Kennedy Scholarship is awarded annually. Applications are invited during late summer and early autumn each year, with a deadline usually in October. Scholarships are offered for the following academic year.

Kennedy Scholarships

Scholarship applications should therefore be made in the same application season as an admissions application to Harvard and/or MIT.

Please note that these are entirely separate application processes, and candidates should ensure they submit their Harvard/MIT applications separately and according to the relevant deadline for their intended course.

Who is Eligible to Apply?

Those applying for awards must be all of the following:

1. British citizens;

2. ordinarily resident in the UK;

3. wholly or mainly educated in the UK prior to university;

4. Graduates of a UK university (with an undergraduate degree. Please note, the eligibility timeframe applies).

Please note that applications cannot be accepted from those already in the United States, and there is no additional funding for dependents. Potential applicants are welcome to contact the office for advice at any time during the year.

Scholarship Application Requirements

The Kennedy Scholarship competition for 2024-2025 has now closed. A new scholarship competition for 2024-25 will open next year.

Kennedy Scholarships are awarded annually to UK citizens for postgraduate study at Harvard or MIT.

Applications typically open in August and close in October, the year before your intended start date at Harvard or MIT.

The Kennedy Scholarship application consists of:

1. An online form that asks for some basic information about you and details of your intended Harvard/MIT program, and includes questions about your educational and professional experience.

2. A personal statement of up to 1000 words, which explains why you want to study at Harvard/MIT as a Kennedy Scholar.

3. Two references, ideally one academic and one professional.

If your scholarship application is shortlisted you will also be invited to an interview in London with the Kennedy Trustees.

You must apply separately to Harvard and/or MIT for admission to your intended postgraduate program. This may include taking standardized tests like the GRE if required for admission to your intended program.

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How to Apply

When the competition is open, an online application portal will be available on this page. This implies filling out an online application form, as well as writing an essay (which cannot be longer than 1,000 words) outlining one’s academic interests, extracurricular activities, and intellectual pursuits, as well as one’s motivations for wanting to study in the United States, course preferences, and future plans.

Additionally, applicants must supply the names and addresses of two referees who will be asked to submit letters of recommendation (please note these individuals will only be contacted once an application is submitted).

Shortlisted candidates will be invited to interview in January following the closing date, after which provisional awards will be offered. These scholarship offers can only be confirmed if candidates are admitted to Harvard or MIT.

Check here for more information

When Might I be Notified?

Applicants will be notified of the progress of their application by email, generally between the end of November and mid-December.

Since this is close to most of the Harvard and MIT deadlines, applicants should prepare their US application, along with any GREs and subject-specific tests, whilst they wait to hear from the Trust. Mid-December is too late to get everything completed.

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