Stanford University Admissions 2023: Deadlines, Requirements, Decisions Dates, Selection Criteria and Acceptance Rate

Stanford University Graduate Admission

200+ graduate programs are offered at Stanford University through 5 schools namely Graduate School of Education, School of Engineering, School of Humanities and Sciences, School of Medicine, and Doerr School of Sustainability. The programs are offered with MA, MS, MFA to PhD degrees.

Application Portal: Stanford Application (varies for some courses)
Application Fees: 125 USD (10,254 INR)
Admission Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree (U.S equivalent)
• GPA required: 3.5 GPA (90%)
• English language proficiency:
  • TOEFL Score of 100+ [IBT]
• Standardized Testing:
  • GRE- 161 (Quant) & 162 (Verbal)
  • GMAT- 650+
• 2 Essay questions (500 words)
• Statement of Purpose or Personal Statement
• 2-3 Letter of Recommendation
• Resume
• Interview

Admission Requirements for MS Courses

Admission requirements vary from course to course. For prospective students, admission requirements for popular Stanford MS courses is mentioned below:

Stanford University MBA Admission

Standard MBA is offered through the Stanford Graduate School of Business. The admission to Stanford University MBA is highly competitive with an acceptance rate of only 6.8% according to 2022 admissions. With a robust curriculum, the program is taught by 120 industry practitioners and 120 Tenure Faculties. The admission to MBA program at Stanford University is conducted in three rounds throughout the year.

How to apply for the Stanford University MBA program?

The university does not specify minimum requirements for GPA, work experience, or GMAT score for MBA programs. There are no particular preferences or eligibility criteria for Stanford MBA. The requirement is quite simple- you must belong to the top 1% of your class.

Application Portal: Stanford Graduate Business School Application
Application Fees: 275 USD (22,560 INR)
Admission Requirements:

• 2 year master’s degree after 3 year bachelor’s from Indian institute (preferred but not required)
• GPA required: 3.76 GPA (88%)
• English language proficiency:
  • TOEFL-iBT- 100
• Test Scores:
  • GMAT- 737 (Average)
  • GRE- 164 [Verbal] | 163 [Quantitative] (Average)
• Personal Statement (200 words)
• Two letters of recommendation
• Resume
• Essays (Essay A- 650 words and Essay B- 400 words)
• Short answer questions in 200 words (optional)

Admission Deadlines

Class Profile

Stanford MBA applications are ongoing for 2023. Check out The MBA application deadlines

Stanford University Undergraduate Admission

The undergraduate programs at Stanford University are offered in the Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of Sciences and Bachelor of Arts and Sciences in humanities, engineering law, etc. For class of 2026, a total 1,745 students were admitted to the Stanford University undergraduate programs including 14% international students.

Application Portal: Common Application
Application Fees: 90 USD (7,383 INR)
Admission Requirements:

• High School transcripts
• GPA required: 3.2 GPA (86%)
• English language proficiency:
  • TOEFL Score of 100+ [IBT]
• QnA (50 words each), 3 Essays (100-250 words)
• Standardized test (optional)
  • SAT: 1440-1570
  • ACT: 34-35
• 2 LORs from teachers, Counsellor recommendation
• Resume
• Interview

Stanford University Interview Process

An interview session is not a mandatory stage for every applicant. It's case-specific and conducted on an invitation basis only. The interviews are conducted with Stanford alumni in your region. The interview will allow them to learn more about you, but at the same time give you an opportunity to learn more about Stanford.

When are interviews conducted?

If you are chosen for the interview session, the university alumn will contact you via email or phone. You can connect with them and fix a suitable time and location for the interview session. Please remember that Stanford follows a suggestive interview timeline for all courses:

Undergraduate Interviews

• Interviews for Restrictive Early Action: First few weeks of November.
• Interviews for Regular Decision: Early January to mid-February.

MBA Interviews

• Round 1: late September to late November
• Round 2: mid-January to mid-March
• Round 3: late April to mid-May

Stanford University Selection Criteria

Stanford University's selection criteria are highly selective. The university ranks the following academic factors are highly significant:

• Class rank
• Course rigor
• Standardized test scores

That being said, an exceptional academic score or 700+ GMAT score is not enough. Your application should portray a well-rounded and balanced academic profile, which is the very course of the Stanford student community. This is why the Stanford selection committee “values” admission essays too much. As a part of the non-academic factor, the essays help get insight into the student's thoughts and expectations for the future.

Other than minimum Stanford admission requirements, the university looks for factors like:

• Volunteer work/extracurricular activities
• First generation student
• Geographic residence & ethnic status
• Alumni/ae relation
• paid work experience
• Character/personal qualities

International students often worry that Stanford might reject them for their financial status. However, it is amongst the very few US universities to extend need-based scholarship opportunities to US and non-US students equally.
Checkout: Stanford University scholarships

What is the Stanford University acceptance rate?

Stanford University recorded an acceptance rate of 3.68% (2022), another record low after 3.96% (2021). The admission trends and statistics for Stanford University admitted students are as follows:

Want to know the Stanford University acceptance rate for graduate courses? click here

Stanford University Admission Decisions

Stanford University requests you to provide at least 8 weeks to evaluate applications. As soon as you submit your application, the university will send you an acknowledgment email. The decision timeline and dates vary for different courses, based on the deadline.

Undergraduate admission decisions are released by mid-December for Early Action and mid-February for Regular decisions. MBA and MS admission notifications are sent out within 8-12 weeks.

How will I get to know my admission decision from Stanford?

• If you are an undergraduate applicant, you need to keep track of your application on the portal itself.
• In the case of graduate programs, the university/department will send you an email informing you about the admissions.

As discussed, admissions to Stanford University are competitive. The university itself suggests candidates to “bring out their best” in their admission applications. In the thousands of applications, it’s seeking students who want to make a positive impact in the world.