Transfer Requirements & Process

School Reports & Transcripts

We prefer that schools send reports and transcripts electronically via the Common Application Web site; however, schools may submit them for paper delivery.  You can only download the Secondary School Report (required) from the Common Application Web site.  There, you can also download the College Official’s Report (required) and the International Supplement to the Secondary School Report (only required for international students). Usually your college transcripts will be submitted with the College Official’s Report but you should request official college transcripts be sent from your school’s registrar.  It is your responsibility to ensure we receive all of your transcripts.

School personnel have many forms and supporting documents to complete and will appreciate receiving these forms from you as soon as possible. If they are not equipped do so electronically, your college official will need to mail these forms directly to our office; please download the forms from the Common Application Web site and provide your school official with the appropriate Stanford mailing label.

Secondary School Report Form

The Secondary School Report allows your former college counselor or other school administrator who may know you well to tell us about you: your energy and enthusiasm for the life of the mind, your impact on your school community, and your academic strength in relation to that of your classmates. The information gleaned from this form also sets your academic experience in context for us: how many of your classmates went on to attend a four-college, what kinds of advanced or accelerated courses (if any) did your school offer, the size of your class and more. This information is important to us as we assess your achievements within your school environment first, and then later within our overall applicant pool.

College Official's Report Form

The College Official's Report allows your academic dean, advisor, or other school administrator a chance to tell us about you and your academic strengths in relation to your peers. The information gleaned from this form also sets your academic experience in context for us: how large was your entering class, what kinds programs are offered at your current institution, the diversity of faculty perspectives and so on. This information is important to us as we assess your achievements within your school environment and within our transfer applicant pool.

Transcripts

You must submit official high school and college/university transcripts. If you have attended more than one high school, you must submit an official transcript from each school if the grades from the earlier school(s) do not appear on your last high school transcript. You must submit official transcripts for any coursework taken at any college or university.

Among the most important documents in your file and the very first we will look at are your high school and college/university transcripts.  If you are applying during your first year of college/university, your high school transcript will carry more weight. Conversely, if you are applying during your second year of college/university, or later, your college/university transcript will receive more attention.

For traditional-age college students, we will focus our evaluation on your choice of coursework and your performance in 10th, 11th and 12th grades, mainly in the core academic subjects of English, math, social studies, science, and foreign language. We want to see that you challenged yourself by taking some of the accelerated, honors, Advanced Placement, or International Baccalaureate courses, if they were offered at your school.

Your college/university transcript should reflect that you have taken a rigorous and balanced college/university load distributed among the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. And, if you have been in college/university for more than one year, we should see that you have begun to focus in a potential major area of study.