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DEMONSTRATED INTEREST
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HOW TO RECEIVE MATERIALS FROM OUR OFFICE
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OUR SELECTION PROCESS
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APPLICATION DEADLINES
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APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS
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RESTRICTIVE/SINGLE-CHOICE EARLY ACTION VS. REGULAR REVIEW
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APPLYING AS AN INTERNATIONAL STUDENT
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APPLYING AS A TRANSFER STUDENT
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FINANCIAL AID
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DEMONSTRATED INTEREST
Does Stanford show preference in the admission process for students who have demonstrated their interest by visiting, calling and emailing?
Not at all. Contacting the Admission Office is neither a requirement nor an advantage in our admission process. We offer campus tours and information sessions to provide you with the information you need to make an informed college choice, not to evaluate you. And we welcome calls and emails for the same reason. Please do not feel compelled to contact us to demonstrate your interest in Stanford; we know by the very fact of your applying that you are seriously interested in Stanford. We don’t keep records of prospective student contacts with our office.
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Would attending Stanford’s Summer Session before the senior year improve one’s chances for freshman admission?
Not in terms of signifying added interest in Stanford (see above). But what taking enrichment and advanced courses might do, wherever they are taken, is indicate to us your enthusiasm for a subject area, or your excitement about discovery. The fact that you are taking summer or enrichment programs is not in and of itself the value-add to your application; it is what you take from that experience, how you share that experience with us through your essays, and how that experience has enhanced your intellectual life that is of importance.
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I have an extraordinary talent in a particular sport and am interested in pursuing it at the varsity level at Stanford. How can I get more information about becoming a recruited athlete?
Athletes with outstanding records and achievements should contact the coach of the sport directly to indicate a desire to participate in varsity athletics. If the coach does not already know about you and is not actively recruiting you, he or she can provide an assessment of your competitiveness in the Stanford athletic program.
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HOW TO RECEIVE MATERIALS FROM OUR OFFICE
I am a prospective student; how do I get on Stanford’s mailing list?
Simply enter your current information on our Information Request Form, and we’ll send you the appropriate information.
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I am a college counselor and would like to receive materials for my students; how can I request this?
Stanford mails counselor packets to high schools on our mailing list each fall. We also send an annual counselor newsletter. If you have not been receiving these mailings, please call our office and ask that you be added to our counselor/school list. You can also view our application instructions and Viewbook (PDF) online.
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How do I get a video, pennant, or other Stanford paraphernalia?
At this time, Stanford does not send such items. You can purchase Stanford logo items through the Stanford Bookstore, however.
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OUR SELECTION PROCESS
What is Stanford looking for? What are my chances of being admitted?
It is nearly impossible to estimate the likelihood of a particular student being admitted without reading his or her entire set of application materials and without knowing more about the particular pool of which he or she will be a part. We look for eager, highly engaged students who will bring a high degree of intellectual energy and creativity to Stanford, and who have taken a reasonably challenging course load, selecting from among the most demanding courses available to them, in a broad, liberal arts program.
While the majority of our strongest candidates have an unweighted GPA between 3.6 and 4.0 as well as SAT verbal/critical reading and math scores of at least 650 each, there are no minimum figures set for grade point average, test scores, or rank in class.
Please see the Profile of our most recently admitted freshman class, but remember that statistics cannot possibly predict your chances of admission. Our admission process goes beyond any numerical formula. Keep in mind that we have no cut-offs or targets.
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What are the average standardized test scores for admission to Stanford?
While we know that scores on standardized tests do not always accurately portray a student’s abilities, they still play a helpful role as one piece of an application. Every applicant to Stanford must submit either SAT Reasoning Test or ACT scores. For either test, we will look at the best scores submitted.
For the entering class of Fall 2006, 65% had SATV scores between 700-800 and 72% had SATM scores in that range. Please see the Profile of our most recently admitted freshman class, but remember that statistics cannot possibly predict your chances of admission. Our admission process goes beyond any numerical formula. Keep in mind that we have no cut-offs or targets.
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What kind of high school curriculum should I take to gain admission to Stanford?
We don't have a required high school curriculum, but we do make some recommendations. We expect that you have taken a rigorous curriculum and chosen from among the most demanding courses available to you. It isn’t necessary to have loaded your schedule with every advanced course offered at your school. But if such courses are available to you, we expect that you have taken advantage of many of them.
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Does Stanford value one type of high school over another, one part of the country over another?
Stanford has no quotas of any kind and welcomes applicants and students from every state in the country, from public and private schools, from large urban areas and small rural communities and everything in between. Typically, 65-70% of our students come from public high schools and 30-35% of our students come from private high schools, both independent and church-based. We receive applications from more than 5500 different high schools each year.
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How important is high school rank and GPA?
We will look at your choice of coursework and your performance in 10th and 11th grades in the core academic subjects of Math, English, Social Studies, Science, and Foreign Language. We want to see that you have challenged yourself by taking some of the accelerated, honors, Advanced Placement, or International Baccalaureate courses, if they are offered at your school.
We also take into consideration differences in school environments. Through experience and research, we know that a lower GPA at one school may be stronger than the highest GPA at another school. We look to see how you have done within your unique school environment, how you have taken advantage of what was available to you in your school and community. Typically our admitted students have unweighted GPAs in the range of 3.6-4.0 and are within the top 10% of their high school classes, for those schools that rank.
Please see the Profile of our most recently admitted freshman class, but remember that statistics cannot possibly predict your chances of admission. Our admission process goes beyond any numerical formula. Keep in mind that we have no cut-offs or targets.
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Do you factor in AP, IB, and honors grades and scores?
We look for eager, highly engaged students who will bring a high degree of intellectual energy and creativity to Stanford, and who have taken a reasonably challenging course load, selecting from among the most demanding courses available to them, in a broad, liberal arts program. If your school offers advanced or accelerated classes, however they are designated, we expect that you will take advantage of many of those courses; we do not ask that you take all of them. If your school does not offer such programs, you are not at a disadvantage in our process, as we take into consideration your school context.
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How much weight do you place on extracurricular activities?
In addition to academic excellence and intellectual vitality, we are interested in students who have made significant contributions to the life of their school or community. We do not favor one type of activity over another; nor is it necessary to participate in a large number of activities. An exceptional experience in one or two activities demonstrates your passion more than minimal participation in five or six clubs. We want to see the impact your participation has had on that club, in your school, or in the larger community. With extracurricular activities, a sustained depth of commitment is more important than a long list of clubs you have joined.
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Does Stanford practice Affirmative Action?
Stanford has a strong commitment to admitting and enrolling a student body that is both highly qualified and diverse. We read all applications with a sensitive awareness to the applicant’s personal experiences, family background, and potential to add to the rich and dynamic texture of our campus. We recognize special circumstances, and we pay close attention to the unique educational contexts and life experiences of students from low-income families and nontraditional backgrounds. We believe that diversity is essential to the educational process and that it affects the student body in all of the ways that our students experience the University. At a place like Stanford, where students learn so much from one another, a dynamic range of perspectives and experiences influences learning both in and out of the classroom. We are committed to making Stanford as strong a university as possible, and this entails enrolling the most promising students from all backgrounds.
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Is there any special preference given to children of Stanford alumni?
Children and stepchildren of parent(s) who have earned either an undergraduate, graduate or professional degree from Stanford are considered “legacies” in our application process. The definition does not extend to an applicant whose grandparents, siblings, or other relatives earned Stanford degrees. No students are ever admitted simply because they are a legacy applicant, but that connection may give them a slight advantage over a similarly competitive non-legacy applicant.
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Can my extraordinary talent in the fine arts influence my admission decision?
Applicants with extraordinary talent in the fine or performing arts who intend to participate and/or study in one of the arts areas while at Stanford, even if not majoring in the arts, may submit supplementary materials following specific guidelines for review by appropriate faculty members. Such applicants are expected to have previously received significant recognition for their talent, usually at the regional, state, national or international level. You should use the appropriate Fine and Performing Arts Form found on our website and submit the form and required materials by the stated deadline. Late submissions will not be reviewed.
If all other aspects of your application are otherwise compelling, an outstanding review can make a difference in our evaluation of your application.
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Does Stanford take into account my family circumstances and background?
We know that no two applicants in our pool are exactly the same, so we take great care to ensure that we read your application “in context.” The information you provide about yourself on the Stanford Supplement to the Common Application assists us in interpreting and evaluating your transcript, scores, essays, and teacher recommendations.
Further, we know that each individual application demonstrates unique and diverse characteristics, including race, gender, your family’s socio-economic background, geography, age, religion, sexual orientation, and more. The information you provide us on the Common Application describes many of these factors, all of which we weave together with your academic information, achievements, recommendations, and essays to interpret and evaluate your application.
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APPLICATION DEADLINES
Is the Stanford application deadline a receipt date or a postmark date?
Our deadlines for Restrictive/Single-Choice Early Action, Regular Decision, and Transfer admission are all postmark dates.
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Do I stand a better chance of being admitted if I submit my application earlier than the stated postmark deadline?
The earlier you submit the Common Application and the Stanford Supplement the sooner we can create a file for you and track receipt of your application materials. However, applications submitted prior to the deadline do not receive preferential review.
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My test scores won’t be sent before the application deadline; what should I do?
Applicants should make sure they plan to take the required standardized tests in time for the score reports to be received by Stanford before we begin reviewing applications. Restrictive/Single-Choice Early Action applicants should take the tests no later than October, and Regular Decision applicants should take the tests no later than December. You should never request a ‘rush’ paper test report, as we prefer all of our scores to be submitted electronically by the appropriate testing agency and not in paper form.
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Does Stanford review late applications?
Due to the large volume of applications and the size of our incoming freshman class, we cannot review late applications.
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APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS
How many times can I apply for admission to Stanford?
Applicants may apply a total of three times for undergraduate admission (including both freshman and transfer admission). Applicants who apply more than three times will not be considered for admission.
What is the application fee and are there fee waivers?
Please submit the Common Application and the Stanford Supplement with the non-refundable $75 application fee as soon as you know you will apply to Stanford. Eligible students may submit a fee waiver in lieu of the application fee. Fee waivers should meet the guidelines by the College Board. We cannot accept personal requests for fee waivers.
What standardized tests are required?
We require either the SAT Reasoning Test or the ACT with Writing. We
recommend (but do not require) that you submit official results of at least
two SAT Subject Tests, as these additional scores often assist us in our
evaluation process. You are welcome to submit any and all SAT Subject Tests
you have completed. We do not have a preference for the specific SAT
Subject Tests you elect to take. However, if you elect to take a math test,
we do prefer to see the Math Level 2 test if you feel that your math
background has adequately prepared you for this test.
Because the SAT Reasoning Test or the ACT with Writing Test is required for
admission, you should be sure to take one of these tests before you take any
SAT Subject Tests.
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I took the ACT without Writing/SAT without Writing. Do I have to take them again?
Although you may have scores from older versions of the SAT or ACT before the Writing component was included, you will still need to take the new tests that include Writing.
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If I have already taken the ACT with Writing, can I re-take the ACT without Writing?
Yes. We will mix and match scores from different test dates to identify a new composite score that includes the highest ACT composite score and the highest ACT Writing score.
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Does Stanford accept the Common Application?
Yes, Stanford is a member of the Common Application. Please use the Common Application, along with the Stanford supplement, when applying to Stanford.
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Do I need to arrange for an interview?
No. Stanford does not require, nor do we even offer, interviews.
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Do I need to submit all the application pieces at the same time?
No, although some students and schools do; you must, however, submit the Common Application and the Stanford Supplement to the Common Application at the same time. Your teacher evaluations, your counselor evaluations and high school transcripts can be sent separately. Please make certain that you use the mailing labels provided. It is best that you submit the Common Application and the Stanford Supplement to the Common Application as soon as you know you are going to apply to Stanford so we can create a file for you and place documents received later in that file.
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Does Stanford prefer the online or paper application?
Both forms of our application receive equal weight in our review process; there is no preference given to one over the other. However, only paper applications approved by the Office of Undergraduate Admission will be reviewed. If a paper application is submitted without approval from the Office of Undergraduate Admission that application will be returned.
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How do I check to see if you have received all of my documents?
We will email you if your file is incomplete, although due to the volume of mail we receive, we may not contact you until a few weeks past the application deadline.
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Can I submit additional letters of recommendation?
Yes, you may submit one additional letter of recommendation if you have another person, not a teacher or counselor, who knows you well and will provide us with information about you that your other recommenders will not. We ask that you instruct your additional recommender to place your full name--as listed on your application, your birth date and your current high school at the top of the recommendation letter. Please remember that a letter from a famous person or Stanford alumnus is not going to help us reach a decision if that person is unable to add new insights to your application.
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Can I submit additional materials with my application? Does it help to send in writing samples, poetry, research papers, high school projects, original computer programs, or any other special work I’ve done while in high school?
We ask that you not submit résumés or additional materials beyond what we specifically request. Please use the forms, questions, and spaces allocated in our application, no more, no less. We are not able to review or return your supplementary materials.
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My answers and essays won’t fit in the space provided; may I attach extra sheets?
Please do not attach extra sheets except in those places where we specifically indicate you may. We have provided the appropriate amount of space and ask that you edit your short and long essays accordingly, and select only your most significant awards and activities to share with us. We do not expect you to list every activity nor write us a novel. Please do not submit supplementary materials in support of your application.
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Stanford requests teacher evaluations from those I’ve had in grades 11 and/or 12. Can I submit a letter from a teacher who taught me outside those grades?
We strongly request that the only teacher evaluations you submit be from teachers who have taught you in grades 11 and/or 12. While we will review recommendations from teachers in other grades, we advise our applicants to adhere to our request above and to not submit additional teacher evaluations.
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I changed high schools; do I need to submit anything from my former school?
Yes, you must, at the very least, submit an official high school transcript from your other high school, even if those grades also appear on your current high school transcript. If you will graduate from a school other than the one you attended in the previous year, you must also ask the college counselor at that previous high school to complete and submit another Secondary School Report, for us. You may photocopy the original form for this purpose.
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Do I need to submit transcripts from summer programs and college courses I’ve taken?
You must submit official transcripts for any college course you have taken, whether during the academic year or the summer.
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Do I need to declare a major when I apply to Stanford?
No. All applicants apply to Stanford through the Office of Undergraduate Admission, not to a particular school or department within the University, and Stanford does not give preference to any major. Once enrolled, you are free to explore from among more than 64 majors and you do not need to declare a major until the end of your sophomore year.
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If I previously applied for freshman or transfer admission, is it necessary to submit an entirely new application?
If you applied to Stanford previously, either for freshman or transfer admission, you must submit a new application, using the application forms designed for the fall term and year you intend to enroll.
- You do not need to submit new test scores if you submitted official test results to us from the SAT Reasoning Test with Writing or the ACT with the optional Writing Test; however, stronger, more recent results should be submitted.
- If you are applying for transfer admission, you do not need to submit a new Secondary School Report if one was submitted within the last three years from the high school from which you graduated.
- If you were a previous freshman applicant and are now applying for transfer admission, you will need to submit your final high school transcript to us; in most instances we will have the final high school transcripts for transfer applicants who applied within the last three years.
No other parts of your previous application may be reused.
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Is anything in the admission process different if I am a home-schooled student?
You should provide a detailed description of your curriculum when you apply, but it is not necessary to follow a prescribed or approved home-schooling program. Unlike our more traditional applicants who are asked not to submit supplementary materials, you may provide us with course syllabi, portfolios, and other materials that will assist us in understanding the context of your educational experience and evaluation process. In all other respects, you should follow the same instructions and guidelines for applying to Stanford.
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RESTRICTIVE/SINGLE-CHOICE EARLY ACTION VS. REGULAR REVIEW
Should I apply Restrictive/Single-Choice Early Action?
If you have completed a thoughtful and thorough college search and know that Stanford is truly your first-choice school, and if your test scores and high school academic record are as strong as they are going to be so we do not need to see your fall semester senior-year grades or you do not need the benefit of another test date, then Restrictive/Single-Choice Early Action may be right for you. Do not rush to apply early if you are not fully prepared to submit the strongest application you can.
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Is there an advantage to applying early?
Although our admit rate for Restrictive/Single-Choice Early Action is slightly higher than our overall admit rate (20% vs. 10% in 2007), that does not represent a significant advantage over Regular Decision. Our early pool of applicants is a very strong group and the admit rate is a reflection of that strength, not of any preference on our part to admit students earlier. We remain committed to reserving the majority of our offers of admission for the Regular Decision cycle.
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Stanford is my first-choice school and I want to apply early, but I’m also interested in another school that requires I apply early there. Are there any exceptions to Stanford’s single-choice restriction?
Yes. We recognize that some state universities and some special programs require you to apply “early,” so we have determined that you may apply early to Stanford and apply early to another school under the following conditions:
- Any school, public or private, under a non-binding Rolling Admission option
- Public colleges or universities under a non-binding Early Action program
- Foreign colleges or universities on any application schedule
- Schools whose early application deadlines are a requirement for consideration for special academic programs or scholarships only if the notification of admission occurs after January 1
- Schools under an Interim Decision program only if the notification of admission occurs after January 1.
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I’ve applied Restrictive/Single-Choice Early Action but want to change my status to Regular Decision; how do I do that?
You must write or fax us a letter requesting this change. We must receive your request no later than December 1. We cannot honor a request after that date and will evaluate your completed file under Early Action. Incomplete Early Action files will not be converted automatically to Regular Decision; such files will be deemed withdrawn and will not be reviewed for admission.
Please see the next question if changing from Regular Decision to Restrictive/Single-Choice Early Action.
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I’ve applied Regular Decision and now know that Stanford is my first-choice school; may I change to Restrictive/Single-Choice Early Action?
Yes, as long as the Early Action deadline of November 1 has not passed. To change from Regular Decision to Restrictive/Single-Choice Early Action, you must:
- Write or fax us a letter requesting this change; we must receive your request by the Early Action deadline of November 1 (postmark);
- Print out and sign the Restrictive/Single-Choice Early Action signature page from the Stanford Supplement to the Common Application; and
- Withdraw any other early applications you may have submitted, with the exceptions of those meeting the allowances stated above.
Please see the question above if changing from Restrictive/Single-Choice Early Action to Regular Decision.
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Should I apply for freshman or transfer admission?
You should apply as a freshman applicant if:
- you are currently enrolled in high school, or
- you are concurrently enrolled in high school and college/university, or
- you have completed high school and are enrolled in college/university on a part-time basis and have accumulated fewer than 26 semester or 39 quarter units of transferable course credit by the time you transfer.
You should apply as a transfer applicant if:
- you have been enrolled full-time in college/university after leaving high school, or
- you have attended college/university on a part-time basis and you have accumulated 26 or more semester or 39 or more quarter units of transferable course credit.
Please contact our office if your circumstances do not fall under either of these instances and you are still uncertain about which application status to use.
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INTERNATIONAL APPLICANTS
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APPLYING AS A TRANSFER STUDENT
Should I apply as a freshman or a transfer student?
International students who are enrolled in post-secondary institutions (college or university) as full-time, degree-seeking students must apply to Stanford as transfer applicants. If a student is enrolled in an institution of higher education on a full time basis and does not intend to seek transfer credit, he/she may be eligible to apply as a first-year student. Applicants in this category will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
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What standardized tests are required of transfer students?
We require the same tests as a freshman applicant: either the SAT Reasoning Test or the ACT, and we strongly recommend the SAT Subject Tests in Math Level 2 and one additional subject test of your choosing. You will not be at a competitive disadvantage in the admission process if you have not taken the SAT Subject Tests.
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Do you accept transfer students for mid-year enrollment?
No, Stanford admits students to the undergraduate degree program, whether as freshmen or transfer students, for fall enrollment only.
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What classes should I be taking now to ensure admission as a transfer student?
As with our freshman applicants, we expect to see that you have taken a rigorous curriculum and done well in those courses. We favor students who have taken a balanced program that includes course work in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. We encourage students to select courses that both interest and challenge them. Transfer applicants who present a substantial amount of prior college work should be able to show on their transcripts successful completion of preliminary course work for their field.
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Will I receive credit for all the classes I’m taking at my current college?
Not necessarily. Courses that are substantially the same in content and quality as Stanford courses and are passed with grades of C- or better are usually transferable, but the final determination about awarding credit rests with the Stanford Registrar. You may not transfer credit granted by examination (CLEP or Advanced Placement) or credit for work experience. An enrolled student may be granted credit for AP work that meets Stanford's requirements. No more than 60 semester or 90 quarter units of credit for work done elsewhere may be counted toward a bachelor's degree from Stanford.
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Must I have my two-year degree before I can apply to Stanford as a transfer student?
Students from two-year colleges are encouraged to apply when they anticipate completing their Associate of Arts or Science degree requirements, or an equivalent transfer program, prior to entering Stanford, although that is not a requirement.
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FINANCIAL AID
What is need-blind admission?
This means that, except for some international student applications, we do not consider your family’s financial circumstances when we evaluate your application for admission. You will know whether or not you have been offered admission to Stanford based on your own achievements and efforts, not on your family’s financial strength.
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What do you mean by “demonstrated need”?
Based on the information you and your parents provide on the FAFSA and the CSS PROFILE, we determine what your family is able to afford each year in support of your educational costs at Stanford. The difference between our costs (including tuition, room and board, books and supplies, and personal expenses) and your family’s expected contribution (determined through a combination of federal methodology and institutional methodology) is your demonstrated need. See the Financial Aid Office website for more detailed information about this.
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Why doesn’t Stanford award merit scholarships?
Stanford believes strongly in need-based financial aid, so we grant our available financial aid funds to those students who demonstrate financial need, according to federal and institutional methodologies, making it possible for all admitted students to attend Stanford, regardless of their background and circumstances.
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I hope to be awarded scholarships from other sources; can I bring those to Stanford?
Absolutely. Each year Stanford students bring scholarship dollars awarded from a variety of sources to their education at Stanford. If you have been awarded a financial aid package from Stanford, your outside scholarships will first be applied to the “self-help” portion of that package; that is, those dollars will reduce or even eliminate your loans and work. Only when your self-help has been eliminated will Stanford begin to subtract any institutional gift money from your need-based financial aid award. You should notify Stanford of any outside scholarships by submitting the Notification of Outside Scholarships Form.
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I have been named a National Merit Finalist; will Stanford award me a National Merit Scholarship?
Stanford does not participate in the National Merit Scholarship program. If you are awarded a corporate-sponsored National Merit Scholarship, you can bring that to your Stanford education as an outside scholarship. You would then become a “National Merit Scholar.”
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I have a younger sibling about to start college in a year or two; how can my family afford to pay for two in college at the same time?
Your family’s circumstances will be taken into consideration when the Financial Aid Office reviews your file. Your family should complete a FAFSA for each student in college each year, and note on the CSS PROFILE that there is more than one student in school. Colleges and universities establish their own policies regarding how they accommodate two or more children in school at the same time, so you should contact the financial aid office at each school you are considering to learn more about their aid policies.
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I’ve heard that Stanford is too expensive for most people; should I even bother to apply?
Stanford has a generous need-based financial aid policy, and our Board of Trustees is committed to making Stanford affordable for every student offered admission. More than half of our students are on need-based financial aid, and the average aid award exceeds $23,000 per year. Parents with incomes below $45,000 will not be expected to contribute to their son’s/daughter’s education and parents with incomes between $45,000 and $60,000 will see their expected contribution reduced to an average of $3,800. Please contact the Financial Aid Office to learn more about how you can afford Stanford.
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