If you are planning to study in the USA with financial support, the Knight-Hennessy Scholarship is one of the best opportunities available for international students. This scholarship provides fully funded programs at Stanford University across a wide range of fields. In this article, we will explain everything you need to know about the Knight-Hennessy Scholarship, including its benefits, eligibility criteria, required documents, and a detailed step-by-step application process to help you apply successfully.
Knight-Hennessy Scholarships 2026-2027 are offered for master’s and PhD studies. These scholarships cover full tuition fees, a traveling allowance, a living allowance, and academic expenses.
The Knight-Hennessy Scholars program is one of the best scholarships in the world. Knight-Hennessy Scholars will attract the most promising future leaders from all disciplines and geographies to Stanford University. Here, you will engage in multidisciplinary education and leadership development and achieve a global perspective, which will prepare you to tackle complex global challenges and contribute effectively to your field. The QS World Universities Ranking 2022 places Stanford University at #2. Stanford University is offering 100 fully funded scholarships for international students to study for master’s, Ph.D., MS, MBA, MFA, MD, and JD degrees.
We inspire applications to Knight-Hennessy Scholars from citizens of all countries. That’s natural since we expect Knight-Hennessy Scholars to have a global impact. The Knight-Hennessy Scholars admission process is designed with the goals of allowing you to know yourself better, enabling us to understand you, and empowering you to make your best case for admission—all while making the admission process itself a wonderful experience for you. We expect that over time, about one-third of our scholars will be from the U.S., and about two-thirds will be from countries outside the U.S. Those numbers will fluctuate from year to year, since our goal is to admit the world’s very best students, regardless of location.
Stanford University was founded in 1885. It is a place for learning, discovery, innovation, expression, and discourse. Stanford has changed with the world over the last 125+ years, often leading the way with new ideas and discoveries. Stanford University is one of the world’s top universities. The Knight-Hennessy Scholarship Program in the United States is a magnet for talent. They curate a multidisciplinary community of scholars, provide a platform for purposeful leadership development, and empower you to create large-scale positive impact in the world.
Scholarship Summary
- Level of Study: Master’s, PhD
- Institution(s): Stanford University
- Study Destination: USA
- Opportunity Focus Areas: Scholarships are available to pursue graduate (PhD) degree programs in arts, engineering, education, humanities, or social sciences, or professional degrees in business, law, or medicine. Click here to find all the available programs.
- Program Period: 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.
Knight-Hennesy Scholarship Application Deadline
The application deadline for the Knight-Hennesy Scholarship is October 08, 2025. Click here for more details about the deadline.
Scholarship Coverage
The Knight-Hennessy Scholarship provides the recipient with the following benefits:
- A travel stipend intended to cover an economy-class ticket for one annual trip to and from Stanford.
- The stipend covers living and academic expenses, including room and board, books, academic supplies, instructional materials, local transportation, and reasonable personal expenses.
- A fellowship applied directly to cover tuition (commensurate with the standard departmental level of enrollment) and associated fees.
- The Knight-Hennessy Scholars program typically does not cover costs that your home department at Stanford pays for its students, such as subscriptions or lab equipment.
Note:
- Knight-Hennessy Scholars also may apply for supplemental funds to support academic endeavors (e.g., conference travel).
Eligibility Criteria for the Knight-Hennessy Scholarship
To qualify for the Knight-Hennessy Scholarship, the following are the eligibility criteria:
- Required Languages: English
- Eligible Countries: All countries in the world can apply for the Knight-Hennessy Scholars Program
- A first or bachelor’s degree must be received in 2019 or later to enroll in 2026. You are eligible to apply if you apply within four years and enroll within five years after you earn your first/bachelor’s degree.
- You must have first-step mental sharpness, seek knowledge and new experiences, be full of original ideas, make sense of ambiguous situations, and hold a contrarian or dissenting point of view.
- You must complete not only your Knight-Hennessy Scholars application but also the entire application process, including any standardized test that your graduate degree program requires (GMAT, GRE, LSAT, MCAT, etc.), and if needed, an English proficiency test.
- You must be ambitious, in the best sense of the word; driven to improve yourself; and willing to take risks. You must possess self-awareness, perseverance, and the ability to overcome adversity. Personally humble and kind, inclusive, respectful of differences, concerned for and helpful to others, and low-ego.
- You must be fluent in English—listening, reading, speaking, and writing—to study at Stanford. The minimum TOEFL score for most graduate programs at Stanford is 100 iBT or 600 PBT. All graduate programs at Stanford accept the TOEFL, and the MBA program also accepts the IELTS and PTE. You can learn more about scores here.
- Firstly, you must not only apply to Knight-Hennessy Scholars but also apply to, receive acceptance from, and enroll in a full-time Stanford graduate degree program. Each incoming Knight-Hennessy Scholar must be a newly enrolling student in a Stanford graduate program, including, but not limited to, DMA, JD, MA, MBA, MD, MFA, MPP, MS, or PhD programs. There are no quotas per discipline or program. Note that we will give priority consideration to those who will spend at least two years studying at Stanford.
How to Apply for the Knight-Hennessy Scholarship?
Follow the application instructions below to apply for this scholarship:
(1) You must create an account here and start your online application.
(2) You must complete and submit the online application for admission (including personal and academic information, etc.). The university will ask for basic biographic and demographic details, as well as explanations of your activities and interests.
(3) You must submit the following documents:
- Provide an unofficial or self-reported transcript of your academic performance in college and, if applicable, graduate school for each institution you attended for an academic year or longer. If you are unable to provide an unofficial transcript, you may download the self-reported transcript template. Your transcript must, if applicable, include the degree conferred and the conferral date. Transcripts from study-abroad experiences are not required if your transcript already includes those credits.
- You will include a resume that frames your intellectual, personal, and professional background and accomplishments. Our rule is one page for every decade of experience after secondary school.
- Two recommendation letters. Know more about it here.
- The essay (you may submit a maximum total of 1,750 words for both essays combined) includes the following:
- Connect the dots. How have the influences in your life shaped you?
- How will you pursue your life’s calling? How will your Stanford education and your Knight-Hennessy Scholars experience support this?
- Two short-answer responses: Please tell us eight improbable facts about you. Please list three goals/objectives that you are working toward right now (being admitted to Stanford and being selected as a Knight-Hennessy Scholar can’t count as one of those goals).
- Video story: Your video can be no longer than two minutes in duration. If you only need 30 seconds to answer, that’s fine. There is no expectation or obligation for you to speak for the maximum time.
- In-person assessment.
Note:
- You must submit all Knight-Hennessy Scholars application materials in English via our online application. We do not accept materials sent via email or postal mail.
- We highly recommend that you apply using a current version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox.
- For reference only, here is a PDF sample of the application for the autumn 2026 intake.
Website
To know more about the Knight-Hennessy Scholarship, please visit the official website: