Graduation Requirements

In order to graduate, students must fulfill a set of University Requirements which serve as the backbone of undergraduate study at Stanford. All programs of study should achieve balance between depth of knowledge acquired in specialization and breadth of knowledge acquired through exploration. Most undergraduates take four years to complete the 180 units required for graduation (most courses are 3 to 5 units).

Graduation requirements include:

Kimberley Sheafe, a mechanical engineering graduate in 2000, listens to the Commencement address by Kofi Annan, U.N. secretary-general. Photo: L.A. Cicero

• General Education Requirements (GERs)
• Introduction to the Humanities Requirement
• Writing and Rhetoric Requirement
• Language Requirement
• Major Requirements