Frank Knox Fellowships were established in 1945 by Mrs Annie Reid Knox as the Frank Knox Memorial to enable students from the UK, along with those from Australia, Canada and New Zealand, to undertake graduate study at Harvard University. Knox had a rich and varied career – as a newspaper publisher, a soldier, a vice-presidential candidate, and as US Secretary of the Navy in the 1940s – and was a highly regarded politician and businessman. He championed the concept of democracy as government of the people and believed strongly that cross-cultural exchange between Britain and the US was vital for international peace.
In accordance with the Deed of Gift, special regard will be given to personal qualities in the awarding of Frank Knox Fellowships:
“Candidates will be selected on the basis of future promise of leadership. Strength of character, keen mind, a balanced judgment, and devotion to the democractic ideal will be the qualities borne in mind in making the final selection.”
A Knox Fellowship pays full Harvard tuition and mandatory health insurance fees and provides a stipend sufficient to cover the living expenses of a single Fellow for a 10-month academic year. Knox Fellowship funding is guaranteed for up to two years for students in degree programmes requiring more than one year of study. The Committee on General Scholarship, which administers the Fellowship, will consider applications for further funding beyond the second year on a case-by-case basis.
A Knox Fellowship award does not guarantee admission to Harvard. Applicants should therefore submit an admissions application directly with the Harvard Graduate School of their choice. The award of a Knox Fellowship, at interview in January, is contingent upon the applicant gaining admission to the University.
1. The President and Fellows of Harvard College have announced that Fellowships provided by Mrs Annie Reid Knox for the Frank Knox Memorial will be made available to enable students from the United Kingdom to study at Harvard University.
Recipients who are admitted to a Harvard degree program requiring multiple years of study are guaranteed two years of Knox funding, provided they remain in good academic standing. Degree candidates in their third year and beyond are eligible to apply for additional support. Recipients who are admitted to one-year degree programs or as Special Students or Visiting Fellows will, ordinarily, be guaranteed funding for one year.
2. Frank Knox Fellows must apply for and gain admission to one of the graduate or professional schools at Harvard University. The Fellows must be admitted to Harvard as full-time degree-program students or – as permitted by certain Harvard schools – full-time, non-degree Special Students or Visiting Fellows. Candidates should contact the particular Harvard School(s) they wish to attend for further information about degree and non-degree programs offered by the School(s). Preference will be given to candidates pursuing full-time degree programs.
3. Candidates seeking admission to the Law School should note that the School requires students to have completed their resident university education and have graduated from their basic degree in Law by the time they would take up a place on an advanced (Master of Laws) degree program.
4. UK-registered PhD students who will apply for a Visiting Fellowship should not have written up or submitted their PhD by the end of their year at Harvard.
5. Knox Fellowships are not awarded for postdoctoral study at Harvard.
6. It is absolutely vital that each candidate file an ADMISSIONS APPLICATION directly with the Graduate School of his/her choice at Harvard University; and each candidate must meet the admission requirements and timetable of the School concerned. Candidates are urged to begin correspondence with the particular School at the earliest possible date. Admission to a School is a prior condition of the award of a Knox Fellowship. Contact addresses for the various Graduate Schools are listed below:
Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
Admissions Office, Holyoke Center, 3rd Floor, 1350 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge MA 02138
www.gsas.harvard.edu
Special Student and Visiting Fellow Office
Holyoke Center, 3rd Floor, 1350 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge MA 02138
Email: special@fas.harvard.edu www.gsas.harvard.edu (then click on non-degree programs)
Harvard Business School
MBA Admissions Office, Dillon House, Soldiers Field Road, Boston MA 02163
www.hbs.edu
Harvard Divinity School
Admissions Office, 14 Divinity Avenue, Room 214, Cambridge MA 02138
www.hds.harvard.edu
Harvard Kennedy School
Admissions Office, 79 John F Kennedy Street, Cambridge MA 02138
www.hks.harvard.edu
Harvard School of Public Health
Admissions Office, 158 Longwood Avenue, Boston MA 02115
www.hsph.harvard.edu
Graduate School of Design
Admissions Office, 422 Gund Hall, 48 Quincy Street, Cambridge MA 02138
www.gsd.harvard.edu
Graduate School of Education
Admissions Office, 111 Longfellow Hall, 13 Appian Way, Cambridge MA 02138
www.gse.harvard.edu
Harvard Law School
Graduate Program Office, 1557 Massachusetts Avenue – LILC 203, Cambridge MA 02138
www.law.harvard.edu
Main Harvard website – www.harvard.edu
Candidates should submit applications for admission to the appropriate School at the earliest possible time and need not wait for the deadline.
7. The value of each Fellowship is at least $25,000 plus tuition and health insurance fee per annum. This should be adequate for the expenses and support of an unmarried Fellow who, it is hoped, will secure housing in one of the university dormitories or halls. Travel grants are not awarded but in cases of severe hardship application can be made to Harvard for financial assistance towards travel costs.
Qualifications
8. The Fellowships advertised in the United Kingdom are open to:
men and women who are British citizens at the time of application, normally resident in the United Kingdom, who:
(a) are studying for a first or higher degree and will graudate in the academic year 2011-12; OR
(b) are a UK-registered PhD student hoping for an additional year as a Visiting Fellow at Harvard; OR
(c) have completed a first or higher degree and graduated no earlier than 2007.
Please note that persons who graduated before 2007 will not be eligible to apply.
9. No application will be considered from any student already in the United States.
10. In accordance with the Deed of Gift, special regard will be given to personal qualities. The following is an extract from the Deed:
“Candidates will be selected on the basis of future promise of leadership. Strength of character, keen mind, a balanced judgment, and devotion to the democratic ideal will be the qualities borne in mind in making the final selection. The Frank Knox Memorial Fellowships were established in the conviction that co-operation between the British Commonwealth and the United States of America based on an informed and understanding contact of the peoples of these two great countries is an essential to international peace.”
11. Mrs Knox expressed the hope that holders of the Fellowships, after gaining knowledge and experience from study away from the United Kingdom, would return to their homes to become leaders in their chosen fields.
Applications
12. All candidates should submit a completed online application by the deadline: midnight on Sunday 30th October 2011.
References must be submitted online by midnight on Sunday 6th November.
13. The application should also contain a short essay (which must not exceed 1,000 words) giving an account of their academic pursuits, general activities and intellectual interests, plus reasons for wishing to study in the United States and for the choice of course and institution, plus their plans for the future.
14. Candidates will be informed as soon as possible after the closing date whether they have been selected for interview. The interviews of shortlisted applicants will be held in London on Friday 27th January 2012 and candidates will be responsible for ensuring they attend in person if requested.
Frank Knox Memorial Fellowships
3 Birdcage Walk
Westminster
London SW1H 9JJ
