In memory of a business graduate student found dead last month in the Manville Apartments, a UC Berkeley graduate program is creating a scholarship in his name.

The Master of Financial Engineering Program is working to put together the scholarship to commemorate Arthur Qi, who was pursuing a master’s degree in the program at the Haas School of Business and was known for his love for books and academics.

The scholarship would be awarded on the basis of financial need, covering the cost of books for one student in the program each year, according to Ute Frey, associate director of marketing and communications for the business school.

The idea for the scholarship came on the heels of Qi’s unexpected death at age 30 and resulted from a discussion among students and staff within the graduate program, according to recent business school graduate Huaxin Lu, a friend and classmate of Qi.

The graduate program is a yearlong business school program that held its annual graduation ceremony Friday. Lu, who began the business program with Qi at this time last year, said Qi died right before he could graduate and described him as friendly, hardworking and humble.

“We started at the exact same time last year and pretty much took the same classes,” he said.

Funds for the scholarship, formally titled the Arthur Chengchun Qi Scholarship, will be provided by the graduate program, Frey said in an email. While the scholarship has been publicly announced, details about how it will be administered are still being worked out, Frey said. The program is currently taking donations to support the scholarship, according to its website.

Qi was a Chinese national who was attending the business school on an international student visa, according to a media release from Haas.

He received his bachelor’s degree from East China University of Science and Technology and his MBA in Finance and Accounting from Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business. Starting his career as an account manager with Shanghai Pudong Development Bank, Qi later worked at AEGON — Industrial Mutual Fund as an equity research associate.

He was found dead in his home after classmates alerted authorities when he missed a group lunch and had not been seen all weekend, according to Frey. Officials at the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office Coroner’s Bureau have determined that the cause of Qi’s death was natural.

According to Lu, Qi’s parents approve of the scholarship and think it is an appropriate way to commemorate their son’s life and mirror his academic passions.

“They wanted a way for him to be remembered, and they think this is a good way,” Lu said.