Knight-Hennessy Scholars is the graduate fellowship programme at Stanford University. It funds up to three years of graduate study at Stanford – tuition, a living stipend and travel – and it is open to applicants of every nationality, field of study and age. The application for the 2027 cohort closes on 6 October 2026.
Indian students can apply, but there is one rule that catches most people: you must apply to Stanford twice – once to Knight-Hennessy Scholars and once to a full-time Stanford graduate degree programme.
Knight-Hennessy Scholars 2027 cohort
Quick facts2026-27
| Scholarship from | Knight-Hennessy Scholars, Stanford University (USA) |
| Study level | Full-time Stanford graduate degree – MA, MS, MBA, MPP, MFA, JD, MD or PhD |
| Who can apply | Citizens and residents of all countries, including India, with a bachelor’s degree from 2020 or later |
| What is covered | Up to three years of tuition and fees, a living stipend, an annual travel stipend and a one-time relocation stipend |
| Last date to apply | 6 October 2026, 1:00 pm Pacific Time |
| Official website | knight-hennessy.stanford.edu |
What the Knight-Hennessy fellowship covers
Knight-Hennessy scholars receive funding for up to three years for any graduate degree at Stanford. The official funding page lists:
- A fellowship applied directly to cover tuition and associated fees.
- A stipend for living and academic expenses – room and board, books, academic supplies, instructional materials, local transport and reasonable personal expenses.
- A travel stipend intended to cover an economy-class ticket for one annual trip to and from Stanford.
- A one-time relocation stipend for newly enrolling scholars, to offset relocation and technology costs.
- Supplemental funds that scholars in their second and third years may apply for, to support academic enrichment such as conference travel.
For degrees that run longer than three years – an MD, a PhD or a dual degree – funding after the third year comes from the graduate programme’s own standard funding commitment, which varies by department. Knight-Hennessy also notes that fellowship stipends are taxable, and that the programme does not reimburse students for taxes.
Knight-Hennessy eligibility
There are no restrictions based on age, college or university, field of study or career aspiration, and there are no quotas by discipline, programme or world region. There are only two baseline requirements:
- You must apply to, be accepted by and enrol in a full-time Stanford graduate degree programme (DMA, JD, MA, MBA, MD, MFA, MPP, MS or PhD) in the same year that you start Knight-Hennessy Scholars.
- You must have earned your first bachelor’s degree in January 2020 or later to join the 2027 cohort. Applicants who served in the military get a two-year extension, so a degree from January 2018 onward is accepted. Current students are eligible if they will earn their first degree by September 2027.
Stanford’s Honours Cooperative Program, the Master of Liberal Arts, the Doctor of Science of Law (JSD), the Master of Legal Studies (MLS) and coterminal degrees are not eligible for Knight-Hennessy Scholars. If you have already earned a graduate degree you can still apply, as long as your first bachelor’s degree was earned in 2020 or later.
Important dates for the 2027 cohort
| 1 June 2026 | Knight-Hennessy Scholars application opens |
| 6 October 2026, 1:00 pm Pacific Time | Knight-Hennessy Scholars application deadline – same for all applicants |
| 1 December 2026 | Late limit for the separate Stanford graduate programme application for KHS applicants |
| 2027 | Scholars begin graduate study at Stanford |
The two applications have different deadlines. You must submit the Stanford graduate programme application by the earlier of two dates – your department’s deadline for Knight-Hennessy applicants, or 1 December 2026. If your department’s deadline falls after 1 December 2026, you must still submit by 1 December 2026 to stay eligible for Knight-Hennessy Scholars.
Applicants to the Stanford MBA programme must apply in Round 1, because only the Round 1 MBA deadline aligns with the Knight-Hennessy admission timeline.
Documents required for Knight-Hennessy Scholars
The official application has five required components:
- Online application submitted through the Knight-Hennessy application portal.
- Resume.
- Transcripts and test scores.
- Two recommendation letters, registered through the online application. Recommendations are due by the application deadline, but you can submit your own application before they arrive.
- Short answers and an essay – three short answers plus the essay ‘Connect the dots: how have the influences in your life shaped you?’ (550 words).
The three short-answer questions ask about your short-term and long-term academic and professional intentions (250 words), a time you engaged with a different perspective, acted with courage and fell short of expectations (250 words combined), and eight improbable facts about you (150 words combined).
How to apply for Knight-Hennessy Scholars
- Confirm that you meet both baseline eligibility requirements.
- Choose a full-time Stanford graduate degree programme and note its deadline for Knight-Hennessy applicants.
- Start the Knight-Hennessy application on the official portal.
- Register your two recommenders in the application as early as possible.
- Write the three short answers and the 550-word essay.
- Submit the Knight-Hennessy application by 6 October 2026, 1:00 pm Pacific Time.
- Submit the separate Stanford graduate programme application by the earlier of your department’s deadline or 1 December 2026.
Selection: what Knight-Hennessy looks for
Knight-Hennessy states that there is no formula for admission, and no score or achievement that automatically qualifies an applicant. The recommendation form shows the qualities the programme assesses: curiosity and open-mindedness, creative and visionary thinking, analytical ability, courage and resilience, ethical decision-making, potential to inspire others, collaboration and empathy, acting in service of others, and humility and trustworthiness.
The Knight-Hennessy Scholars application closes on 6 October 2026 at 1:00 pm Pacific Time. The deadline is the same for every applicant, whichever Stanford graduate programme you choose.
Yes. Knight-Hennessy has no restrictions based on nationality, and it encourages citizens and residents of all countries to apply. There are no quotas by world region.
Yes. You must apply to and be accepted by a full-time Stanford graduate degree programme, in addition to the Knight-Hennessy application. Submit the Stanford application by the earlier of your department’s deadline for KHS applicants or 1 December 2026.
No. There is no age restriction. The requirement is that you earned your first bachelor’s degree in January 2020 or later (January 2018 or later for applicants who served in the military).
Funding covers up to three years: a fellowship applied to tuition and associated fees, a stipend for living and academic expenses, a travel stipend for one annual economy trip, and a one-time relocation stipend for newly enrolling scholars.
Two. You register both recommenders in the online application, and the letters are due by the application deadline – but you can submit your own application even if the letters have not arrived yet.
Yes, as long as your first bachelor’s degree was earned in 2020 or later (2018 or later for military applicants). Current Stanford PhD students in their first year of enrolment are also eligible to apply.
Official links
- Knight-Hennessy Scholars admission page
- Application deadlines – Knight-Hennessy and Stanford programmes
- Eligibility requirements
- Funding – tuition, stipend and travel
- Recommendation letters guidance
- Knight-Hennessy online application portal
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