Undergraduate Admission

Admission News

Transfer Admission Decisions to be Released May 10

Transfer applicant admission decisions will be communicated Friday, May 10, 2013 via email beginning at 3 p.m. (Pacific Time).

Admit Weekend opens Thursday for students invited to join the Class of 2017

April 23, 2013

Admit Weekend 2013 features tours of the new Bing Concert Hall; an a cappella concert and an engineering fair; a symposium of undergraduate research; open houses galore; and the ever-popular Q&A with President John Hennessy.

Applications for the Class of 2017 set record at Stanford

March 29, 2013

Stanford, which has offered admission to 2,210 high school students for the Class of 2017, received a record 38,828 applications from around the world.

RD Admission Decisions to be Released March 29

March 27, 2013

Regular decision applicant admission decisions will be communicated Friday, March 29, 2013 via email beginning at 3 p.m. (Pacific Time). Please understand that while we will begin to send decisions at 3 p.m. (Pacific Time), it may take several hours before your decision reaches you. If we encounter any technical issues or your internet service provider blocks our email, delivery may be interrupted. As a result, we respectfully ask that you do not call or write to the Office of Undergraduate Admission to request your admission decision until our office reopens on Monday, April 1 at 8:30 a.m. (Pacific Time).

We understand and empathize with your anxiety right now and we will do everything in our power to ensure that your admission decision reaches you as soon as possible. Your patience is greatly appreciated.

Regular Decision Application Deadline

December 21, 2012

Freshman Applicants for admission are strongly advised to read this important message.

Please be advised that our office is closed for winter recess from December 22, 2012 through January 6, 2013. We will not respond to emails or phone calls until we return on Monday, January 7, 2013.

The deadline to submit the following parts of your application is 11:59 p.m. (pacific time) on January 1:

Common Application
Stanford Supplement to the Common Application
The Common Application Fee (or fee waiver request)

We strongly recommend you submit these three parts well in advance of the January 1 deadline. Once you have submitted your application, be sure to check the status of the above mentioned pieces of your application with the Common Application (under MY COLLEGES) . If you experience any difficulties submitting your application, please contact the common application help desk. Please note that in the past we had a large number of potential Stanford applicants who mistakenly believed that they successfully submitted their application via the Common Application when, in fact, they did not successfully submit all three components of the application.

Note: School Reports, transcripts and letters of evaluation may arrive after the deadline.

This also is a reminder that Stanford does not accept paper applications unless the application is pre-approved by the director of admission.

If you have any urgent questions that cannot be resolved by the common application help desk, you may leave an email message at admission@stanford.edu. We will check this email periodically during the recess period.

Colleen Lim
Director of Admission

Stanford offers early admission to 725 students

December 14, 2012

Stanford has sent acceptance letters to 725 high school students who sought admission to the Class of 2017 under the university's early admission program, the Office of Undergraduate Admission announced today.

The students were selected from 6,103 early admission candidates, the largest restricted early application pool in Stanford's history. "We have admitted an extraordinary and highly accomplished group of students, selected from an early pool of exceptional depth," said Richard H. Shaw, dean of undergraduate admission and financial aid.

"We are honored to have reviewed all the outstanding young people who expressed an interest in Stanford."

Shaw said the 725 students who received acceptance letters come from 43 states and 28 countries. More than 70 percent have a high school grade point average of 4.0 or higher and have demonstrated excellence in fields ranging from fine arts, writing and the humanities to engineering and science.

REA Admission Decisions to be Released December 14

December 13, 2012

Restrictive Early Action applicant admission decisions will be communicated Friday, December 14, 2012 via email beginning at 3pm (Pacific Time). Please understand that while we will begin to send decisions at 3pm (Pacific Time), it may take several hours before your decision reaches you. If we encounter any technical glitches or your internet service provider blocks our email, delivery may be interrupted. As a result, we respectfully ask that you do not call or write to the Office of Undergraduate Admission to request your admission decision. We will not begin releasing decisions over the phone until next Wednesday, December 19, 2012.

Three words sum up the Stanford journey: integrate, innovate and inspire, Elam tells Faculty Senate

November 9, 2012

Six months after the Faculty Senate approved sweeping changes in breadth requirements for undergraduates, Harry J. Elam, Jr., vice provost for undergraduate education, presented a progress report on plans to implement the new Ways of Thinking/Ways of Doing program in the fall of 2013.

Speaking at Thursday's senate meeting, Elam said the opportunity to implement the new breadth requirements, was an "exciting moment" for the university.

"We'll be reaching out in so many different ways to you, to other constituencies and to students to find ways to make Ways of Thinking work, to evaluate it, and to keep Stanford at the vanguard of undergraduate education," he said.

The senate approved the new breadth requirements last May after extensive discussions and debate. The new requirements were one of many recommendations in the 2012 Study of Undergraduate Education at Stanford (SUES).

At the start of his presentation, Elam said he could summarize the recommendations of the SUES report in three words: integrate, innovate and inspire.

The Ways of Thinking/Ways of Doing categories are aesthetic and interpretive inquiry; social inquiry; scientific method and analysis; formal reasoning; applied quantitative reasoning; engaging diversity; ethical reasoning; and creative expression. Starting in the fall 2013, students will be required to take 11 courses in the eight categories.

Stanford Initiates High School Summer Humanities Institute

November 1, 2012

An intensive study of the American and French revolutions might seem like unusual summer camp fare, but the high school students who attended Stanford's first Summer Humanities Institute embraced the mini-college experience—boosting their critical-thinking skills and learning what it would be like to study history, philosophy and literature at the university level.

For three weeks this summer, 50 high school students from across the country immersed themselves in university-level humanities coursework. Led by Stanford faculty members Caroline Winterer and Dan Edelstein, the students took part in one of two courses: The Age of Jefferson or Revolutions.

Through a combination of faculty lectures, discussion sections led by graduate student teaching assistants, and research and reading assignments, the Stanford Summer Humanities Institute (SSHI) introduced the students to the university format of humanities instruction.

Watch video »

A message regarding hurricane Sandy and REA admission deadline

October 29, 2012

Due to the potential impact of hurricane Sandy, the Stanford Undergraduate Admission deadline for Restrictive Early Action has been extended to 11:59PM (Pacific Time) on Monday, November 5, 2012 for students and high school personnel affected by the storm.

Study shows economic impact of Stanford alumni

October 29, 2012

Stanford University has long been known as one of the world's leading centers for innovation and a breeding ground for the entrepreneurs who created—and continue to shape—Silicon Valley. Now, for the first time, a study puts into perspective the sheer scale of the university's economic impact, not just in Silicon Valley and California but across the globe.

The study, released today, estimates that companies formed by Stanford entrepreneurs generate world revenues of $2.7 trillion annually and have created 5.4 million jobs since the 1930s.

The study, "Stanford University's Economic Impact via Innovation and Entrepreneurship," describes the results of a large-scale, systematic survey of Stanford alumni and faculty conducted in 2011 by Charles Eesley, an assistant professor in the Stanford School of Engineering, and William F. Miller, the Herbert Hoover Professor of Public and Private Management Emeritus in the Stanford Graduate School of Business and a professor emeritus of computer science. [Download an executive summary.]

Based on results of that survey, the professors estimate that Stanford alumni and faculty have created 39,900 companies since the 1930s, which if gathered collectively into an independent nation would constitute the world's 10th largest economy.

Honors program connects students to policy leaders

October 17, 2012

By Michael McAuliffe

The Stanford senior—who is writing a thesis on the development of democracy in Turkey—sat across a table from Kemal Dervis, a former Turkish minister of economic affairs and treasury. Halperin was among several students in the Center on Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law honors program spending the better part of an hour listening to Dervis speak on the global economy and other topics.
"It was an amazing opportunity,"? said Halperin, who was able to ask Dervis about his reform efforts as minister.

The meeting was one of more than a dozen similar sessions the students participated in over five days during a visit to Washington, D.C. The mid-September trip to the nation's capital was a highlight of CDDRL's honors college program, which was recently endowed with a gift from philanthropists Sakurako and William Fisher.

Led by CDDRL Director Larry Diamond and Francis Fukuyama, this year's honors program director and a senior fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, the students saw the inside workings of government and development organizations and had lively question-and-answer sessions with a host of prominent figures. Read more »

Stanford chosen for African education initiative

September 27, 2012

Stanford is one of nine schools worldwide benefiting from a $500 million MasterCard Foundation education initiative that will support talented but economically disadvantaged students from developing countries.

The MasterCard Foundation Scholars Program was announced at the United Nations in New York City, as part of a special session marking the launch of Education First, which seeks to ensure all children have access to quality education.

At Stanford, the MasterCard Foundation Scholars Program will support five undergraduates each year from Sub-Saharan Africa, according to Karen Cooper, director of financial aid.

Cooper said the first students will enroll in 2013. They will receive comprehensive support for tuition, travel and other educational costs.

Eventually the program will fund 20 students, with the MasterCard Foundation providing $6.5 million over eight years. Additionally, the foundation will provide funding for academic and social support through a graduate assistant position at the Bechtel International Center. Read more »

President Hennessy to class of 2016: Don't settle

September 20, 2012

Drawing inspiration from the Commencement address Steve Jobs gave at Stanford in 2005, President John Hennessy urged new students Tuesday to follow the example set by the late co-founder of Apple Inc. to find their passions and live them. Hennessy quoted from Jobs' speech, delivered on a sunny day in Stanford Stadium: 'Most important, don't settle,' President John Hennessy told the incoming students.

"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition."

Speaking at the 122nd Convocation Opening Ceremony, Hennessy, who said he recently read Walter Isaacson's biography of Jobs, told incoming students that their undergraduate education was a foundation for life—not just a ticket to their first jobs, but an opportunity to develop the skills and passion of lifelong learning in areas related to—and outside of—their future careers.

"Our request then is simple," he said. "We ask that you become an enthusiastic member of this academic community. We ask you to take advantage of this opportunity. Have the determination and conviction to make this next four years the springboard to a life lived with passion and commitment." Read more »

Harry Elam, vice provost for undergraduate education, talks about how SUES recommendations will surface

September 12, 2012

In January, members of the Study of Undergraduate Education at Stanford University (SUES) released a 128-page report with 55 recommendations to better prepare students to face the challenges and opportunities of an ever-changing world. Recommendations creating new Thinking Matters courses and the Ways of Thinking, Ways of Doing breadth requirement were passed by the Faculty Senate during spring quarter.

What do you hope to achieve this academic year in terms of the Study of Undergraduate Education at Stanford University (SUES) recommendations?

The major focus will be on the 35 new Thinking Matters courses and ensuring they are successful. We'll also be working with the faculty who are implementing the new Ways of Thinking, Ways of Doing breadth requirement. We need to begin allocating courses to the eight new areas for 2013.

We'll spend time thinking about how to enhance senior capstone experiences. That work will be ongoing.
We have built a new online advising feature called Cardinal Compass, which is a tool for freshmen that helps guide them to other courses if they find a subject within Thinking Matters that they enjoy.

We're going to conduct a faculty survey about undergraduate teaching and how it relates to faculty members' research, departmental duties and so on. The Faculty Senate should see that sometime in the spring. We're also going to redo course evaluations. We need a system that better helps faculty think about teaching and students think about learning.

Also this year, we'll begin offering Designing Your Stanford for sophomores. It will be taught by the d.school, and we'll enroll about 200 students each quarter as a pilot. The course will give sophomores a chance to think about what they want to achieve at Stanford. The d.school already teaches a course for seniors called Designing Your Life that applies design thinking to a career path. The changes in curriculum are all designed to give students more time to discover, and we want to help them drive the choices.

What resources will be needed going forward?

SUES has to be about more than just what the Office of the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education can do. We need a commitment from faculty members and departments to become involved. I am confident that SUES is something that they believe in and want to be involved in. Read more »

Ninth annual 'Three Books' program features one book, one movie, and three iPhone apps

July 10, 2012

This summer, incoming freshmen and transfer students will receive one book, one DVD and access to three iPhone applications as part of the annual New Student Orientation (NSO) program, which takes place Sept. 18-23. As always, the Three Books program will feature a panel discussion headlining speakers related to each work and will conclude with dorm discussions among students about the works.

This year's panel discussion will be held on Sept. 23 at 2 p.m. in Memorial Auditorium. Stanford community members may watch a live campus simulcast of the discussion. Details of the simulcast will be announced later this summer.

Mark Applebaum, associate professor of music, is this year's moderator. He selected Fargo Rock City: A Heavy Metal Odyssey in Rural N?rth Dak?ta by Chuck Klosterman, the 2007 film My Kid Could Paint That and the iPhone applications MadPad, Ocarina and I Am T-Pain, all created by Smule. Learn more about these selections »

Stanford claims 18th consecutive Learfield Sports Directors' Cup

July 2, 2012

Stanford Athletics has claimed its unprecedented 18th consecutive Learfield Sports Directors' Cup today, an award that is presented annually by the National Association of Collegiate Athletic Directors of America (NACDA) and Learfield Sports to the top intercollegiate athletic program in the nation.

Stanford finished with 1384.25 points, outdistancing Florida (1241.00) and Ohio State (1104.25) for its 18th straight title. UCLA (4th; 1,064.75) and Texas (5th; 1032.50) round out the top-five.

After claiming national championships in the sports of women's soccer, women's water polo and women's lightweight I eight, Stanford has won at least one NCAA team title for 36 consecutive years, an ongoing record. Stanford has now won 103 NCAA team titles, the second-highest total among all NCAA institutions.

Seventeen of Stanford's 35 intercollegiate programs finished their respective seasons ranked in the top-10 nationally, while seven teams were ranked first in the nation at some point during the year.

Cory Booker tells 2012 Stanford grads to be courageous, work together

June 20, 2012

Cory Booker, the mayor of Newark, N.J., challenged Stanford graduates to be courageous, never lose faith and always work together. During a Commencement speech Sunday—Father's Day—he extolled lessons from his own father and grandfather through stories of hardship, hope and humor.

The mayor's remarks during Stanford's 121st Commencement celebrated what Booker called a "conspiracy of love" that encircled his patriarchs as they grew up and built careers and families in racially segregated America.

A transcript of the speech will be available soon.

Booker encouraged graduates to find and join their own conspiracy—people who will help lift them up in times of need, provide a community and challenge them to go beyond what they think is possible.

"I say to you on this graduation," Booker said, "to join the conspiracy. To be a class of people that rejects cynicis. ...? Be lovers. Join the conspiracy and love with all of your heart and all of your courage."

Undergraduates honored with 2012 Deans' Award for Academic Accomplishment

June 13, 2012

Seven undergraduates recently received the 2012 Deans' Award for Academic Accomplishment, which honors extraordinary undergraduate students for "exceptional, tangible" intellectual achievements.

Tom Wasow, the Clarence Irving Lewis Professor in Philosophy and professor of linguistics, created the award in 1988 when he was serving as dean of undergraduate studies.

"Students receive recognition at Stanford for so many of their accomplishments in areas such as athletics and service, but, except for Commencement awards, most academic achievements are a private matter," said Wasow, who is also the Bert and Candace Forbes University Fellow in Undergraduate Education. "We created this award to celebrate some of the exceptional scholarly achievements of our undergraduate students and to bring them campus-wide recognition."

Faculty and staff who work closely with undergraduates submit nominations for the awards. A committee established by the deans of the three schools that offer undergraduate degrees " Earth Sciences, Engineering, and Humanities and Sciences" select the winners.

The students, who were honored at an awards ceremony earlier this spring, each received a copy of the citation read at the ceremony, a certificate signed by the three deans and a gift card.

Dedicated undergrads bring Stanford Powwow to life this Mother's Day Weekend

May 7, 2012

As a child, Maija Cruz recalls chasing the rippling fringe of a teenage girl's shawl as she whirled around a powwow arena doing the light, quick steps of the Fancy Shawl Dance, which mimics the flight, elegance, agility and endurance of the butterfly.

"My mom says I fell in love with her the first time I met her, since I thought she was a real live princess—even though that was just a powwow dance competition title," said Cruz, a Stanford junior and co-chair of the 41st Annual Stanford Powwow, a three-day event that begins Friday in the Eucalyptus Grove.

By the time Cruz (Ojibwe) was 10, the teenage girl she had idolized—named Deanna—was married, with a child of her own, living on the Lac Du Flambeau Chippewa Reservation in Wisconsin. Cruz asked her to teach her the steps of the Fancy Shawl Dance, so she could perform it "correctly" and dance it the way her cousins did.

"I'll never forget her explaining to me that there were no steps, that it was a feeling, something that only the drums and something inside of me could teach me," Cruz said. "She said I needed to just move and let it come out, that I would know when I got it right."

Cruz found the feeling of the dance—by listening to the drums and her heart.

"I realized I was doing it right all along," she said. "I was dancing and I loved it. It was as close to being a butterfly as I could get."

So Cruz will be watching the Fancy Shawl Dance competition at this weekend's Stanford Powwow with a special fondness.

"It is my favorite dance," she said. "The dance is very much alive and in front of me, whether I'm the one dancing or not. "

Six Stanford faculty elected to National Academy of Sciences

May 7, 2012

Six Stanford professors were named this week as new members of the National Academy of Sciences. The academy is an honorific society that recognizes distinguished and continuing achievements in original research.

The Stanford scholars were among 84 new members and 21 foreign associates from 15 countries, bringing the total number of active members to 2,152 and the total number of foreign associates to 430. (Foreign associates are nonvoting members of the academy, with citizenship outside the United States.)

The Stanford honorees are Karl Deisseroth, Carol S. Dweck, James D. Fearon, Christopher Garcia, Liqun Luo and Robert Tibshirani.

Robots dazzle spectators at block party held by Stanford's Center for Internet and Society

April 17, 2012

They whizzed and they whirled. Some even flopped and fizzled. But all of the machines at this year's Robot Block Party managed to dazzle visitors who came out to the event.

The third annual showcase held last week at Stanford's Volkswagen Automotive Innovation Lab brought together dozens of robots and robotic technology from throughout the San Francisco Bay Area.

There were playful robots including one that danced to Michael Jackson's Thriller. It thrilled the dozens of children who gathered to watch the spectacle.

There also were autonomous vehicles and drones, robots used in film and television, and medical robots designed to make surgical procedures more precise.

Inventors brought homemade machines, such as one that tosses basketballs into a hoop and another that hovered a few inches above the ground while circling the area via remote control.

Organizations also showed off robots that kids can make using Lego bricks and a smartphone, and advertised summer camps for children interested in engineering. Read more about robots »

Admission Decisions Released

March 30, 2012

The Office of Undergraduate Admission has completed its evaluation and selection process and we will release all admission decisions sometime today after 3pm. All decisions will be sent via email from Richard Shaw, Dean of Admission and Financial Aid, and will not be available on any Stanford website. Students who are admitted will also be mailed a formal offer letter of admission as well. To avoid sending disappointing news twice, we will not mail paper copies of decisions to students who are not offered admission. Please do not call the Office for admission decisions as we will not release them by phone.

Of the 36,631 applications received, a total of 2,427 students will be admitted. An additional 789 students will be offered a space on our waitlist. Regrettably, we cannot consider any letters or calls of appeal whatsoever. All admission decisions are final and we never alter any admission decision once it has been rendered.

We were humbled by this year's admission process and we have great respect for those students who have applied for admission. We wish all of our candidates the best and know that they will all have a wonderful collegiate experience.

Please be aware that the Office of Undergraduate Admission will close today at 3pm to complete the mailing process. We will re-open Monday, April 2 at 8:30am.

Bob Patterson
Director of Admission

Transfer Application Deadline

March 13, 2012

Please be advised that transfer applicants must successfully complete and submit their applications online by the March 15 deadline to be considered for transfer admission. Applicants who have successfully submitted their complete applications can check whether or not their applications were submitted and downloaded by Stanford by checking the Common Application (under MY COLLEGES). The download process may take several days but rest assured complete applications submitted by the deadline date will be received by the Office of Undergraduate Admission.

Unapproved paper applications and late submissions will not be considered under any circumstances, even for students who have technical difficulties with the Common Application Web site. All technical difficulties must be addressed well before the application deadline.

Bob Patterson
Director of Admission

Update: Regular Decision Application Decisions

March 13, 2012

We are still on schedule to release all freshman admission decisions by Sunday, April 1 after 3pm (Pacific Time). All admission decisions will be sent via email from admission@stanford.edu and will be signed by Richard Shaw, Dean of Undergraduate Admission and Financial Aid. Decisions will not be posted on any Stanford website and only applicants offered admission will be sent any information by mail. Admitted students will be mailed a packet of materials (including their official offer of admission letter). All other decisions will be sent to students via email ? including those students offered a space on our waiting list. All admission decisions will be final and given the highly selective nature of our process, we cannot consider any appeals whatsoever. We never, ever reverse an admission decision once it has been officially rendered.

Bob Patterson
Director of Admission

President Obama gives the National Humanities Medal to Stanford literary scholar Ramón Saldívar

February 22, 2012

In a White House ceremony on Monday, President Obama awarded a National Humanities Medal to Stanford English and comparative literature Professor Ramón Saldívar.

His teaching and research, centering on globalization, transnationalism and Chicano studies, were recognized for "his bold explorations of identity along the border separating the United States and Mexico."

"You've helped guide our growth as a people," Obama told the nine medal winners. The awards are for outstanding achievement in history, literature, education, philosophy and musicology. This year's recipients include poets, historians and philosophers.

The medals are described as honoring those whose work deepens the nation's understanding of the humanities. Saldívar, the Hoagland Family Professor in Humanities and Sciences at Stanford, was selected by the National Endowment for the Humanities for his literary analysis, which "beckons us to notice the cultural and literary markings that unite and divide us.

Checking the status of an application

February 15, 2012

It is the applicant's responsibility to make sure his/her application is complete and that all required materials have been received by us. An applicant may check the status of his/her application by going to http://axess.stanford.edu/ and clicking on "Check Application Status" on the left-hand side, under "Guest Menu"?please do not log in to AXESS or request a SUNet ID. The applicant will then be prompted to enter his/her email address?the applicant must enter the email address listed on his/her Common Application. The email address provided will be validated against our records, and a follow-up email will be sent to that same address within 24 hours containing the current status of the applicant's required application materials.

If a required application item is listed as "Not Yet Processed" please fax the missing item(s) to 650-723-6050 and include the applicant's Common Application number on the fax. Missing items sent via email attachment will not be accepted. Do note late documents may take four to five business days to show up in our online system.

Please do not call or email the Office of Undergraduate Admission to check on the status of an application. We cannot confirm the arrival of specific application materials by phone or email. We encourage applicants to check the status of their application online periodically, no more than once per day, using the link above, until their application is complete.

Stanford concludes transformative fundraising campaign

February 10, 2012

Stanford University today announced the successful conclusion of The Stanford Challenge, having raised $6.2 billion to seek solutions to global problems and educate leaders for a more complex world.

The five-year fundraising campaign was launched in October 2006 with a goal of $4.3 billion. The effort ended Dec. 31, with the final tally of gifts completed this month.

Although the campus-wide campaign benefited every school and every part of the university, a key priority for The Stanford Challenge was to reduce traditional disciplinary and organizational boundaries to bring together experts from all across campus.

"The Stanford Challenge has transformed the way our faculty and students work," said Stanford President John L. Hennessy. "We've undertaken a new model in higher education, with experts from different fields joining together not only in research, but also in teaching. This kind of collaboration has enabled Stanford to assume a larger role in addressing global problems. We are already making a greater difference."

Trustees approves sites for two new arts buildings

January 13, 2012

The Stanford University Board of Trustees has approved sites for two new buildings: the McMurtry Building and the museum building for the Anderson Collection at Stanford University. These facilities will be critical to expanding and enhancing the role the arts play throughout campus.

Trustees gave concept and site approval—the first two steps in the university's construction approval process—to the two buildings at their Dec. 12-13 meeting.

The McMurtry Building, the future home of the Department of Art & Art History, will be located on Roth Way near the Cantor Arts Center. The building was named in honor of Burton "Burt" and Deedee McMurtry, longtime friends of the university, who provided a $30 million gift toward its creation. Burt McMurtry (MS '59, PhD '62) is a former chair of the Board of Trustees.

The museum building for the Anderson Collection at Stanford University, which is one of the foremost collections of post-World War II American art, will be located on the corner of Lomita Drive and Campus Drive West, north of the Cantor Arts Center. Read more »

2011 Annual Report features research highlights from Stanford professors

January 9, 2012

Stanford scholars are engaged in ongoing basic and applied research that creates new knowledge and benefits society. See examples from the 2011 Annual Report.

Last update: May 7, 2013 10:22 PM

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