The parents of Lu Lingzi, the Boston University graduate student who died in the marathon bombings last year, have expressed "enormous gratitude" to the school for the scholarship established in their daughter's name.

The Lu Lingzi Scholarship Fund has raised more than $1 million from 12,000 people across the world, according to Scott Nichols, senior vice-president for development and alumni relations at Boston University.

Members of Boston University's Board of Trustees contributed more than half a million dollars to the fund last year after the bombings occurred, and the other money came from contributors all over the world, from alumni and strangers alike. A website has been set up to accept donations.

"We've tried to stay very close to them, and be as supportive as possible," he told China Daily.

The scholarship will be granted to two graduate students every year based on financial need and academic performance, with preference for Chinese students, Nichols said.

"Scholarship support is always very, very meaningful in the sense that there's a real live human being whose life can get changed quite dramatically by receiving this kind of support," he said. "It's the difference between being able to afford and get to a place like BU, or not. As you compound that over the years, that's a lot of people."

- Amy He