Admission News

6 Students Admitted in Final Waitlist Round

July 1, 2009

On June 30, the Office of Undergraduate Admission admitted the last 6 students to its Class of 2013. These students have until Friday, July 10 at midnight (Pacific Time) to make their enrollment decision on-line. There will be no additional offers of admission extended and all of the students formerly holding a space on Stanford's waitlist have now been released. Stanford admitted a total of 127 students from its waitlist. Fewer than 8% of those who applied for freshman admission were ultimately admitted this year.

15 Additional Students Admitted from the Waitlist

June 22, 2009

On Friday, June 19, Stanford admitted 15 additional students from the wait list, notifying each by email. The additional 15 students bring the total number of students admitted from the waitlist this year to 120. Stanford has admitted a total of 2420 students for the Class of 2013 which is expected to be 1700 students.

Stanford Recognized — Again — as the Top Athletic Program in America

June 22, 2009

Stanford's top-five finishes in 10 sports helped Stanford garner its 15th consecutive Director's Cup in Orlando this past week. Stanford won national championships in men's gymnastics and women's rowing this year, placing second in women's volleyball and men's water polo, and third in men's cross country, men's swimming, women's soccer, women's basketball, and women's water polo. For more information, visit: Stanford Claims 15th Consecutive Learfield Sports Directors' Cup.

Stanford Crew Wins National Championship

June 1, 2009

Stanford's Women's Crew team won its first-ever national championship in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Stanford edged the University of Virginia to claim the individual gold as well as the team title. Stanford's championship is the women's first-ever NCAA rowing title. For the full story, visit: The Gold Standard! Stanford Claims Team, I Eight National Titles At NCAA Championships.

20 Additional Students Admitted from the Waitlist

May 28, 2009

On May 27, Stanford admitted an additional 20 freshmen to its Class of 2013. These students were notified via email and have until June 5 to confirm their enrollment. All remaining students holding a space on the freshman waitlist were also notified of their status. We expect to release any students still holding a space on our waitlist by July 1 at the very latest.

California Press Reminds the World that Stanford's Start-Up Culture is Stronger than Ever

May 26, 2009

Three stories featured in the San Jose Mercury News recognize Stanford as a catalyst to Silicon Valley's emergence as the globe's pre-eminent tech hub. One article highlights how, even in a staggering economy, "The Farm is sprouting business ideas and talent like never before" and how entrepreneurship is "built into the DNA of this place." The home to cutting-edge companies like HP, Varian Associates, Sun Microsystems, Cisco, Silicon Graphics, Netscape, Yahoo, Google and VMware, Stanford was recently ranked #1 in YouNoodle's global rankings of university startup communities.

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Transfer Admission Decisions Released

May 12, 2009

Admission decisions for transfer students were emailed today, three days ahead of schedule. Applicants who do not receive their admission decision emails by Thursday, May 14th may call the Office of Undergraduate Admission to receive the decision over the phone. Decisions will be released only to the applicant and proof of identity will be required.

85 Freshman Applicants Admitted from the Waitlist

May 12, 2009

The Office of Undergraduate Admission today offered admission to 85 freshman applicants who were previously on the waitlist. Although higher than expected student responses have not allowed for the University to go to the waitlist in recent years, a reduction in the number of offers of admission this year has resulted in the planned use of the waitlist. Students who were not offered admission at this time are asked to remain on the waitlist as the possibility still exists that additional spaces may become available.

Stanford to Admit 23 Transfer Students for Fall 2009

May 7, 2009

Admission decisions for transfer students are expected to be released on May 15 after 5pm (Pacific Time). All decisions will be sent via email to applicants and will not be available on any Stanford Web site. Admitted students will also be mailed a packet of information explaining how to confirm their enrollment and information on transferring college credits. Because of Stanford's extraordinary retention rate (98% of freshmen are expected back for their sophomore year), we will be able to admit less than 2% (23 total) of those students who have applied for admission.

An Update for Freshman Applicants on Our Waitlist

May 7, 2009

We expect to admit a small number of students from our waitlist late next week. To meet our target of enrolling no more than 1700 freshmen next fall, Stanford expects to admit approximately 80 students from our waitlist. Students admitted from the waitlist will be informed of their admission decisions via email. In addition, we will provide an update for the remaining students holding a space on our waitlist at the same time we notify this small group of admitted students. In the interim, students should refrain from calling the Office of Undergraduate Admission about their status on the waitlist, as we can provide no additional information and we are no longer accepting any updates from applicants holding a space on our waitlist. Students should also refrain from submitting additional letters of recommendation and/or writing samples.

Freshman Admission Decisions Released Ahead of Schedule

April 1, 2009

All decisions were emailed on March 31 after 5pm (Pacific Time), one day ahead of schedule. Applicants who did not receive their admission decisions via email may call the Office of Undergraduate Admission to request that we send a duplicate copy. Requests for duplicate copies will be fulfilled within 24 hours. Requests must be made by the student who applied for admission. Admission decisions will not be provided over the phone until Monday, April 6.

Admission Decision Update

March 17, 2009

We expect that admission decisions will be emailed after 5pm (Pacific Time) on April 1. Decisions for applicants who have applied for freshman admission will be emailed. Decisions will not be available on any Stanford Web site, nor will they be released over the phone. Students who do not receive their decision by email, may call the Office of Undergraduate Admission only after April 6 to get their decision over the phone. Decisions are only provided to students and not to parents or any other relatives.

Transfer admission decisions will be sent by email on May 15 after 5pm (Pacific Time).

Become a Stanford Fan on Facebook

March 11, 2009

Facebook users now have a faster, easier way to get the latest updates about Stanford. Any Facebook user can now sign up as a "fan" of Stanford and receive news updates, view photos and watch videos by simply logging in to his or her personal Facebook account.

Stanford is the only university invited to participate in the early rollout of Facebook's new public profiles. The university is joined by Anderson Cooper, Ashton Kutcher, Britney Spears, The Colbert Report, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Michael Phelps, the NBA, the New York Times, President Barack Obama, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, Service Nation, the Oprah Winfrey Show, the Red Cross, the Today show, and U2.

To become a Stanford "fan," visit: http://www.facebook.com/stanford

Meet Five Extraordinary Stanford Students

March 11, 2009

Each is a recipient of an endowed scholarship at Stanford, enabling them to afford the cost of a Stanford education. Despite difficult financial times, Stanford remains committed to its guarantee that the University will meet 100% of our admitted students' financial need (as calculated by the federal government) as long as they hold U.S. Citizen or Permanent Resident status.

Take the time to meet five of our students receiving financial aid in the form of scholarship grants.
See the full story: "Meet five extraordinary Stanford scholarship recipients" »

Checking the Status of Your Freshman Application

February 20, 2009

Here is a February 20th update for freshman applicants. Applicants for freshman admission who are still missing required credentials were sent an email after 5pm on February 19th, detailing any remaining missing items that are needed for our evaluation process. Applicants who are unsure about the status of their application materials should request an update on the processing of their application credentials to ensure that all credentials have been processed.

If you have not already requested an update on the status of your application, you may do so by visiting the Axess Web site and by clicking on "Check Application Status" under the Guest Menu. You will need the email you used to create your Common Application. An email will be generated upon your request, explaining which required credentials have been processed and which credentials have not been processed. We do not track any optional credentials and cannot provide you with the status of those items.

We respectfully ask that applicants do not call the Office of Undergraduate Admission to check on the status of their application and instead use the Web site above to track your status. We use this same tracking system to determine which credentials have been processed.

Please be advised that admission decisions will not be available on any of our Web sites at any time. Admission decisions will instead be emailed on April 1st after 5pm (Pacific Time).

Stanford Alumni & Professor Are Behind New "Whiz Kids" Film

February 20, 2009

Two Stanford alumni, including a former Sundance award-winner, will see their documentary open in California March 1. Michael Duca, a recent graduate, and Tom Shepard, Chairman of New Day Films, are two Stanford alumni behind the documentary "Whiz Kids," which premieres at the San Jose Film Festival on March 1. Duca majored in Urban Studies at Stanford and Shepard won the Audience Award for Best Documentary at the 2001 Sundance Film Festival. They serve as co-producers of the film, which is "a coming-of-age documentary that tells the story of three remarkably different yet equally passionate 17-year-old scientists who vie to compete in the nation's oldest, most prestigious science competition. Win or lose, these 'whiz kids' raise questions about class, courage, personal sacrifice, success and failure, and in the process, learn as much about themselves as they do about science." Stanford Professor of Biological Sciences, Sharon Long, PhD, advised the film's production. For more information, visit whizkidsmovie.com.

An Update for Freshman Applicants

January 22, 2009

Freshman Applicants should read this update about the status of their application. By February 13th, we will send an email to all students who have an application on file. If you do not receive that email by February 13th, we do not have your application on file and you should be in touch with us to discuss. The email we send in February will provide you with directions explaining how to check the status of your application to determine what credentials, if any, are missing from your application. At that point, you will have ample time to submit any missing items. In the interim, please do not call or email the Office of Undergraduate Admission to check on the status of your application as we are still processing thousands of application credentials. Your application materials may very well be here but may be waiting to be processed. We do not want to unnecessarily alarm you with regard to your application materials, so please be patient until we send the email noted above in early February. You should be sure to add admission@stanford.edu and credentials@stanford.edu to your list of safe-senders and to ensure that Stanford email is not blocked or routed to your junk mail/trash folders.

Please also refrain from submitting any supplementary materials unless you have received an award or recognition of national or international stature. Applicants should be aware of our policy on supplementary materials which is clearly outlined in the Stanford Supplement to the Common Application. We request that applicants refrain from submitting resumes, writing samples, award certificates, photos, research abstracts, newspaper/magazine clippings, etc. Applicants should never submit documents in folders or binders, as admission officers review all applications online and those materials will be destroyed before ever reaching an admission officer. Please also be aware that the deadline for the Arts Supplement has passed and we are no longer reviewing supplementary art materials. Finally, please do not submit any additional letters of recommendation if you have already submitted 1 optional letter of recommendation.

Stanford Launches iStanford

January 6, 2009

A new free iPhone application will soon be available to Stanford students. The Chronicle of Higher Education reported that Stanford recently unveiled a free iPhone application that will soon "let students call up a campus map that shows the current locations of other students in the area who also have iPhones (and who have granted permission for the service to spot them). The application, iStanford, was developed by two students at the university, Kayvon Beykpour and Aaron Wasserman. They weren’t just doing the job for fun — Stanford commissioned the software from the students’ software company, Terriblyclever Design. Last week their creation was touted as the next big thing by Time magazine." For more information, visit YouTube, Introducing Stanford iApps and Time, Can iStanford Take On Facebook Mobile?

Regular Decision Deadline for Freshman Admission Has Passed

January 5, 2009

The Office of Undergraduate Admission is no longer accepting applications for fall 2009 admission. The next available term for admission will be fall 2010. Stanford does not offer spring admission.

Stanford Offices Closed for Winter Holidays

December 19, 2008

The Office of Undergraduate Admission will be closed December 20-January 4. During that time, we will not be available to answer phone calls or emails. Our offices will re-open, Monday, January 5 at 8:30am. Please be advised that the Regular Decision deadline remains January 1 at Midnight (Pacific Time) and that extensions will not be granted when the office opens on January 5.

Decisions for Restrictive Early Action were Mailed December 15

December 15, 2008

Applicants who applied for Restrictive Early Action admission were sent decisions on December 15. Official decisions were delivered via email to applicants. Admitted students were mailed a packet of additional information, including their official admit letter. No decisions will be available anywhere on the Stanford web site and decisions will not be available over the phone until December 18th.

Regular Decision Applicants Must Apply Online by January 1

November 7, 2008

All applicants to Stanford must apply online via the Common Application Web site. Stanford only accepts paper applications from students who do not have access to the internet and such applications must be pre-approved in advance by the Director of Admission. All other applicants must apply using the online version of the Common Application. Schools and teachers may certainly submit their supporting credentials (Secondary School Reports, Teacher Evaluations, etc.) by paper and mail but all applicants must submit their Common Application and Stanford Supplement online. Paper applications submitted without prior approval will not be reviewed and all online applications must be submitted by Midnight, January 1 (Pacific Time). Extensions will not be granted for technical difficulties using the Common Application Web site, so applicants should submit their applications well in advance of the actual deadline.

The LA Times Heads North for the Fall

November 3, 2008

LA Times reporter, Christopher Reynolds was embraced by the "Stanford Bubble" during his recent visit to Palo Alto. Reynolds writes for the Times' Travel section and visited the Stanford campus, noting that "if you're just here to drink in the atmosphere, Stanford is just plain dreamy." He learns from his tour guide that Stanford's campus is the size of "27 Disneylands." Read Reynold's review »

Restrictive Early Action Deadline Approaches

October 31, 2008

Stanford's Restrictive Early Action deadline is November 1. Applicants who are interested in Stanford's Restrictive Early Action program must file their application online by November 1 at Midnight (Pacific Time) via the Common Application Web site . Stanford's Restrictive Early Action program is for students who know that Stanford is their 1st choice. For more information, visit the Restrictive Early Action pages of our Web site.

Former Stanford Cardinal Star Leads the New Jersey Nets

October 31, 2008

Brook Lopez leads the New Jersey Nets to their first victory of the season. 2008 NBA draft pick and former Stanford basketball stand-out Lopez assisted the Nets to win their 95-85 seasoner opener over the Washington Wizards. Learn more about Brook and brother Robin, who is playing for the Phoenix Suns.

Stanford Earns Top Grade for Sustainability

September 25, 2008

Stanford was recently recognized as the only college in California and one of just 15 colleges and universities to earn an A- grade in the 2009 College Sustainability Report Card. Responding to interest from students applying to college, GreenReportCard.org provides the first comprehensive college sustainability selection tool for high school students with an interest in the environment and who are considering colleges in the U.S. and Canada.

Stanford Announces Fall Travel Schedule

August 22, 2008

Admission officers will travel this fall along with our colleagues from Duke University, Georgetown University, Harvard University, and the University of Pennsylvania. Under the banner Exploring College Options, these five institutions will visit more than 70 cities across the U.S., hosting receptions for prospective students and breakfasts for college counselors. Please visit the STANFORD IN YOUR AREA page for more detailed information.

Undergraduate Application for Admission Now Live

July 30, 2008

The Stanford University undergraduate application for admission for the fall of 2009 is now live.  Although the Restrictive Early Action deadline is not until November 1 and the Regular Decision deadline is not until January 1, students interested in applying to enter in the fall of 2009 could begin completing their applications as of July 1. The Common Application serves as the sole application for admission.  Applicants are also required to complete the Stanford Supplement to the Common Application; both forms can be found on the Common Application web site and must be submitted online. Apply now »

Stanford Announces Substantial Enhancements to Financial Aid Program

July 30, 2008

Stanford has significantly increased its need-based scholarship budget to help students keep up with rising education costs.  Beginning with the 2008-09 academic year, families earning less than $100,000 per year will pay no tuition. Read more »

Palo Alto Up for Consideration as "Titletown, USA" On The Back of Cardinal Athletics

July 30, 2008

ESPN.com named the city of Palo Alto one of 20 contenders for the title of Titletown, USA recently, based largely on the success of the Stanford Athletic Program which has now won 14 straight Director’s Cups.  See the video »