Graduate Admissions

Summary

The Office of Graduate Admissions oversees the processing of applications, admissions, and matriculation for graduate programs. To be eligible for admission to graduate study, applicants must have a bachelor's degree or its equivalent and demonstrate English proficiency if English is not their first language. The university reserves the right to withdraw an offer of admission under certain circumstances, including misrepresentation in the application process or a serious lack of judgment or integrity.

Policy Statement

Stanford is committed to creating an inclusive, accessible, diverse and equitable university for all of our community members. Citizenship and immigration status are not a condition of admission to Stanford.

Admission to Graduate Programs

The Office of Graduate Admissions administers university-wide policies and systems to process the application, admission, and matriculation of applicants into graduate programs.  For the purposes of this policy, “graduate programs” refers to:

  • All degree programs in the Graduate School of Education, School of Engineering, School of Humanities & Sciences, and Doerr School of Sustainability.

  • All degree programs in the School of Medicine except the MD program and the MS program in Physician Assistant Studies.

To be eligible for admission to graduate study, applicants must hold, or expect to hold before enrollment at Stanford, a U.S. bachelor’s degree or its international equivalent from a college or university of recognized standing. Applicants whose first language is not English must demonstrate proof of English proficiency by submitting official scores from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).

A full listing of degree programs available on the application maintained by Graduate Admissions may be found on the Explore Programs page of the Graduate Admissions website. Out of the programs listed on this page, applicants may apply to no more than one program within an academic year (September to August). The only exception is within the Biosciences PhD programs, where applicants may apply for two programs within a single application. Violation of this policy will result in the administrative withdrawal of all subsequent applications submitted during the same academic year. The application fee will not be refunded for the withdrawn application(s).

Application deadlines and supplemental requirements vary by program. Each graduate program administers the review of applications, makes admission decisions, and issues offer letters to applicants, including offers of financial support.

Coterminal Degree Programs

This program permits matriculated Stanford undergraduates to study for a Master of Arts (M.A.) or Master of Science (M.S.) degree while completing their bachelor's degree(s) in the same or a different department. For eligibility requirements and application information, see Coterminal Admissions.

Admission to Professional Programs

For the purposes of this policy, “professional programs” refers to:

  • All degree programs in the Graduate School of Business and School of Law

  • The MD program and the MS program in Physician Assistant Studies in the School of Medicine

Business

Law

Medicine

MBA

PhD

JD

LLM, SPILS, JSD

MD

MS in Physician Assistant Studies

Contact Information

Graduate Admissions Office