Disclaimer Information - This scholarship is offered and administered by an external organisation, Stanford University. The information and timeline may be updated in accordance with their updates or advice. 

The Knight-Hennessy Scholars Program supports outstanding graduate students from around the world to pursue an eligible graduate degree at Stanford University in the United States.

The program offers scholars the opportunity to join a diverse, multidisciplinary community while participating in leadership development alongside their Stanford studies.

Final-year undergraduate students, postgraduate students and alumni with a clear vision for impact, and who intend to commence an eligible master’s or PhD program at Stanford in 2027, are encouraged to apply.

Applicants must submit two separate but concurrent applications: 

• one to the Knight-Hennessy Scholarship Program; and 
• one to their chosen Stanford graduate degree program.

• Current Students
• Future Students

• Centre for Aboriginal Studies
• Faculty of Business and Law
• Faculty of Health Sciences
• Faculty of Humanities
• Faculty of Science & Engineering
  • Science courses
  • Engineering courses
  • Western Australian School of Mines (WASM)

• Undergraduate
• Postgraduate coursework
• Higher Degree by Research

• Australian Citizen
• Australian Permanent Resident
• New Zealand Citizen
• Permanent Humanitarian Visa
• International Student

• Merit Based

The Knight-Hennessy Scholars Program may provide:

• funding for up to three years of graduate study at Stanford, depending on the length of the degree program
• a stipend for living and academic expenses, plus a travel stipend for one annual trip to and from Stanford
• leadership development opportunities

The Knight-Hennessy Scholars Program is open to citizens and residents of all countries and does not restrict applicants by age, institution, field of study or career aspiration.

To be eligible to apply, applicants must:

• have earned, in January 2020 or later, a U.S. bachelor’s degree or an equivalent qualification from a recognised college or university
• apply to, be accepted by and enrol in an eligible full-time Stanford graduate degree program
• meet one of the following conditions:
  • apply separately but concurrently to Knight-Hennessy Scholars and a full-time Stanford graduate degree program, commencing both in the same year 
  • have already received and deferred admission to a full-time Stanford graduate degree program, and apply to Knight-Hennessy Scholars so both commence in the same year 
  • be a current Stanford graduate student applying to add a new full-time Stanford graduate degree program, commencing both Knight-Hennessy Scholars and the new program in the same year 
  • be a current Stanford PhD student in the first year of enrolment, applying to begin Knight-Hennessy Scholars in the second year of PhD enrolment. 
     

Applicants must visit Knight Hennessy Scholars Program for full eligibility, selection criteria, funding and application details.

Apply online

Please go to Knight Hennessy Scholars Program to apply online.

Knight-Hennessy Scholarship Program applications close on 6 October 2026, 1:00 pm Pacific Time.

Selection criteria

In addition to meeting the eligibility criteria, the following three selection criteria must be demonstrated:

• Independence of Thought - 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
• Purposeful Leadership - Courageous leaders who are ethical, decisive, resilient, driven to achieve meaningful results, and motivated to inspire others to effect positive change at scale
• Civic Mindset - Collaborative community members who are humble, empathetic, trustworthy, oriented to act in service of others, and deeply passionate about contributing to the greater good

Applicants must visit Knight Hennessy Scholars Program for full eligibility, selection criteria, funding and application details.

Please note that applicants must also submit a completely separate application to a Stanford graduate degree program(s) by the closing date applicable to your degree program. Stanford application deadline varies by program and it’s an applicant’s responsibility to submit the degree program application by the closing date. 

Please refer to the Stanford Graduate Admission website to determine the admission criteria, application details and closing date.

Applicants must visit Knight Hennessy Scholars Program for full eligibility, selection criteria, funding and application details.

Applicants can access resources, including webinars and FAQs, via the above website.

Curtin Careers

Develop a high-quality application with guidance available via curtin.edu/careers.

• One to one career conversations
• Applications support
• Resume reviews
• UniHub Resource Library

Curtin Scholarships Office

For more assistance from Curtin Scholarships Office, please email scholarships@curtin.edu.au.