Full-time Masters and PhD degrees in any subject offered at Stanford are covered. Applicants from all countries – there are no restrictions based on citizenship, age, field of study, career aspiration, etc. A stipend, academic expenses payment, and travel funding are provided.
Inspiring Leaders
Knight-Hennessy Scholars cultivates and supports a multidisciplinary and multicultural community of graduate students from across Stanford University, and delivers engaging experiences that prepare graduates to be visionary, courageous, and collaborative leaders who address complex challenges facing the world.
Stanford University
All scholars are Stanford University graduate students, who join Knight-Hennessy Scholars in addition to enrolling in a graduate degree program at any of Stanford’s seven schools
Leadership Development
Scholars participate in up to three years of programming that complements their graduate studies and prepares them to take on leadership roles in academia, industry, government, nonprofits, and the community at large.
Knight-Hennessy Community
A new cohort of scholars joins each year, adding to a diverse community of scholars from across disciplines, nationalities, perspectives, and backgrounds. Scholars learn together, collaborate on impactful projects, and develop lifelong friendships.
Knight-Hennessy Funding
Scholars receive a fellowship for up to three years of tuition, depending upon their degree length. In addition, scholars receive a stipend for living and academic expenses, and a travel stipend for one annual trip to and from Stanford.
What characterizes a Knight-Hennessy scholar?
Independence of Thought
Knight-Hennessy scholars are visionary thinkers who are curious, open-minded, analytical, eager for cross-cultural perspective, and genuinely excited to boldly and creatively address our world’s important challenges.
Requirement 1: Admission to Stanford
First, in addition to applying to Knight-Hennessy Scholars (KHS), you must apply to, be accepted by, and enroll in a full-time Stanford graduate degree program including, but not limited to, DMA, JD, MA, MBA, MD, MFA, MPP, MS, or PhD programs. You must meet at least one of the following four conditions:
- You are applying separately but concurrently to KHS and a full-time Stanford graduate degree program such that you will start both in the same year.
- You have already been offered and deferred admission to a full-time Stanford graduate degree program, and will apply to KHS such that you will start both in the same year.
- You are a current Stanford graduate student who will apply to add a second full-time Stanford graduate degree program, such that you will start both KHS and the new program in the same year.
- You are a current Stanford PhD student in your first year of enrollment, and will apply to KHS such that you will start KHS in your second year of PhD enrollment.
There are no quotas by discipline or program. Note that we will give priority consideration to those who will spend at least two years studying at Stanford.
Please note that a small number of Stanford graduate degree programs are not eligible for Knight-Hennessy Scholars:
- Applicants to the Honors Cooperative Program
- Applicants to the Master of Liberal Arts
- Applicants to the Doctor of Science of Law (JSD)
- Current Stanford students applying for coterminal graduate study
- Current Stanford PhD students adding an MA or MS degree in their current discipline
Requirement 2: Undergraduate Degree Date
Second, you must have earned, in January 2017 or later, a U.S. bachelor’s degree or its equivalent from a college or university of recognized standing.
For applicants who served in the military, we extend the eligibility window by two years in acknowledgement of longer service commitments; you must have earned your degree in January 2015 or later to enroll in 2024. Current college students are eligible if you will earn your first degree by September 2024. Within the eligibility window, we do not give preference based on recency of the degree.
Purposeful Leadership
Knight-Hennessy scholars are courageous leaders who are ethical, decisive, resilient, driven to achieve meaningful results, and motivated to inspire others to effect positive change at scale.
Civic Mindset
Knight-Hennessy scholars are collaborative community members who are humble, empathetic, trustworthy, oriented to act in service of others, and deeply passionate about contributing to the greater good.
Deadline: October 11th, 2023.
