For the Knight-Hennessy Scholars Programme, each year up to 100 high-achieving students who are independent thinkers, display purposeful leadership, and have a civic orientation will receive full funding to pursue a graduate education at Stanford.
About the Award
The Knight-Hennessy Scholars programme will annually identify a group of 100 high-achieving students from around the world with demonstrated leadership and civic commitment to receive full funding to pursue a wide-ranging graduate education at Stanford, with the goal of developing a new generation of global leaders. The Knight-Hennessy Scholars is the largest fully endowed scholars programme in the world.
Eligibility Criteria
The organisers encourage applications to Knight-Hennessy Scholars from citizens of all countries. That’s natural since we expect Knight-Hennessy Scholars to have global impact.
Did you earn a degree at an institution outside the U.S.? To be eligible for graduate study, you must hold the equivalent of a U.S. bachelor’s degree from a college or university of recognized standing.
You are eligible to apply to the Knight-Hennessy Scholars program if you are applying to enroll in any full-time graduate degree program at Stanford (for example, but not limited to, DFA, Eng, JD, MA, MBA, MD, MFA, MS, or PhD) or if you plan on pursuing one of Stanford’s many joint- and dual- graduate degree options (for example, but not limited to, MD+PhD, JD+MA, MBA+MS).
Also, if you earned your bachelor’s degree in 2014 or later, you are eligible to apply (2012 or later for US Military).
Selection Criteria
1. Independence of Thought
First-step mental sharpness
Seeks out knowledge and new experiences
Full of original ideas
Makes sense of ambiguous situations
Can hold a contrarian or dissenting point of view
2. Purposeful Leadership
Ambitious, in the best sense of the word
Driven to improve self
Willing to take risks
Self-aware
Persists and bounces back from adversity
3. Civic Mindset
Personally humble and kind
Inclusive
Respects differences
Concerned for and helpful to others
Low ego
Number of Awards: up to 100
Value of Programme
The Stanford education of Knight-Hennessy Scholars is fully funded.
Full funding includes tuition, stipend, graduate program and related academic expenses, with additional financial support available.
Pursue any graduate degree at Stanford, from PhDs in arts, education, engineering, humanities, or social sciences to professional degrees in business, law, or medicine.
Build skills in leadership and communication that will empower you to work across disciplines and to scale creative solutions for complex challenges.
Duration of Program: The Knight-Hennessy Scholars program funds up to the first three years of your graduate education, and if your degree program exceeds three years – such as an MD or PhD program, or a Stanford dual- or joint-degree program – then your Stanford home department will fund the remainder of your education to the extent consistent with its standard funding commitment for that program. (That is, e.g., six years for PhDs in engineering, five years for PhDs in humanities.)
Application procedure and deadline
Applications can be completed through the online portal. Application deadline is October 11, 2023.
