Lu posted the highest score in the entrance exam for National Taiwan University s law school, and she remained the number one law student all the way through to graduation, at which time she was offered two scholarships to continue her studies abroad. She opted to study in America, a decision that put an end to a long correspondence with her boyfriend studying in Europe.
以榜首考上當年台大法律系司法組，還是年年第一名。大學畢業那年，呂秀蓮拿了兩個出國深造的獎學金，在台大校長的敦促下，她選擇了李氏獎學金赴美，也因此告別了通信多年在歐洲唸書的男友，從此不談私人感情。