are working to make better lives for themselves here in the U.S., through this scholarship,” said Chris Walsh, Director of Global Policy at the Bush Institute. “But we know that North Koreans still in the Hermit Kingdom continue to face horrific human rights abuses and restrictions on their freedom, which we aim to expose through our new report with CSIS.”
Next year’s scholarship application period will open in early 2026.
For more information about the scholarship and the Bush Institute’s efforts to support escapees and improve the human condition in North Korea, visit bushcenter.org/northkorea. For more information about CSIS, visit CSIS.org; and for more information about Communities Foundation of Texas, visit cftexas.org.
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About the George W. Bush Institute
The George W. Bush Institute is a solution-oriented nonpartisan policy organization focused on ensuring opportunity for all, strengthening democracy, and advancing free societies. Housed within the George W. Bush Presidential Center, the Bush Institute is rooted in compassionate conservative values and committed to creating positive, meaningful, and lasting change at home and abroad. We utilize our unique platform and convening power to advance solutions to national and global issues of the day. Learn more at bushcenter.org.
