Knight Hennessy Scholarship

About the scholarship

Applications are now open for the Stanford University Knight Hennessy Scholarship 2026 in the United States. KHS is a Fully Funded Scholarship for International students to pursue a Graduate Degree program from one of the Top universities in the world. 

The KHS 2026 at Stanford University is open to all the Nationals. For the 2026 cohort, Knight Hennessy will provide 100 scholarships. 

It covers all the expenses. You don’t need to worry about any cost. Applicants can apply for the Graduate Programs, including JD, MA, MBA, MD, MFA, MS, DMA, and PhD programs. United States Citizens are also eligible to apply for this Scholarship. The KHS Scholarship aims to develop a new generation of global leaders.

Eligibility

Our criteria clarify what we seek in your application, help you assess your alignment with our values, and prepare you to demonstrate the criteria in your application.

There is neither a typical nor a prototypical Knight-Hennessy scholar. Each cohort is diverse by design; no two candidates are equally strong across all criteria, and you may demonstrate different strengths in different ways. As we evaluate and select Knight-Hennessy scholars, we look for evidence of three criteria:

1. Independence of Thought

We seek 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.

• Demonstrates intellectual ability and clear thinking
• Communicates clearly based on reflection and introspection
• Seeks out new knowledge, perspectives, and experiences
• Makes sense of ambiguous circumstances
• Generates ideas to solve problems

2. Purposeful Leadership

We seek courageous leaders who are ethical, decisive, resilient, driven to achieve meaningful results, and motivated to inspire others to effect positive change at scale.

• Achieves impactful results
• Confronts challenges with courage, persistence, and resilience
• Includes and inspires others to effect change
• Makes decisions in accordance with values

3. Civic Mindset

We seek collaborative community members who are humble, empathetic, trustworthy, oriented to act in service of others, and deeply passionate about contributing to the greater good.

• Demonstrates humility, integrity, and accountability
• Makes a habit of serving and helping others
• Thoughtful and considerate of others’ perspectives
• Embraces difference and celebrates diverse opinions and experiences
• Strives to make our world a better place

We find evidence of these selection criteria throughout your application and, if you are invited to participate, in your video statement and during the Finalist Experience. We look forward to getting to know you, including what you have done, who you are now, and what you aspire to do in the future.