Skip to content


Knight-Hennessy Scholars Program

Return to Fellowship Search

Under the Knight-Hennessy Scholars program, each year a group of 100 high-achieving students with demonstrated leadership and civic commitment, from a wide array of backgrounds and nationalities, will receive full funding to pursue a graduate education at Stanford. Their academic experience will focus on both subject-specific knowledge and leadership development to make an impact on the world. Scholars will pursue three years of education in Stanford’s graduate disciplines, including masters and doctorate level degrees as well as professional programs in law, business, medicine, engineering, humanities and sciences, education, and earth, energy and environmental sciences – all of which are ranked among the top five in the world.

Scholars will have the option to continue their studies beyond the three-year program with PhD or MD studies. In addition to pursuing their degree programs, scholars will be exposed to leadership training and development and immersive educational opportunities through the King Global Leadership Program, as well as residential experiences, additional degree opportunities focused on public policy and problem-solving at scale, and other curricula designed to develop scholars' capacity to lead ambitious change in a complex world.

Award / Eligibility Details:

Candidates must apply in their final year of undergraduate study or within four years of completing their undergraduate degrees and must be nominated by their undergraduate colleges and universities. Drawn from all corners of the globe, Knight-Hennessy Scholars will be selected both for their academic accomplishments and leadership potential. The program is designed to attract students from around the world, with no geographic restrictions.

Finalists will be selected and interviewed in locations around the world with the program covering travel costs. Students applying as Knight-Hennessy Scholars will also apply, simultaneously, to the Stanford graduate programs in which they seek to enroll. Only applicants who have been granted admission into Stanford graduate programs will be considered for the Knight-Hennessy Scholars.

Admissions criteria will be available in early 2017, and Stanford will begin accepting applications in the summer of 2017. The first cohort of scholars will commence studies in the fall of 2018

Deadline: Summer 2017

Academic Level: Graduate, Post-Undergraduate

Type/Purpose: Graduate School Funding

Field of Study: All, Arts & Humanities, Business, Education / Teaching, Public Affairs / Policy, Social Sciences, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math)

Location: United States

Citizenship eligibility: All, Foreign Citizen / International Student, Permanent Resident, US Citizen, US National

Special Circumstances:

For more information: https://knight-hennessy.stanford.edu/