The 2024 cohort of Knight-Hennessy Scholars at Stanford University has been announced.
The new cohort consists of 90 scholars from 30 countries, making it the largest class in the program’s history. They will pursue degrees in 45 graduate programs across all seven graduate schools at Stanford. Brief biographies of all the scholars can be found here.
The Knight-Hennessy program is a highly competitive, multidisciplinary scholarship for graduate students attending Stanford University. It provides up to three years of tuition support for students enrolled in Stanford’s graduate or professional programs. In addition, the scholars receive a financial stipend for living and academic expenses, as well as a stipend for travel.
While pursuing their advanced studies at Stanford, the scholars also participate in a range of workshops, mentoring and other experiences designed to prepare them for future leadership roles in their various fields of study. Those experiences are organized under the King Global Leadership Program, a core component of the Knight-Hennessy Scholars.
“With each new cohort of scholars I am even more encouraged about the future,” said John L. Hennessy, Stanford University president emeritus and the Shriram Family Director of Knight-Hennessy Scholars, in the university release. “The challenges our world faces are only growing more complex, which validates the importance of our mission here.”
The 2024 scholars are a diverse group. Almost half (47%) hold a non-U.S. passport, 49% of the scholars from the U.S. identify as a person of color, and 11% have served in the U.S. military.
The scholars earned their undergraduate degrees at 60 different colleges and universities, including 12 international institutions. Twenty-two percent are the first in their family to graduate from college. The cohort includes, for the first time ever, scholars who are citizens of Austria, Bahrain, Belarus, Bolivia, Bulgaria, France, and Sri Lanka.
Of the new cohort, 36% of the scholars will be attending either law school or medical school at Stanford; 47% will be pursuing a doctoral degree, and 22% will be studying for a master’s degree. Engineering (24%), medicine (19%), and business (18%) are the three most popular fields of study for this year’s group.
The seventh cohort brings the total scholar count to 514 to date, beginning with the inaugural group that enrolled in 2018.
“Each scholar brings a unique perspective to our growing community,” said Tina Seelig, executive director of Knight-Hennessy Scholars. “It is inspiring to see them build ties and gain knowledge across disciplines, cultures, and ideologies, contributing to their ability to address the world’s biggest challenges.”
Begun in 2016, the Knight-Hennessy Scholars program is named for Phil Knight, philanthropist and co-founder of Nike Inc., and John Hennessy, chairman of Alphabet Inc. and president emeritus of Stanford (2000-2016). According to Stanford, the Knight-Hennessy Scholars is the largest fully endowed graduate fellowship in the world, with an endowment of about $750 million. Phil and Penny Knight donated $400 million in 2016 to launch the program.