Knight-Hennessy Scholars King Global Leadership Program at Stanford University
The Knight-Hennessy Scholars program strives to develop transformational leaders who have a strong cross-cultural perspective, create a bold vision for the future, inspire others through their words and deeds, and are committed to a greater good.
Building upon the deep domain expertise that Knight-Hennessy Scholars develop in their home departments, scholars gain exposure to a wide range of disciplines and cultures in the Knight-Hennessy community, and participate in the King Global Leadership Program (KGLP), which is designed to develop transformational leadership capabilities. Within KGLP, scholars collaborate and begin to address important challenges facing the world, such as climate change, healthcare inequity, the future of education, and criminal justice reform.
The King Global Leadership Program (KGLP) is designed to augment the academic work you are doing in your graduate program.
As you pursue your graduate education, you will develop a depth of knowledge in your chosen field of study. The KGLP builds upon that expertise, preparing you to be a leader in your field.
Funded by a generous gift from Dorothy and Robert King, MBA ’60, the KGLP provides a diverse menu of offerings that can be tuned to meet your academic schedule and specific goals.
As a Knight-Hennessy Scholar, you will learn to communicate, collaborate, and innovate with your fellow scholars from other disciplines. We believe these relationships — breaking down traditional academic silos — will be essential to your ability to develop new solutions to pressing problems in the world. The King Global Leadership Program will develop your capacity for transformational leadership as you learn how to inspire and challenge yourself and others to reach important goals.
The Knight-Hennessy Scholars program created a leadership model that informs the programming that we develop and deliver.
Financial Support for Cost of Attendance
As a Knight-Hennessy Scholar, you receive funding for up to three years for any graduate degree(s) at Stanford to which you are admitted at the time you are selected as a scholar.
After enrolling at Stanford, if you wish to enroll in an additional graduate program, you may apply to the Knight-Hennessy Scholars program to receive additional funding up to the maximum of three years. This additional funding is not guaranteed.
If a degree program exceeds three years — such as an MD or PhD program, or a Stanford dual- or joint-degree program — then your Stanford home department(s) will often fund the remainder of your education to the extent consistent with its standard funding commitment for that program. This standard funding commitment varies by department and school. Please contact the graduate program with specific questions about those commitments.
During each of the first three years of graduate study, Knight-Hennessy Scholars receive:
- A fellowship applied directly to cover tuition and associated fees
- Stipend for living and academic expenses (such as room and board, books, academic supplies, instructional materials, local transportation, and reasonable personal expenses)
- a travel grant intended to cover an economy-class ticket for one annual trip to and from Stanford
- NOTE: Knight-Hennessy Scholars also may access supplemental funds to support academic enrichment (e.g., conference travel).
Eligibility Criteria
Our eligibility requirements help you determine if you may apply to be a Knight-Hennessy Scholar.
The Knight-Hennessy Scholars program is a multidisciplinary and multicultural community. There are no restrictions based on age, college or university, field of study, or career aspiration. We encourage citizens and residents of all countries to apply. We do not require applicants to seek endorsements from colleges, universities, or other institutions.
To be eligible for graduate study, you must hold the equivalent of a U.S. bachelor’s degree from a college or university of recognized standing. See Stanford’s guidelines for minimum level of study.
There are two baseline eligibility requirements.
- First, in addition to applying to Knight-Hennessy Scholars, you must apply to, be accepted by, and enroll in a full-time Stanford graduate degree program. Each incoming Knight-Hennessy Scholar must be a newly enrolling student in a Stanford graduate program including, but not limited to, DMA, JD, MA, MBA, MD, MFA, MPP, MS, or PhD programs. There are no quotas by discipline or program. Note that we will give priority consideration to those who will spend at least two years studying at Stanford.
- Second, you must have earned, in January 2015 or later, a U.S. bachelor’s degree or its equivalent from a college or university of recognized standing.
| To apply to join the cohort in: | You must have earned your first bachelor’s degree by: |
| 2022 | January 2015 or later |
| 2023 | January 2016 or later |
Please note that a small number of Stanford graduate degree programs are not eligible for Knight-Hennessy Scholars. Please see the Applying to Stanford Graduate Program page for examples.
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Selection Criteria
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 mental sharpness and intellectual ability
- Seeks out knowledge and new experiences
- Full of original ideas
- Makes sense of ambiguity
- Can hold a contrarian or dissenting point of view
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.
- Ambitious in service of a better world
- Driven to improve self and others
- Able to include and elevate others
- Self-aware and adaptable
- Persistent and resilient
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.
- Personally humble and kind
- Supportive and accountable
- Embraces difference
- Concerned for and helpful to others
We find evidence of these selection criteria throughout your application and, if you are selected as a finalist, at Immersion Weekend. 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.
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For more details, you can also visit the Knight-Hennessy Scholars website here.