I am from Canada. How do I apply for a Frank Knox Fellowship?

Up to three (3) Frank Knox Memorial Fellowships will be awarded to students from Canada for graduate study at Harvard University in academic year 2008-2009. Information pertaining to qualifications, application procedures and the candidate selection process is presented below:

Qualifications

1. Knox Fellowships are open to men and women who:

  • are citizens of Canada at the time of application and who are normally resident in Canada
  • have studied or are studying for a degree at a Canadian university which must be a member of or affiliated with a member of the AUCC (Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada) and have spent at least two of the last four years at university at the time of application
  • graduated no earlier than the spring of 2006 or will graduate before September 2008. Applicants to the Harvard Law School should have graduated no earlier than the spring of 2005.

2. No application will be considered from any student already in the United States.

3. Knox Fellowships are not awarded for undergraduate or postdoctoral study.

4. Each Knox Fellowship applicant must also submit an Application for Admission directly to the Harvard graduate or professional school of his/her choice. Knox Fellowships are awarded only to those candidates that gain admission to Harvard as full-time degree-program students or – as permitted by certain Harvard schools – as non-degree Special Students or Visiting Fellows. Applicants should contact the particular Harvard school they wish to attend for further information about degree and non-degree programs offered by that school. Each applicant must meet the particular admission requirements, timetable and deadlines of that school. Applicants are urged to begin correspondence with that school’s Admissions Office at the earliest possible date. Applicants should submit Applications for Admission to the appropriate school as early as possible and need not wait for the deadline.

5. Knox Fellowship applicants seeking admission to the MBA program at Harvard Business School should ideally have completed at least two years of full-time employment in industry, business or public service by September 2008.

6. Knox Fellowship applicants seeking admission to Harvard Law School should have completed their resident university education and hold a basic degree in Law before applying for an advanced degree program such as the Master of Laws (LLM).

Application Procedures

1. All those interested in applying must use the official Frank Knox Memorial Fellowships application form, which may be obtained from the AUCC in Ottawa (see contact information below). Please note that all application forms, essays and letters of endorsement/recommendation must be submitted in English.

2. The applicant must submit the original plus three (3) copies of the full application package directly to the AUCC postmarked no later than November 30, 2007. The full application package must include:

  • a completed Frank Knox Memorial Fellowships application form
  • an official and complete university transcript
  • a letter of endorsement from the Executive Head, Dean or Faculty or Department Head of the applicant’s university
  • the names and addresses of two (2) referees, each of whom should be asked by the applicant to complete the official Letter of Reference Form, which each referee should then send directly to the AUCC by November 30, 2007, (please note that responsibility for ensuring that Letter of Reference Forms are forwarded to the AUCC on time rests solely with the applicant – the AUCC does not pursue late reports from referees
  • a short essay – which must not exceed 1,000 words – providing an account of the applicant’s academic pursuits, intellectual interests, extra-curricular activities and the reasons for his/her desire to study at Harvard University; the essay should also explain the applicant’s plan of study at Harvard and his/her future plans.

Candidate Selection Process

1. Upon receipt by the AUCC, applications will be ranked nationally by a Selection Committee composed of senior faculty or academic staff from a cross-section of Canada’s higher education institutions. A limited number of finalists are then nominated to Harvard for final consideration.

2. Final selection of winners is made by Harvard’s Committee on General Scholarships based on the ranking of finalists provided by the AUCC and in consideration of Harvard’s admissions decisions for all short-listed candidates.

3. 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.

4. Mrs. Knox expressed the hope that recipients of Knox Fellowships, after gaining knowledge and experience from study in the United States, would return to their native countries to become leaders in their chosen fields.

For additional information, please contact:
Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC)
Canadian Awards Program
350 Albert Street, Suite 600
Ottawa, Ontario
K1R 1B1
www.aucc.ca