Organization Description 

Knight-Hennessy Scholars is the largest university-wide, fully-endowed graduate fellowship in the world, funding up to three years of graduate study across all seven of Stanford's schools. The program develops visionary, courageous, and collaborative leaders committed to addressing the world's most complex challenges. Open to citizens and residents of all countries, KHS has no restrictions by age, institution, field of study, or career aspiration.

We are preparing to select our tenth cohort of scholars, consisting of up to 100 graduate students who will enroll at Stanford in the fall of 2027. 

Job Description 

Each year, the Knight-Hennessy Scholars admission team selects up to 100 scholars from an applicant pool of roughly 9000 applicants. Knight-Hennessy Scholars seeks thoughtful, dedicated, and caring individuals to review and evaluate applications for the 2027 intake and for future cohorts. 

Auxiliary application readers play a key role in this highly selective process by reviewing candidates’ applications (academic transcripts and test scores, research and career history, recommendations, essays, etc.). Each reader provides a written summary of an applicant’s independence of thought, purposeful leadership, and civic mindset, along with an overall recommendation.  

Application reading will be completed remotely but we prioritize local readers (within driving distance of Stanford) to facilitate training and calibration activities -- e.g., meetings with the Knight-Hennessy Scholars admission team, attending training in person, ongoing exposure to the program and scholars, etc. 

The pay rate for auxiliary application readers is $46/hour. 

Reading Season and Hourly Commitment

The position will start on August 24, 2026. Mandatory reader training will take place September 15-17, 2026. Readers will spend a few hours reviewing preparatory materials in the weeks prior to training. From mid-September to mid-December, the position will entail 20-30 hours per week. Deadlines are immovable, so the pace is intense even though the reading season is brief. 

(NOTE: For candidates external to Stanford, the minimum commitment is 20 hours per week. For Stanford employees, the minimum commitment is 10 hours per week.) 

To Apply 

Please email your resume and cover letter to khs-readers@stanford.edu by June 19, 2026. Applications submitted in any other manner cannot be considered. 

Hiring Timeline 

• May 15-June 19: applications accepted
• July 6-17: interviews and application reading exercises conducted with selected candidates

Timeline is approximate and subject to change based on application volume and organizational needs. Only candidates selected for interviews will be contacted.

Stanford is an equal employment opportunity and affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Qualifications and Requirements

• Experience working in admissions for highly selective undergraduate or graduate programs, or for competitive fellowship programs is a plus.
• A bachelor’s degree is required; a graduate degree is a plus. 
• Absolute dependability, with ability to meet deadlines and self-manage. 
• Commitment to sustain high-quality, highly cognitive, and emotionally involved work.
• Excellent critical thinking and independent judgment; strong reading, writing, and analytical skills; superb attention to detail; flexibility and adaptability; discretion with highly confidential information. 
• Ability to balance empathy for applicants and their varied lived experiences with rigorous and unbiased adherence to established evaluation criteria. 
• Knowledge of Stanford University and/or graduate school(s). 
• Comfort with technology and problem-solving basic issues. 
• Applicants must commit to completing 20-30 hours of application reading every week from mid-September to mid-December, 2026 (except the week of Thanksgiving). 
• Applicants must be able to attend all of reader training from September 15-17. We will offer a remote option but will prioritize candidates who can attend reader training in person. 
• Given the learning curve, the ideal candidate will commit for several admission cycles.

Please do not apply if there is or may be even the appearance of a conflict of interest with you serving as a reader. This includes but is not limited to: 

• you are a parent, guardian or relative of a current or future applicant.
• you may be a current or future applicant to KHS. 
• you are or will be involved in evaluating, selecting, coaching, or advising applicants to graduate or professional school programs or other competitive fellowships in the same admissions cycle. This includes, but is not limited to: roles in university admissions, fellowship selection committees, fellowship advising or admissions consulting/coaching (paid or unpaid).  Individuals in roles that involve non-admissions related mentoring or advising of prospective applicants (e.g., faculty, academic advisors) may serve as application readers only with full disclosure and must recuse themselves from reviewing any applicant with whom they have had prior interaction.
• you know of any other conflict of interest you may have. 

Please note that this is a temporary, non-benefit eligible position. Visa sponsorship is not available for this position. Applicants must be eligible to work in the United States and must perform all work while physically located in the United States for the duration of employment.