stanford admission requirements

A bachelor’s degree or its equivalent from an accredited institution is required for admission to Stanford. Applicants should have a strong background in English composition. Stanford welcomes transfer applications from students currently enrolled in four-year colleges or universities who wish to complete their last two years at Stanford or candidates with an associate’s degree.

All transfer candidates must have a bachelor’s degree or its equivalent from an accredited institution by the time they matriculate at Stanford. Applicants should have a strong background in mathematics, including trigonometry and basic statistical concepts. The admissions committee is interested in how you write, express ideas and analyze problems.

Stanford welcomes transfer applications from students currently enrolled in four-year colleges or universities who wish to complete their last two years at Stanford, as well as from students with an associate’s degree or the equivalent number of college credits from an accredited institution who wish to complete their bachelor’s degree at Stanford.

You are required to submit scores from the SAT or ACT, and we encourage you to take either exam more than once if you feel you can improve your scores. We will review your highest scores in each section, across all SAT dates and ACT composite scores, but we will only consider your highest score when reviewing your application and when making admissions decisions. We strongly encourage you to take whichever exam you feel best reflects your abilities.

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To be considered for admission, you should complete the following college-preparatory program during high school: Four years of English; three years of math (through the equivalent of elementary functions); two years of laboratory science; two years of a language other than English; one yearlong course in visual and performing arts (dance, music, theater, visual art); and four years of general academic courses. In addition to these requirements, 29 units (semesters) of university-preparatory coursework by the end of senior year is recommended.

To be considered for admission, you should complete the following college-preparatory program during high school:

• Four years of English;
• Three years of math (through the equivalent of elementary functions);
• Two years of laboratory science;
• Two years of a language other than English;
• One yearlong course in visual and performing arts (dance, music, theater, visual art); and
• Four years of general academic courses. In addition to these requirements, 29 units (semesters) of university-preparatory coursework by the end of senior year is recommended.

Stanford welcomes applications from students who are currently enrolled in an accredited four-year college/university, regardless of their citizenship status.

Students who have previously enrolled in a regular session at a college or university after high school graduation (with the exception of summer sessions) must apply as transfer students.

To be eligible for admission to Stanford, you must meet the following requirements:

• You have earned a bachelor’s degree or its equivalent from an accredited institution. Please note that if you are applying with an associate degree from an international institution, it may not be equivalent to a U.S. bachelor’s degree and you may need to provide additional coursework for full credit.
• You have a strong background in English composition and math (through pre-calculus).
• You hold a high school diploma or its equivalent, such as the General Education Diploma (GED) or other certificate.