Kennedy Scholarships

Kennedy Scholarships are awarded as part of the British national memorial to President Kennedy. They fund graduate study at two of the finest universities in the world:  Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. They provide generous support:  full tuition and health insurance fees; a stipend of $25,000; one return transatlantic airfare to Boston; an additional grant of $2,500 for summer travel in the US.

You may apply for graduate degree or non-degree/Special Student options across all the Schools at Harvard and MIT. For an unofficial summary of Master’s options at Harvard, please click here. For an unofficial summary of Master’s options at MIT, please click here.

Who is eligible?

British citizens at the time of application, normally resident in, and wholly or mainly educated in, the UK who:

• are studying for a first degree and due to graduate in the academic year 2013 – 14;
• are studying for a higher degree and due to graduate in the academic year 2013 -14;
• a graduate of a UK University or University College who has completed a first degree not earlier than 2009 and who has spent 2 of the 7 academic years prior to 01.09.2014 at a UK University or University College.

No application will be considered from any student already in the United States and Postdoctoral support is not awarded.   Marriage is not a bar to an award but there is no extra funding for a spouse.

How do I apply?

Kennedy Scholarships are not linked to particular graduate schools and programmes so, in the same application season as applying for a scholarship, applicants should also file an admissions application directly with the school of their choice, ensuring they meet all deadlines and eligibility criteria.

Kennedy Scholarship applications are made online, please click the Apply button below, and, in addition to an education summary, require a 1,000 word personal statement and the professional email of two referees who will be contacted automatically once a completed application has been submitted. For the full Prospectus, please click here.

Awards made at interview in January are provisional, pending the offer of university admission in the Spring.

What have recent Kennedy Scholars said about their experience?

Being a Kennedy Scholar at Harvard is a special experience: the dinners, the events, the DC trip… It added another dimension to my already brilliant year.

MIT is bursting with innovation…   I received a major internship opportunity through the MIT Alumni Network, being selected out of 22 MIT applicants…   I was very impressed by the Graduate Women at MIT programme.  All the women I have met through GWAMIT are interesting and incredibly motivated. I have made some great friends and this is definitely a network I will hold onto well beyond graduation.

My experience as a Kennedy Scholar has without a doubt changed my path and increased my confidence and ambition vastly.