Henry Fund Eligibility

The Henry Fellowship is open to students of all nationalities and provides them with the opportunity to attend the Universities of Harvard or Yale as a Special or Visiting Student for the purpose of postgraduate study. The main criteria for candidates for the Fellowships are below.

Candidates must be:

• a full-time student at a *British or Irish University who has completed at least two years of full time undergraduate study by 1 January 2025

or

• a student in the first year of postgraduate study, where not more than year has passed from the time of taking their first degree at the *qualifying University.  

Other criteria

Candidates must be able to provide evidence of a very high and sustained standard of academic achievement. The Trustees also attach importance to other attainments and personal qualities relevant to the Founder’s intentions and so candidates should be able to show their wider involvement within the social, cultural and community life of their university. They should also be able to provide examples of their leadership skills.

Candidates should state their reasons for wishing to study in the United States, their plans for the future and also demonstrate how they believe they can make a positive contribution to their community.

In essence, the Trustees will consider not only the Fellow’s mental ability, but also their potential for full involvement in the intellectual, social and communal life of the host American university and how they intend to make their mark on public life.   

Eligible subjects

The choice of subject study to be undertaken by the Fellow can be regarded as unrestricted, provided the scheme of work meets with the approval of the Trustees and that of the American University. 

* Qualifying HEIs include all universities and equivalent higher education institutions with degree-awarding powers in the United Kingdom of Great Britain, Northern Ireland and in the Republic of Ireland.