OURS National Scholarships

Knight-Hennessy Scholars

Next deadline: October 2024 (for the 2025-2026 cohort)

UCB recipients!

The Knight-Hennessy Scholars Program is designed to build a multidisciplinary community of Stanford graduate students. The program, which financially supports up to three years of graduate study at Stanford, annually selects a group of 100 high-achieving students from around the world with demonstrated leadership and civic commitment. Knight-Hennessy Scholars develop both the depth and range of subject expertise to confront the numerous grand challenges and opportunities of the future and make up a unique community of change agents from a diverse range of backgrounds.

Prospective applicants, including recent graduates and alumni, should make an advising appointment with Keila Diehl, the Knight-Hennessy campus representative.

Eligibility Requirements

The Knight-Hennessy program is open to citizens of all countries, as well as undocumented students.

Applicants must:

  • be applying to enroll in a full-time graduate degree program at Stanford (e.g., JD, MA, MBA, MD, MS, or PhD), or planning to pursue one of Stanford’s joint- and dual- graduate degree options (e.g., MD+PhD, JD+MA, MBA+MS)
  • have earned, in January 2017 or later, a U.S. bachelor’s degree or its equivalent from a college or university of recognized standing
  • complete the entire application process for the graduate program, including any standardized test that your discipline requires (GMAT, GRE, LSAT, MCAT, etc.) and, if needed, an English proficiency test

Note: The Knight-Hennessy Scholars Program does not defer Scholar offers.

Selection Criteria

Applicants will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

  • 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)
  • 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)
  • Civic mindset (personally humble and kind; inclusive; respects differences; concerned for and helpful to others; low ego)

Application Requirements

  • Online application (personal/academic information, short responses, and 600-word essay)
  • Official or self-reported transcripts from all colleges and universities
  • One-page resume
  • Two recommendation letters
  • Scores on standardized tests (only if required by graduate degree program)
  • Video submission (by invitation)

For more information about this opportunity, visit the Knight-Hennessy Scholars website.