Application & Supplement

Complete and submit both the First-Year Application and Stanford Supplement online at The Common Application.  

First-Year Common Application

First-Year Common Application asks about personal information such as:

• Birthplace and date
• Citizenship
• Major and career interests
• Family background
• Academic honors, extracurricular involvement and work experience

Keep in mind that when you apply to Stanford, you apply to the university as a whole, not to a particular department or school. While we encourage you to indicate prospective majors and career interests, these selections are informational only. Stanford does not make admission decisions based on major interest.

You will also have the opportunity to tell us about yourself by writing a thoughtful and insightful personal essay.

The Stanford Supplement to the Common Application

Access the Stanford Supplement online at The Common Application.

1. Log in to your Common Application account.
2. Go to the “My Colleges” section and add Stanford University.
3. Select “Supplements.”

We recommend submitting the Stanford Supplement at the same time as the First-Year Common Application and fee or fee waiver request. Your application will not be reviewed unless all three are submitted successfully.

We view the Stanford Supplement as your opportunity to tell us about yourself by describing some of your favorite personal activities, social interests and writing thoughtful and insightful short essays. The Stanford Supplement helps us to understand your individual experiences and insights.

No two applicants in our pool are the same, so we take great care to ensure we review your application within the context of your surroundings. The information you provide about yourself on the Stanford Supplement assists us in interpreting and evaluating your transcript, test scores, essays and evaluation letters.