Our Scholarships
What we offer
- The opportunity to study at two of the world’s finest universities regardless of your financial circumstances.
- A Kennedy Scholarship typically covers the full costs of tuition and health insurance, and a means-tested bursary of up to $31,000 to cover living costs.
- A range of unique experiences, including a funded trip to Washington DC and the opportunity to apply for an additional grant of $2,500 to pay for summer vacation travel.
- The closing date for applications for a 2026/27 Kennedy Scholarship was 20 October 2025.
The Opportunity
Study at two of the world's finest universities – Harvard and MIT
A vibrant and dynamic learning environment
Both Harvard and MIT have exceptional faculty and their graduate programmes attract a diverse and high-calibre student body. Leading world figures in every field of endeavour regularly visit and Scholars use the opportunity to deepen their expertise, and to explore the diversity within their own and new fields altogether.
Friendships which last a lifetime
Scholars immerse themselves in the enriching and diverse culture of the US as part of a close-knit and supportive group of British graduates. These friendships, along with those newly formed in the classroom or lab, band or rowboat – and made during road trips across the country- stay with you forever.
Life-enriching opportunities
Almost all Scholars learn a language, try a new sport or take advantage of the many other opportunities available in New England – from Boston’s restaurants, museums and high culture to the bright lights of New York. From the annual ritual of the leaf ‘fall’ to the four-year presidential election cycle in nearby New Hampshire, the opportunity is unique.
Key steps
How to apply
1 Pre application checklist
Check you meet the eligibility criteria. To apply you must be all of the following:
- A British citizen
- Ordinarily resident in the UK
- Wholly or mainly educated in the UK prior to university and (or will be) a graduate of a UK university.
If you are a graduate applicant, you must have commenced your undergraduate studies at a UK university no earlier than 1 September 2016 and have since graduated with your first degree from a UK university. If you are studying for a first degree at a UK university and due to graduate in the academic year 2025-2026 you are also eligible.
Research your intended Harvard/MIT programme thoroughly and think about your future aims and intended impact – such as the ways in which studying at Harvard and MIT as a Kennedy Scholar will help you to have a wider positive impact on society. A Kennedy Scholarship can be used to fund a wide variety of programmes at MIT and across all the graduate schools within Harvard, including Special Studentship for those wanting a general programme of non-degree study.
Start application2 Create your application
Applications are made via completion of an online form and submission of an essay (which must not exceed 1,000 words) in which you will be asked to give an account of your academic pursuits and intellectual interests, reasons for your choice of course and institution, and your plans for the future.
You will also be asked to give the names and professional email addresses of two referees. The first should ideally have supervised some aspect of your academic work at university. The second may be non-academic but should be able to write pertinently in support of your choice of programme at this particular stage in your academic and professional career. These referees will be contacted automatically once you submit an application. Both references must be submitted online by 23.59 on Monday 27 October 2025 for the application to be accepted.
Candidates must, in the same application season as applying for a Kennedy Scholarship, make a separate and independent application for admission direct to their chosen programme at Harvard and/or MIT.
This application process is highly competitive and we encourage all candidates to also apply for financial support in your application to Harvard and/or MIT.
Start application3 Interview
If you are chosen to be taken forward in the process, you will be invited to attend an interview on either Tuesday 13 or Wednesday 14 January 2026. These interviews will take place in London, and interview candidates should ensure they can attend in person on the date requested.
A UK passport will be required to be shown at this time. Candidates selected to receive Scholarships will be notified following the interview stage – this is usually by the end of January (i.e. January 2026 for study in academic year 2026-27), but confirmation of the award cannot be made until May, when admission to Harvard or MIT has been secured. Those awarded Scholarships will later be asked to provide a medical certificate.
If you are awarded the scholarship, you will be expected to provide written or video updates or messages at intervals during the year, sharing your progress and detailing the impact of the Scholarship.
Please note that it is not possible for the Trustees to provide candidates with comments on unsuccessful applications at any stage of the process.
Start application
Application Process
FAQ
The timing of the Scholarship competition can vary from year to year, with applications opening in the late summer, usually in August. The deadline for completed applications is usually in October.
The Kennedy Trust awards Scholarships across the range of academic disciplines, and does not specify particular fields or programmes which applicants should pursue. Conveying your interest in, enthusiasm for, and future personal and professional impact of your proposed studies are important elements of a strong application. You should also demonstrate that you have thoroughly researched your proposed programme and have a clear case for why you wish to pursue it at this point in your career. Applicants with a strong public service ethos are particularly welcomed, with public service conceived broadly – as contributing in a significant way to local, national, or global communities through your academic research, voluntary activities, or future career.
Trustees will take into account candidates’ intellectual attainment, ability to express themselves, and a well-researched and argued case for their proposed course of study at Harvard or MIT at this point in their careers. Applicants should make clear why their proposed course in the US is particularly suitable, in light of similar opportunities available in the UK.
Trustees will also look for: originality of mind; commitment to public service; potential to make a mark in public life; ability to overcome adversity. Candidates who are re-applying should make clear the ways in which this application is different from previous submissions.
You should keep these selection criteria in mind when writing your personal statement, and should feel free to share them with your referees as they prepare letters of reference on your behalf.
We have additional information on this topic here.
You do not need a first class degree to apply for a Kennedy Scholarship. While academic excellence is something that the Trustees will evaluate as part of their assessment, the Trustees are not looking for a specific classification or grade so much as a holistic sense of your academic interests, specialisms, past performance, and potential as a graduate student.
If you are concerned about areas of your past academic performance, this is something you could discuss in your personal statement and address particular challenges you may have faced, skills you have enhanced, and ways in which you are now better placed
Yes. You can apply for programmes at both schools in the same application season, but should explain in your Kennedy Scholarship personal statement why each appeals to you. If offered a scholarship, choices would only have to be made after gaining admission.
Make a Difference
Support the next generation of scholars
You can support the next generation of Kennedy Scholars, enabling the leaders and change makers of tomorrow to learn, grow and evolve through study at Harvard and MIT.
If you have any questions about making a gift to the Trust or would like to discuss ways to support today’s scholars and future generations through mentoring, we would be delighted to talk to you – please contact us at info@kennedytrust.org.uk.
You can also make a donation through the link below. If you intend to donate so that we can support scholars for another 60 years, continuing to champion the values of intellectual endeavour, leadership, and public service, thank you.
The Kennedy Memorial Trust is a registered UK charity (no. 234715) and a 501(c)3 nonprofit in the United States.
