Kennedy Memorial Trust - Frank Knox Fellowships

What the Frank Knox Fellowship gives you

You get at least about EUR 32,000 (35,000 USD) per year for living costs during a 10-month academic year. You also get full Harvard tuition and your mandatory health insurance. Degree programmes that take more than one year are funded for up to two years, as long as you stay in good academic standing. One-year programmes, Special Students and Visiting Fellows get one year of funding. The award was set up in 1945 by Annie Reid Knox so that students from the UK could study for a graduate degree at Harvard University in the United States.

Who can apply

• Where you study: You take up a full-time graduate degree at Harvard, from PhD to LLM, MPH or similar, or a non-degree place as a Special Student or Visiting Fellow (short-term researcher without a degree). Degree students are preferred.
• Field of study: Any subject, except medical research and research-only posts. Part-time, online and Executive Education programmes do not count.
• Nationality and residence: You are from the United Kingdom and normally live there. You were mostly educated in the UK and have (or are about to finish) a UK university degree.
• Study stage: You are one of these three: currently at a UK university and graduating in 2025-26; already graduated from a UK university no earlier than 2021; or a UK PhD student who wants a year at Harvard as a Visiting Fellow.
• Where you are now: You are not already in the United States.
• Personal qualities: The committee looks for leadership potential, strength of character, a sharp mind, balanced judgement and commitment to democratic values.

How to apply

Apply online through the Frank Knox Fellowships website with a short essay and two referees. The deadline is 3 November. Shortlisted candidates are interviewed in person in January. Any award stays provisional until you win a place at Harvard, which you must apply for separately at your chosen graduate school.

How realistic are your chances?

This is a single high-profile award tied to one of the world's most competitive universities, so the field is strong and places are few. Beyond grades, the committee weighs leadership and character, and you also have to win Harvard admission on your own. If you are a UK graduate with an outstanding record and a clear plan for a specific Harvard programme, you have a real shot, but treat it as highly selective.