Knight-Hennessy Scholarship

The Knight-Hennessy Scholarship is for 2 to 5 years of study leading to a graduate degree in any field at Stanford University.  Knight-Hennessy applicants must also apply directly to their targeted degree program at Stanford in order to be considered for the scholarship.

ELIGIBILITY

• Seniors, graduate students, and recent alumni within four years of earning their bachelor’s degree
• U.S. and non-U.S. citizens
• Meet the admission criteria for the intended graduate program at Stanford

CANDIDATE PROFILE
The Knight-Hennessy program seeks applicants who are academically excellent, with significant records of leadership and service. The ideal candidate is one who can “out-think, out-work, and out-care” others. With that, they seek candidates who are other-oriented and low-ego. The specific criteria are:

1. Independence of thought
2. Purposeful leadership
3. A civic mindset

WEBSITE
https://knight-hennessy.stanford.edu

HOW TO GET STARTED

While OURSD does not provide formal endorsements for the Knight-Hennessy Scholarship, we would strongly encourage you to work with us on your application, as we can provide feedback and guidance on your essays, letters of recommendation, and other components.

Make an appointment in late spring or early summer with Dr. Richelle Bernazzoli, OURSD Director and Knight-Hennessy Campus Representative, or Paige Zalman, OURSD Associate Director, in order to discuss your fit with the award.  

Applicants are encouraged to receive feedback on their draft applications well in advance of the deadline.

NATIONAL DEADLINE: OCTOBER 11, 2023

Required Materials:

1. A completed Knight-Hennessy online application, including a personal essay and short answer questions
2. Transcripts for all colleges and universities attended
3. Standardized test scores (as required by the graduate program you are applying to)
4. One-page resumé
5. Two letters of recommendation that address your ability and determination to make a difference.
6. Video story (prompt provided at application link in 1. above)

Please note that while your complete Knight-Hennessy scholarship application must be submitted online by the October due date, you also must apply to your intended graduate program at Stanford. Important: Some Stanford programs, such as the MBA and MD programs, have earlier deadlines. Knight-Hennessy applicants for all other graduate degree programs must submit their Stanford graduate applications no later than December. Be sure to carefully review the Knight-Hennessy website for specific scholarship deadlines, as well as Stanford Graduate Admissions information for specific program deadlines.

NATIONAL SELECTION PROCESS

The Knight-Hennessy admissions committee will review all applications and rank the top candidates. In a parallel process, individual departments at Stanford will conduct their review of applicants based on their academic criteria. The applicants who rise to the top of both the Knight-Hennessy and departmental review processes will be invited to submit a required video statement in January, and from those, a limited number of finalists are selected to attend the required in-person Immersion Weekend at Stanford in early March, which include additional evaluative events that further influence selection. Final notifications to selected and non-selected candidates will take place in mid-March.