Knight-Hennessy Scholars 2027: Fully Funded Graduate Study at Stanford

Knight-Hennessy Scholars funds graduate study at Stanford University in the United States, at master's and PhD level and in any field. It is open to applicants of every nationality and pays for tuition, living costs and travel, but it asks you to prepare two applications rather than one.

What it covers

Funding lasts for up to three years and applies to the Stanford graduate degree you are preparing to enrol in at the time of scholar selection. During each of the first three years, scholars receive a fellowship that pays tuition and associated fees directly, a stipend for living and academic expenses such as room and board, books, academic supplies, instructional materials, local transportation and reasonable personal expenses, and a travel stipend meant to cover an economy-class ticket for one annual trip to and from Stanford.

Who can apply

Citizens of all countries can apply, so nationality is not a barrier for anyone applying from Africa, and no field is excluded. Each incoming scholar must also apply to, be accepted by and enrol in a full-time Stanford graduate degree programme. That is a separate application, submitted in parallel with the Knight-Hennessy one.

Deadline

The deadline is 6 October 2026 at 1:00pm Pacific Time. That is 20:00 GMT, 21:00 West Africa Time, 22:00 Central Africa Time and 23:00 East Africa Time on the same day. An applicant in East Africa who aims for midnight local time would miss it by an hour.

Before you apply

Treat the two files as one project with one calendar, and confirm the deadline of your Stanford degree programme with that programme before you start writing. If your degree will run longer than three years, ask Stanford how the later years are funded, since this award pays for the first three.