Lester Korn Scholarship Program
In honor of Korn Ferry’s late co-founder, Lester Korn, the Korn Ferry Charitable Foundation has established a scholarship program to assist children of Korn Ferry employees worldwide with undergraduate or graduate / postgraduate study at an accredited college, university, or equivalent.
Lester Korn Scholarship Program
The program is administered by Scholarship America®, the nation’s largest designer and manager of scholarships and other education support programs for corporations, foundations, associations, and individuals. Eligibility for individual programs is determined at the sole discretion of the sponsor and eligible applications are reviewed by Scholarship America’s evaluation team.
Eligibility
Applicants to the Lester Korn Scholarship Program must:
- Be children or legal wards of full-time, part-time, or temporary Korn Ferry employees who have a minimum of one-year employment with Korn Ferry. Employees must be employed directly by Korn Ferry at the time employment is verified (approximately May 2025)
- Be one of the following:
- High school seniors or students in their final year of upper secondary school or CEGEP
- Graduates of high school, upper secondary school, or CEGEP
- Current undergraduate or graduate / postgraduate students
- Be enrolled or plan to enroll in a full-time undergraduate or graduate / postgraduate course of study at an accredited college, university, or equivalent (length of course of study may vary from two to five years depending on location) for the entire upcoming academic year
- Be pursuing a bachelor’s or graduate / postgraduate degree or equivalent. Awards are not valid for vocational-technical/ polytechnical study
- Be an applicant who was not selected to receive a Lester Korn Scholarship award in 2024
Children or legal wards of the following individuals are ineligible to participate: Korn Ferry’s corporate executive leadership team, line of business leaders, regional and market presidents, country and office leaders; Korn Ferry Charitable Foundation’s directors, members and officers; and such others as Korn Ferry Charitable Foundation deems appropriate.
Selection of Recipients
Scholarship recipients are selected on the basis of:
- Academic record
- Demonstrated leadership and participation in school and community activities
- Work experience
- Statement of educational and career goals and objectives
- Unusual personal or family circumstances
- Financial need (if provided by applicant)
- An online recommendation
Academic evaluation will include a review of the grade/mark average based on the grading system used in the applicant’s country and a review of the results of academic examinations.
Selection of recipients is made by Scholarship America, the program administrator. In no instance does any officer or employee of Korn Ferry or the Korn Ferry Charitable Foundation play a part in the selection. Not all applicants to the program will be selected as recipients. All applicants agree to accept the decision as final.
Awards
If selected as a recipient, the student will receive a $10,000 award. Up to 50 awards will be granted. The awards will be paid in U.S. dollars (USD).
A scholarship is awarded for one academic year and is not renewable. Recipients may not receive an award in two consecutive years. Students are encouraged to apply each year they are eligible to do so. Only one student per household may be awarded a scholarship per award cycle.
Notification
All applicants will be notified in June.
Notifications are sent via email. When setting up your account, avoid using a school or work email. Instead, use an active, personal email address that you will continue to have access to.
Please make sure to add studentsupport@scholarshipamerica.org as well as the program email address as safe senders in your email contact list.
Payment of Scholarships
Scholarship America processes scholarship payments on behalf of the Korn Ferry Charitable Foundation. Payment will be made beginning in August.
Requirements
As part of your application, you must upload the following document(s):
- A current, complete transcript of grades. Grade reports are not accepted. Transcripts must display:
- Student name
- School name
- Grades
- Credit hours for each course and term in which each course was taken.
- Supplemental Financial Data Form (if needed)
- Non-U.S. Applicants must also provide a clear photocopy of secondary school credential / diploma / certificate if earned, and / or results of examinations
NOTE: If you are providing SAT or ACT test scores, and those scores are not listed on your high school transcript, you will need to upload a copy of your test score report(s) separately. If you are uploading a college transcript, those scores are not required
One online recommendation form must be submitted on your behalf no later than May 8, 2026 at 3:00 PM Central Time.
Your application is not complete unless all required materials are submitted electronically.
