Lester B. Knight, Jr. Scholarship Program: Eligibility, Deadline & How to Apply

Lester B. Knight believed that leaders in the engineering profession require a strong foundation in business, and that leaders in business benefit from a strong foundation in engineering.

The Lester B. Knight, Jr. Scholarship Program is designed to assist and encourage top students to earn M.Eng. and MBA degrees at Cornell. The scholarship is the result of a generous gift by Mr. Knight and the continuing support of his family.

Cornell Engineering and the Johnson School each make their admission decisions independently, but the scholarship decision is made jointly by both colleges.

Knight Scholarships may provide as much as $60,000. Knight Scholars receive a $15,000 tuition award per semester for up to two semesters while enrolled as graduate students in the M.Eng. degree program and a $15,000 tuition award per semester for up to two semesters while enrolled in an MBA degree program at Cornell. Students entering the M.Eng. Degree program with Knight Scholarships may apply to the Johnson School up to five years after M.Eng. graduation and retain the MBA portion of their Knight scholarships.

To be eligible for a Knight Scholarship, an applicant should be either:

• Entering into an eligible Master of Engineering (M.Eng.) degree program or
• A Cornell M.Eng. graduate entering into an MBA degree program at the Cornell Johnson Graduate School of Management

International students are eligible to apply for this award.

To be considered, students need to complete an online application for admission, write a 500-word essay and submit a one-page resume. The essay should describe experiences that motivated you to pursue engineering and business, student’s interests and achievements, and his/her future career goals.