Planning Ahead: One to Two Years Out.
If you might apply for the Menzies in a later round, the order matters. A place at Harvard comes first, and Harvard’s own deadlines fall around the same time as the Menzies round. This page sets out that order from the published rules.
Details checked 21 October 2026. The scholarship page and Conditions of Award published by the Australian National University (ANU), which administers the award, are the authority.
Admission to Harvard Comes First
The Conditions of Award (131/2025) make the award available to an applicant who “has applied for and has been admitted to a full-time residential postgraduate degree program at Harvard University” (clause 3(e)), and who intends to attend that program in person (clause 3(f)). The scholarship doesn’t get you into Harvard. You apply to the Harvard school separately.
The ANU lists the eligible levels of study as “Postgraduate/Masters, and Graduate certificate”. Past scholars include doctoral students, so if you are considering a PhD, ask the ANU before applying.
The Harvard Club of Australia says applications open in November each year and close by the following February, with interviews in March and April. The 2026 round ran from 12 December 2025 to 9 February 2026. The ANU scholarship page lists each round’s dates once they are set.
The Order of Things
Build the record the criteria describe
Selection is “based on academic merit, qualities of leadership and breadth of vision” shown through a commitment to contributing to Australia’s development (clause 5). Eligibility also asks for a bachelor’s degree with Honours, or an equivalent demonstration of academic excellence.
Choose a Harvard program
Pick a full-time, in-person program at an eligible level. Where Menzies Scholars study shows the schools and degrees past scholars took. Starting a postgraduate degree at another US university first would rule you out. Clause 3(d) requires that you have not been and are not enrolled in one.
Apply to Harvard
Each school sets its own deadlines. The dates each school had published when we checked are below.
Apply for the Menzies
Through the ANU. Applications usually open in November or December and close in early February. Check your eligibility and work through the application checklist.
Shortlisting and interview
Shortlisted candidates are usually told by early March and interviewed in March and April, and must disclose all other funding beforehand.
Take up the award
The award can’t be deferred (clause 7), and scholars must enrol, and stay enrolled, in a course load that meets their school’s program requirements (clause 8).
Published Harvard Deadlines
As each school’s admissions page published them when we checked on 21 October 2026. Dates change every cycle, so confirm them on the school’s page before you plan around them.
Harvard Law School
LL.M. Program, 2027–28
- Applications: due .
Harvard Business School
MBA, Class of 2029 (fall 2027 entry)
- Round 1: closed ; decisions 10 December 2026.
- Next Round 2: due (12:00 pm ET), decisions 25 March 2027.
Harvard Kennedy School
Master’s programs (MPP, MPA, MPA/ID, Mid-Career MPA), current cycle
- Next Applications: due (12 pm ET).
- Financial aid applications: due (12 pm ET).
Decisions are expected in mid-March.
Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
PhD and master’s programs
Deadlines vary by program and are given on each program’s page. Check the school’s admissions page.
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Master’s and DrPH programs (applied for through SOPHAS)
No dates are published on the page we checked. Check the school’s admissions page.
Harvard Graduate School of Education
Ed.M., current cycle
- Applications: due , decisions in early March 2027.
Harvard Graduate School of Design
MArch, MLA, MUP, MAUD, MLAUD, MRE, MDes, MDE and DDes, current cycle
- Applications: due (5:00 pm ET).
Decisions are usually released in mid-March.
Harvard Medical School
Master’s programs (each program sets its own dates)
- For example, the Master of Medical Sciences in Global Health Delivery (cohort entering in fall 2027): due .
Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
PhD, S.M. and M.E. programs (applied for through Harvard Griffin GSAS)
Applications go through Harvard Griffin GSAS, whose deadlines vary by program. Check the school’s admissions page.
If Your Harvard Decision Comes Later
Several schools release decisions in March, after the February close of recent Menzies rounds. On the schools’ pages, Harvard Business School’s Round 2 decisions are dated 25 March 2027, the Kennedy School and the Graduate School of Design expect mid-March, and the Graduate School of Education early March.
The Frank Knox Memorial Fellowship has the same overlap with its own deadline. Its FAQ says that “admissions decisions are typically made after the fellowship deadline”. That is Knox describing its own fellowship, not a Menzies rule.
For the Menzies, the published requirement is admission. If you are still waiting on a Harvard decision when applications close, check with the ANU Coursework Scholarships Office before you apply.
People and Funding
Talk with a past scholar
Many Menzies Scholars are happy to talk about applying to Harvard and the scholarship. Ask for an introduction and we’ll put you in touch where we can.
Other funding
If you are also looking at the Frank Knox, Fulbright, John Monash or Ramsay awards, read the Menzies rule on holding other scholarships (clause 3(h)) before you accept anything. The Menzies and other awards compares them.
You must also intend to return to Australia after your studies, or to work overseas representing Australia (clause 3(g)).