Knight-Hennessy Cohort Profile

The 2026 Cohort in Numbers

Announced on 12 May 2026, the ninth cohort is the most global yet: 87 scholars from 31 countries, studying in 45 graduate programs across all seven Stanford schools.

Citizens of Croatia, Portugal, the United Arab Emirates and Uzbekistan joined for the first time. Scholars earned their undergraduate degrees at 58 institutions, 23 of them international and 21 represented for the first time. For comparison, the 2025 cohort had 84 scholars from 25 countries in 46 programs: 48% non-U.S. passports, 53% of U.S. scholars persons of color, 18% first-generation and 11% U.S. military.

Demographic Breakdown

Nationality distribution (earlier cohorts, approximate)

“Other” = Middle East, Oceania and other regions. In the 2026 cohort the U.S. share fell to 49%.

Top Stanford programs represented (approximate)

GSB = Graduate School of Business (MBA/MSx); H&S = Humanities & Sciences; the last row groups Education, Sustainability and joint degrees.

What This Tells You

Knight-Hennessy is not a scholarship dominated by Ivy League graduates from privileged backgrounds. A first-generation share of around one in five and a steady presence of military veterans tell a clear story: the program values diverse life experiences and non-traditional paths.

The program distribution shows that while the GSB (MBA) is the largest single program, it doesn't dominate. Scholars come from nearly every Stanford school, including less “obvious” programs in education, sustainability, and interdisciplinary degrees.

Cohort figures come from KHS’s 2025 and 2026 announcements. Regional and program percentages are approximate, based on publicly available data from KHS annual reports and cohort announcements.

What scholars actually do beyond their Stanford degree — the enrichment program that defines the KHS experience. King Leadership Program →