Certifications and Verifications
Third parties such as prospective employers, the government, or financial institutions may require proof of your Stanford University enrollment or degree completion status. You may request official certification documents for these purposes.
The following documents are available through the Office of the University Registrar:
- Enrollment Certification — confirms enrollment status at Stanford for each term.
- Degree Certification — confirms completion of a Stanford degree.
- Degree Certification for an H-1B Visa Application — confirms your completion of all requirements for a Stanford degree and its pending conferral. (For Winter quarter graduates only.)
- Statement of Completion — confirms that you have submitted an approved dissertation or thesis and will be recommended for a Ph.D., J.S.D., D.M.A. or Engineer degree.
The Office of Community Standards manages the Dean's Certification process. (This is the certification process typically requested for law schools, FIPC, State Boards of Law Examiners, medical/veterinary school, etc.)
Further descriptions and links to instructions for requesting these letters are available below.
Enrollment Certification
Stanford University certifies current or past enrollment. Stanford cannot certify enrollment for future quarters (even for the current academic year).
An enrollment certification — also referred to as enrollment verification — contains information about your enrollment status at Stanford for each term.
- Your name
- Your enrollment history
- Quarters enrolled
- Start and end dates of each quarter
- Status: less than 1/2; half-time; full-time
- Expected graduation date
It does NOT include individual course/grade/unit information, GPA, or class rank.
This table summarizes how Stanford defines enrollment status:
| Career | Full-time | Half-time | Less than half-time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Undergraduate | 12 or more | 8-11 | 7 or less |
| Graduate | 8 or more | 6-7 | 5 or less |
| GSB (MBA) | 11 or more | 6-10 | 5 or less |
| LAW | 9 or more | 6-8 | 5 or less |
| Medicine (MD) | 9 or more | 6-8 | 5 or less |
| Graduate (Graduation Quarter) | Considered full-time when enrolled in an 801 or 802 course and in Graduation Quarter status. | ||
| TGR | Considered full-time when enrolled in an 801 or 802 course and in TGR status. | ||
| Postdocs | Considered full-time. | ||
Note: Work necessary to complete units from previous quarters does not count toward the current quarter.
See How do I request an Enrollment Certification? for more details on obtaining your letter.
Degree Certification
Degree Certification (For Employers)
Stanford University has authorized the National Student Clearinghouse (NSC) to act as its agent for purposes of degree verification. The NSC is able to verify degrees for only those students who have not placed a privacy block on their academic record. The student's name when enrolled and date of birth are required for identification purposes and degree verification. An eight digit Student ID number, if known, will help complete the research request faster. Contact the National Student Clearinghouse for current degree information, instructions, and fees.
Degree Certification (For Alumni)
A Degree Certification confirms that you have completed your Stanford degree and that it has been officially conferred.
See How do I request a Degree Certification? for more details on requesting this document.
Degree Certification for an H-1B Visa Application
If you have completed all your degree requirements in the Winter term and require verification for your H-1B visa application before your degree is conferred, you may request a Degree Certification Letter for H-1B.
Because Winter degree conferral occurs after (or just before) the April 1 H-1B visa application deadline, the Registrar’s Office can provide you a letter verifying that you have completed all your degree requirements and will be recommended to the Faculty Senate for your degree conferral. The letter is not issued until the Office of the University Registrar receives verification that you have successfully completed all your degree requirements.
The Degree Certification Letter for H-1B states:
- that you have completed school and university degree requirements
- degree you will be awarded
- your anticipated degree conferral date upon approval of the Academic Senate of Winter degree candidates
The contents of your Degree Certification Letter for H-1B is fixed and will not be amended in any way. Enrollment verifications are not included.
See How do I request a Degree Certification for an H-1B Visa application? for more details on requesting your letter.
Statement of Completion
A Statement of Completion letter confirms that you have submitted an approved dissertation or thesis and will be recommended for a Ph.D., J.S.D., D.M.A. or Engineer degree by the Academic Senate. You can use this for postdoctoral appointments or to obtain employment before your degree is actually conferred.
See How do I request a Statement of Completion? for more details on requesting your statement.