Stanford University: Admission, Costs and the Real Bar for 2027 Entry

You apply to Stanford through the Common Application with the Stanford Questions; as of 9 Oct 2026, Stanford's first-year page lists 1 November 2026 for Restrictive Early Action (REA) and 5 January 2027 for Regular Decision (RD). The international applicants FAQ says the ACT or SAT is required, and Stanford is committed to meeting the full need of every admitted student who asked for it when applying, whatever their citizenship.

Stanford asks every first-year applicant for the same set: the Common Application, the Stanford Questions inside it, a $100 fee or a fee waiver request, ACT or SAT scores, a School Report form and counselor letter, official transcripts with a midyear transcript due by February 15, and letters from two academic teachers. You apply to Stanford as a whole, not to a major, and the Common Application is due by 11:59 p.m. in your local time zone on the deadline date.

Stanford Oval May panorama

Stanford sets no minimum score: its pages say there are no courses or minimum scores required to secure admission. The SAT and ACT chapter covers what Stanford says about testing.

Stanford deadlines for autumn 2027 entry

Stanford prints its deadlines without a year. Read on 9 Oct 2026, REA closes on 1 November 2026 with decisions by mid-December, and RD closes on 5 January 2027 with decisions by early April; admitted students in both rounds reply by 1 May 2027.

Three Stanford rules that catch applicants abroad out

• Asking for aid counts in admission. For international citizens, a Stanford aid request is a factor in the admission evaluation, making it more selective. If you are an international citizen who declines aid on the application and is admitted, you cannot apply for aid at any time during your four years at Stanford.
• REA limits your other early applications. Stanford REA is non-binding, but with it you may not apply early to any other private US college, nor to a public university under a binding plan. Universities outside the US are exempt when their decision is non-binding.
• An Arts Portfolio moves the deadline forward: for REA the Common Application was due 15 October 2026, a date that has passed; for RD it is due 5 December 2026.

Who counts as international at Stanford

Stanford treats US citizens, US permanent residents and undocumented or DACA students as domestic applicants. A US citizen or permanent resident at school abroad is domestic for aid, so the aid request does not affect admission, but the application is read in the context of that school. If you are none of these and not an Eligible Noncitizen, your Stanford aid request is a factor in admission. The requirements are the same for every applicant regardless of citizenship, and Stanford requires no English proficiency exam.

Stanford cost and aid at a glance

As of 9 Oct 2026, the latest Stanford student budget was for 2026-2027; your first year would be 2027-2028. A first-year budget also carries a one-time $525 orientation fee and $250 document fee, and for international students Stanford adds Cardinal Care health insurance. Across Stanford undergraduates, 46% receive need-based scholarships and pay an average of $20,000 toward their bills after all grant aid. The no-tuition line of $150,000 is stated for domestic students, and the line for free tuition, room and board, family incomes under $100,000, names no citizenship; ask Stanford's Financial Aid Office whether either line applies to a family abroad.

Stanford's reputation rests on its own history and on results that Stanford itself reports. The university was founded in 1885 by Leland Stanford and Jane Lathrop Stanford, opened on Oct. 1, 1891, and counts 36 Nobel Prize winners since the university's founding.

What Stanford's reputation rests on

Stanford University was founded in 1885 by Jane and Leland Stanford in memory of their only child, Leland Jr., who died of typhoid fever at 15. The Founding Grant sets the university's purpose "to promote the public welfare by exercising an influence in behalf of humanity and civilization". Stanford opened its doors on 1 October 1891 with some 555 students in the first year, on the family's 8,180-acre Palo Alto stock farm.

All seven of Stanford's schools sit on one campus. Stanford counts 36 Nobel Prize winners since its founding, plus numerous recipients of the Pulitzer Prize, the MacArthur Fellowship and National Medals. Stanford's history also names Sandra Day O'Connor, later the first female justice on the U.S. Supreme Court, as a student of the writer Wallace Stegner.

Stanford University Green Library Bing Wing

Stanford and the Ivy League

Stanford is not part of the Ivy League. The Ivy League is an athletic conference, and its website calls itself "the official home of Ivy League athletics". Stanford's teams compete in a different conference: Stanford Men's Basketball, for example, plays its seasons in the ACC. Any comparison between Stanford and Ivy League universities is about reputation, not about membership of a league.

Stanford's admission pages state the bar for international applicants in words rather than as a rate: if you are an international citizen and ask for financial aid, that request "will be a factor in our admission evaluation, making the process more selective".

For the steps of a US application in order, see our US application process guide.

What Stanford publishes about international students

Stanford reads every applicant in the context and country where they attend high school, and its admission staff specialize in reading applications from countries around the world. The application requirements are the same for all applicants regardless of citizenship or country of residence.

Stanford's aid policy is where international citizens are treated differently. Stanford is need-blind for all U.S. citizens, U.S. permanent residents, undocumented students and Eligible Noncitizens, wherever they go to school. For international citizens, Stanford says financial aid resources are limited, but that it does offer admission to a number of these applicants each year.

Decide on aid before you submit. International citizens who say they will not apply for aid and are then admitted are not eligible to apply for financial aid at any time during their four years at Stanford. A US citizen or permanent resident at a school abroad is considered a domestic applicant for financial aid purposes. Stanford reviews every applicant in the context and country where they attend high school, whatever their citizenship. The financial aid chapter covers how to apply.

Admission to the university, not to a major

Stanford does not admit you to a major. Stanford states that you apply to the university as a whole, not to a particular major, department or school. You can list prospective majors and career interests, but you are not bound by these selections in any way.

Name the prospective majors you actually want: Stanford admits you to the university as a whole, so the major you name is not a separate competition.

Stanford reviews your application holistically, in the context of your own school and country, with a School Report from your counselor and letters from two academic teachers. Stanford requires no courses or minimum scores, and for international citizens a request for financial aid is a factor in the decision.

Stanford reads your file as a whole: it will review your application holistically, taking into account your context and the unique factors that have shaped your education thus far. In the essays, Stanford asks you to allow your genuine voice to come through.

Stanford's admission staff specialize in reading applications from countries around the world. Regardless of citizenship, Stanford reads you in the context and country where you attend high school, so a U.S. citizen at a school abroad is read against that school while counting as a domestic applicant for financial aid purposes.

The School Report and the letters Stanford asks for

The Stanford School Report tells Stanford about your academic strengths in the context of the academic programs available in your school; a published school profile does not replace it.

Stanford strongly prefers letters from classroom teachers, so a coach or mentor belongs in the optional slot. Stanford requires transcripts and teacher letters translated into English, and applicants cannot translate the documents themselves. Stanford's pages set no date for asking teachers, and Stanford allows a grace period after the application deadline, but asking early leaves room for the translation.

What Stanford does not ask for or accept

• No preferred curriculum: Stanford has no preference for a specific curriculum, whether A-Level, IB, AP or a national diploma, and no need to convert your marks into an American GPA.
• No English exam: Stanford requires no English proficiency exam from undergraduate applicants.
• No minimum score: there are no courses or minimum scores required to secure admission to Stanford, and the international applicants FAQ says the ACT or SAT is required.
• No extra material: Stanford does not add writing samples or research papers to your file and has no upload option for them. Send news such as an award through the Update Application Form.
• No agents: Stanford does not work with paid agents or credentialing services.

The one difference for international citizens: asking for aid

Stanford's requirements are the same for all applicants regardless of citizenship, but for international citizens a request for financial aid is a factor in the admission evaluation, making the process more selective. Stanford is need-blind for U.S. citizens, permanent residents, undocumented students and Eligible Noncitizens.

Stanford meets the full need of all admitted students regardless of citizenship. The Stanford aid choice binds international citizens: if you say you will not apply for aid and are admitted, you cannot apply for aid during your four years.

Deferral, reapplying and the three-application limit

Stanford Restrictive Early Action ends in one of three possible decisions, and Stanford defers only a small percentage of early applications.

A Stanford early refusal is a final decision, and you may not reapply in Regular Decision that same cycle. Stanford allows a total of three applications for undergraduate admission, first-year and transfer combined, and you may reapply if you have submitted fewer than three.

According to Stanford's international applicants page as of October 2026, the ACT or SAT is required for international applicants, and Stanford sets no minimum scores. A score is read inside a review that is holistic.

The rule is the same if you apply from abroad: the international applicants FAQ answers "Yes, the ACT or SAT is required." The same FAQ says "No, we do not require any English proficiency exams." These are separate requirements: Stanford asks international applicants for an ACT or SAT score and requires no English proficiency exam.

What SAT or ACT score you need for Stanford

Stanford sets no minimum scores: its pages say there are no courses or minimum scores required to secure admission.

English tests and the ACT or SAT

Stanford's international FAQ says that Stanford does not require any English proficiency exams, while the ACT or SAT is required; the English requirements chapter explains what that means for you.

Stanford requires no English proficiency exam from undergraduate applicants, so, as of 9 Oct 2026, you can apply without a TOEFL, IELTS or Duolingo score. Stanford sets no minimum scores, and calls fluency in English a prerequisite for admission.

Stanford says it generally receives English exam results from applicants whose native language is not English and/or whose secondary school does not teach mainly in English. Stanford calls these exams useful in helping it determine applicants' English proficiency, but adds that your fluency may be clear in other aspects of your application. As of October 2026, the international applicants FAQ answers "No, we do not require any English proficiency exams."

You still need an ACT or SAT score: the international applicants FAQ says the ACT or SAT is required (see SAT and ACT requirements).

Which English score to send to Stanford

Stanford publishes no minimum scores for undergraduates and no recommended TOEFL or IELTS score, so any target quoted for Stanford undergraduates is not Stanford's. Whether a result helps is your judgement: Stanford notes that you may feel your fluency will be clear in other aspects of your application.

English tests for Stanford graduate programmes

Stanford graduate rules differ from undergraduate ones. Stanford Graduate Admissions sets university-wide requirements for MA, MS, PhD and other non-professional programmes, while the professional schools have separate admissions offices and applications. The table below covers the Graduate School of Business (GSB); for other programmes, see graduate admission and the programme's own page.

Stanford GSB accepts the TOEFL, the PTE Academic or the IELTS; the Duolingo English Test is not on that list. The MBA waives the test if you later completed a graduate programme taught only in English.

Stanford has no preferred curriculum and needs no GPA conversion: your school sends your official transcript, and the final transcript is due by 1 July if you are admitted and enrol.

Stanford reviews every applicant in the context and country where they attend high school, and no single educational pathway has an advantage over any other. Stanford has no required courses or minimum scores and recommends the coursework you would need to apply for a bachelor's degree in your home country or the country where you study now.

Stanford says there is no need to have your marks converted into an American Grade Point Average.

What IB, A-level, AP and national curriculum students send

Stanford asks every applicant for an official transcript covering grades 9-12. Stanford will not accept transcripts from applicants: all official transcripts and results must be sent directly from a school official or testing agency.

Transcript and diploma dates for autumn 2027 entry

Stanford does not need your diploma when you apply; you must hold it, or your country's equivalent, by the time you enroll in the fall. Stanford's 1 July rule names a final transcript; ask the admission office when it needs final IB, A-level or national exam results. As of October 2026, Stanford's international applicants page says that as a first-year applicant you cannot attend another degree granting program and receive course credit after graduating from high school: if you want to apply as a first-year, you must withdraw from that program before you receive any credit.

Recommended subjects, not requirements

Stanford has no set of required courses for admission. Stanford's recommended curriculum is, in Stanford's words, curriculum recommendations, not requirements:

• Mathematics: four years, including calculus.
• History or social studies: minimum three years.
• World language: minimum three years of the same language.

Stanford calls the list a guideline that leaves room for flexibility and advises you to take approximately five academic courses each semester, including during your final year. As of October 2026, the page calls these curriculum recommendations, not requirements; it lists four years of rigorous mathematics, including calculus and a minimum of three years of the same language, and Stanford has found that students who demonstrate success and mastery in a curriculum like this are prepared for the academic rigors at Stanford.

National diplomas, translations and the School Report

Stanford's curriculum answer lists A-Level, IB, AP, National, etc., so a Bac, Abitur, Matura or Gaokao falls under "National", and Stanford's admission staff are familiar with the nuances of different education systems.

Stanford requires transcripts and teacher recommendations translated into English, with original copies also submitted when applicable. You cannot translate them yourself; Stanford recommends your English teacher or another school official.

Stanford's School Report form, from your counselor or another school administrator, shows your academic strengths in the context of the programs your school offers; a school profile alone does not replace it. If your school has no guidance counselor, a principal or teacher can submit the counselor letter.

Stanford's Application and Essays page, updated July 21, 2026, asks for the Common Application personal essay plus the Stanford Questions: short questions of 3 to 50 words each and short essays of 100 to 250 words each. The Stanford Questions become available in early August each year inside the Common Application, once you add Stanford to your list of colleges.

Stanford requires the Stanford Questions in addition to the personal essay, and you submit both through the Common Application. The personal essay answers one of the Common Application's own essay prompts. Stanford's Application and Essays page gives no word limit for the personal essay, so take that limit from the Common Application.

Stanford sets a floor as well as a ceiling: at least 3 words for each short question and at least 100 for each short essay. With 50 words at most, the Stanford short questions leave no room for preamble, and the request to list five things that are important to you asks for exactly that: a list.

When the Stanford Questions are due

You submit the Stanford Questions through the Common Application, so finish your Stanford essays by the Common Application deadline of your round. An Optional Arts Portfolio moves that date earlier.

Stanford has no separate place for a paper or a writing sample: Stanford does not add supplementary materials like writing samples, research papers, or other special work to your application file, so the personal essay and the Stanford Questions carry your writing.

What Stanford says it wants from your essays

Stanford says of its essays that there are no right or wrong answers and you should allow your genuine voice to come through, and that the questions help us get to know you as a friend, future roommate, and classmate. The roommate note makes this literal: virtually all of Stanford's undergraduates live on campus, so you write to someone you would live with.

Our advice, not Stanford's: a named book, place or person tells a reader more than an adjective, and one real moment does more than a list of achievements your activities section already shows. Our guide to application essays covers drafting.

Stanford reads the essays inside a wider review: it will review your application holistically, taking into account your context and the unique factors that have shaped your education thus far. The short question on an activity, a job or family responsibilities is one place to show your engagement outside class; see our guide to extracurricular profiles.

Majors and career interests on the application

Stanford does not admit you to a major: you apply to the university as a whole, not to a particular major, department or school. Stanford encourages you to indicate prospective majors and career interests, but says you are not bound by these selections in any way.

Stanford offers optional interviews of approximately 40 minutes with trained alumni volunteers, only if your high school is in a Stanford interview area; as of 9 Oct 2026, Stanford's interview page puts them in the first few weeks of November 2026 for Restrictive Early Action and from mid-January to mid-February 2027 for Regular Decision. Declining an interview carries no penalty that negatively impacts your admission decision, while an Optional Arts Portfolio moves your Common Application deadline up to 5 December 2026 for RD; the REA portfolio date, 15 October 2026, has passed.

Stanford interviewers are trained Stanford alumni volunteers, and Stanford extends invitations according to alumni availability in your high school area. The location of your school decides eligibility, not your citizenship: only first-year applicants who attend high school in an interview area and apply REA or RD can be invited. Your application is complete with or without an interview and many applicants who do not have interviews are admitted. As of October 2026, the page says interviews for Restrictive Early Action applicants occur during the first few weeks of November and that interviews for Regular Decision applicants occur from mid-January to mid-February.

Stanford interview areas outside the United States

Stanford lists interview areas by country or territory, not by city: All 50 states, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Washington, D.C. at home, and abroad the International Locations below. Hong Kong and Taiwan are listed; mainland China, Chile and Ukraine, for example, are not. Poland is one of the listed International Locations on the page as of October 2026. Stanford last updated the list on April 14, 2026, so check it before you apply.

A Stanford interview takes place in-person or via video chat, as the volunteer prefers: in person in a public place, such as a coffee shop, food court, or library, or online via Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, or FaceTime. Interviews are not offered on the Stanford campus.

How to handle the Stanford interview

You can indicate interview interest through your application. The interviewer contacts you through the email or phone number you provided in your application, so check your spam folder and respond promptly; declining an interview will not incur a penalty that negatively impacts your admission decision, and you may decline for any reason.

• No script. There is no set list of questions; think about your goals, your academic interests and what you want to ask about Stanford.
• Come as you are. You are welcome to dress in typical high school attire.
• Come alone. Parents, siblings, and friends should not be present; a parent may meet the interviewer immediately prior to the start.
• No recording by either the applicant or the interviewer.
• The report counts. The volunteer writes a report that becomes part of your admission file, so Stanford learns about you beyond the scope of your written application. A thank-you email afterwards is fine.

The Stanford Optional Arts Portfolio

Stanford's Optional Arts Portfolio covers Art Practice, Dance, Music, or Theater and Performance Studies, and you are not required to major in the arts. Stanford is not accepting letters of recommendation for Art Practice and Dance portfolios.

To send a Stanford portfolio, answer "Yes" to "Do you intend to submit an Arts Portfolio?" and submit the Common Application by the early arts date. Stanford emails access to the Stanford portal within 48 hours; there you submit the arts portfolio form (including arts resume) and upload your work. Mail and email are not accepted.

Stanford prints these dates without a year; read on 9 Oct 2026, the October to December dates fall in 2026 and the January and February dates in 2027. The REA Common Application date with a portfolio, 15 October 2026, has passed; the 20 October portfolio materials date applies only if you submitted by then, so a portfolio now goes with Regular Decision. With a portfolio, transcripts, school reports, and teacher evaluations may arrive by the standard application deadline.

As of 9 Oct 2026, Stanford's pages list two rounds: Restrictive Early Action (REA), with your Common Application due 1 November 2026 and a decision by mid-December, and Regular Decision (RD), due 5 January 2027 with a decision by early April. In both rounds you reply by 1 May 2027, and Stanford evaluates applications in the same way whichever you pick.

Stanford's REA is non-binding: an early offer does not oblige you to enrol.

Stanford's REA restriction: where else you can apply early

If you apply to Stanford REA, you may not apply to any other private U.S. college/university under their Early Action, Restrictive Early Action, Early Decision, or Early Notification plan, nor to a public university under an early binding plan, such as Early Decision. Regular Decision rounds elsewhere stay open.

Stanford allows these special cases next to REA:

• Any university outside the US whose decision is non-binding: if you also apply at home or in Europe, check that the offer does not bind you.
• Any public college or university with a non-binding early plan, and any college with rolling admission if its decision is non-binding.
• A non-binding early plan required for a scholarship or special academic program.

Which Stanford round suits you

Stanford says REA may be a good option if all of the following apply: Stanford is your first choice; you have taken a challenging academic schedule through grade 11 and have done well (in US terms, the year before your final school year); and you have enough time before the 1 November deadline to write a thoughtful application. In REA, Stanford will not yet have your grades from the first semester of your senior year.

Stanford suggests RD if any of the following applies: your grades are on an upward trend; your final-year classes are harder than in grades 10 and 11; you are taking (or retaking) standardized exams; or a significant project or activity runs up to the REA deadline.

If you need aid as an international applicant, you must indicate this intention on the admission application. REA brings your aid answer forward from April to mid-December.

What happens after a Stanford REA application

Stanford gives three possible REA decisions:

• Admitted. You have until 1 May 2027 to respond. If you applied for aid by the 15 November priority deadline, Stanford sends a financial aid notification by mid-December.
• Not admitted. This is a final decision, and you may not reapply in Regular Decision. Stanford limits each student to a total of three applications for undergraduate admission, first-year and transfer combined.
• Deferred to RD. You get a final decision by early April and a form to share any updates. Stanford defers only a small percentage of REA applications.

Changing your Stanford round

Use the Decision Plan Change form in your Stanford portal: from RD to REA on or before 1 November, then move any early applications elsewhere to Regular Decision if needed; from REA to RD on or before 1 December. After 1 December, Stanford no longer accepts a change and evaluates you as an REA applicant.

As of 9 Oct 2026, Stanford's first-year page has you apply through the Common Application by 1 November 2026 in Restrictive Early Action (REA) or 5 January 2027 in Regular Decision (RD), by 11:59 p.m. in your local time zone, with the $100 fee or a fee waiver. Stanford decides by mid-December 2026 or by early April 2027, and you reply to an offer by 1 May 2027. Stanford's requirements are the same for all applicants regardless of citizenship.

What to submit and the application fee

Stanford's application fee is $100 and nonrefundable. Stanford accepts the Common App fee waiver for all eligible students, U.S. and non-U.S., and you do not need to wait for the waiver to be approved before you submit. Official transcripts and results must be sent directly from a school official or testing agency, and Stanford only accepts required documents, such as letters, from school personnel and recommenders.

After you submit: the Stanford portal, late documents and payments

After you submit, Stanford sends an acknowledgment email with your Stanford portal login. If 48 hours pass without it, check spam for Your Stanford Application, then write to credentials@stanford.edu.

Stanford gives teachers and counselors a grace period after the application deadline, without publishing how long it lasts, but Stanford can render a final decision even if pieces are missing. Confirm with your school that every document has been sent.

If you submit from another time zone, your Stanford submission timestamp may show a date after the deadline, and payments may post late, especially for international applicants. Neither makes your application late: as long as you submit your application by the deadline and have the transaction receipt, your application will be received.

If your school cannot submit to Stanford online, school staff email the documents to credentials@stanford.edu with your full legal name, date of birth and school name.

QuestBridge, transfer and the routes Stanford does not offer

For international citizens studying in the U.S. with a visa, Stanford does not review applications through the QuestBridge National College Match and encourages QuestBridge Regular Decision instead. A QuestBridge application is your Stanford application, in place of the Common Application. At a school abroad, you apply through the Common Application as described above.

Stanford transfer admission runs on its own dates; as of 9 Oct 2026, the transfer page has you apply by 15 March 2027, decision by mid-May, reply by 1 June 2027, with transcripts from every college or university attended. First-year and transfer applications count together toward Stanford's limit of three applications.

Stanford has no exchange programs for undergraduates, and Stanford does not award a second bachelor’s degree to individuals who already hold one.

Your Stanford timeline from the penultimate school year

Stanford publishes no plan for the penultimate school year, so these steps work back from Stanford's dates. Stanford sees REA as a fit if you have taken a challenging academic schedule through grade 11 and have done well.

• Penultimate year: Stanford recommends letters from grade 11 or 12 teachers, so this year's teachers are likely writers. A first SAT or ACT this year leaves time for a retake.
• Summer before the final year: draft your essays when the Stanford Questions open in early August, and line up your English teacher or another school official to translate your documents.
• Aid decision: say on the admission application if you will apply for aid; for international citizens that request is a factor in admission, and if you say no and are admitted, you cannot apply for aid during your four years. If you cannot pay the CSS Profile fee, or payments from your country fail, send the International Student Application for Financial Assistance (ISAFA) instead.

You apply to Stanford as a whole, not to a particular major, department or school, and you choose your major later: you are not bound by your prospective major in any way. Undergraduate teaching runs on a quarter system; master's, PhD and MBA programmes each set their own application requirements.

Stanford University Aerial View

Stanford teaches in a fast-paced and rigorous quarter system of Autumn, Winter and Spring quarters.

Choosing a major at Stanford

Stanford encourages you to indicate prospective majors in the application, but you are not bound by them.

The major you name in the application is a signal of interest, not a commitment, because Stanford admits you to the university as a whole.

Computer Science at Stanford

Computer Science at Stanford has no separate application: you apply to the university as a whole, not to a particular major, so a future Computer Science student goes through the same admission as everyone else. Stanford's Artificial Intelligence Laboratory dates from 1963.

Stanford keeps its full list on the Undergraduate Majors webpage. If you are weighing Mathematics, Mathematical and Computational Science, Economics, Human Biology or Symbolic Systems, read that major's requirements there before you name it in your application.

No pre-med, pre-law or business major at Stanford

Stanford does not offer pre-med, pre-law, or business majors, although many Stanford students go on to those careers. Students can consult pre-professional advisors and student groups. Business is a graduate degree at Stanford: the Graduate School of Business lists MBA, MSx and PhD programmes.

Minors and exchange

Stanford offers minors alongside majors: a new undergraduate minor in civic thought and practice, announced in September 2026. Check the department for the rules of any minor or double major.

Stanford has no exchange programs for undergraduates, so you cannot spend a term at Stanford as an exchange student.

Graduate study: master's, PhD and the MBA

Stanford Graduate Admissions covers MA, MS, PhD and other non-professional programmes in Education, Engineering, Humanities & Sciences, Medicine and the Doerr School of Sustainability, while the professional schools have separate admissions offices and applications. Because each individual program has its own application requirements, check GPA, test and letter rules on the programme's own page. If you already hold a bachelor's degree, Stanford does not award a second one.

The Stanford Graduate School of Business publishes the clearest rules. The Stanford MBA requires a U.S. bachelor's degree or equivalent and the GMAT or the GRE; the GSB does not superscore. You send two letters of recommendation, essays of up to 650 and 350 words, and a fee of $275.

The GSB English rule depends on your university, not your nationality: you need the TOEFL, IELTS or PTE if your university taught any undergraduate courses in a language other than English, unless you later completed a graduate programme taught only in English. The Stanford MSx is the GSB's option for experienced leaders: it spans a single year, and students typically arrive with a decade or more of experience.

This chapter follows what Stanford says about life after the degree: the route into the professions, internships under the 2026 CPT pause, and the founder stories in Stanford's own history.

After a Stanford bachelor's degree

Stanford's undergraduate admission pages describe the route into the professions, not the results. Stanford says it does not offer pre-med, pre-law, or business majors, but many students pursue careers or graduate studies in these areas, and that students can consult Stanford pre-professional advisors and student groups that offer guidance for graduate school applications.

If you see percentages of Stanford undergraduates going into tech, finance or consulting, or a list of their top employers, check that the figure comes from a Stanford page before you rely on it.

Les-bourgeois-de-Calais

Internships during your degree as an international student

An internship during an F-1 degree can run through curricular practical training (CPT). On 1 September 2026 Stanford's Bechtel International Center announced that Stanford has paused, until further notice, all CPT applications that are not required for degree completion. Check the Bechtel news page for the current status before you plan a summer internship.

Founders: what Stanford's own history says

Stanford's history page tells the founder story through its graduate students. Engineering professor Frederick Terman encouraged Stanford students not only to develop but also to commercialize their ideas. In 1939, graduate students William Hewlett and David Packard developed a precision audio oscillator and spun it into the company now known as HP.

In 1997, graduate students Larry Page and Sergey Brin developed the search algorithm they called PageRank; a year later, using computers in their dorm rooms as a data center, they founded Google. Phil Knight, the Nike founder, earned his MBA at the GSB in 1962 and wrote his business plan for Nike while attending the school.

The visa itself and the Bechtel International Center are in the F-1 visa chapter.

For the 2026-2027 academic year, Stanford's standard undergraduate budget lists $22,944 for housing and food and allowances for fees, books and personal expenses, alongside tuition and travel. As of 9 Oct 2026, the Stanford Student Budget page, where the tuition line and the total are shown, did not yet show figures for 2027-2028, the year you start if you enter in autumn 2027, and Stanford says most students do not actually pay this full cost.

The Stanford Financial Aid Office builds this budget for the typical undergraduate: unmarried, dependent on parents, living in a residence hall or off campus, full-time in the Autumn, Winter and Spring quarters. Tuition, fees, housing and food are charged quarterly on the university bill; books, supplies, personal expenses and travel are estimates that typically are not charged.

New Stanford students, freshmen and transfers, also pay a one-time New Student Orientation Fee of $525 and a one-time Document Fee of $250, which Stanford includes in the budgets of new students. If the fees on your Stanford student account for the year come to more than $150 over the allowance, Stanford may be able to increase your scholarship.

Stanford tuition for autumn 2027 entry

As of 9 Oct 2026, Stanford tuition for 2027-2028 was not on the Student Budget page yet: the page, updated on 3 March 2026, lists tuition for 2026-2027 in one standard budget, with no separate rate for international students. Use it as the latest official Stanford figure and check again before you accept an offer.

Health insurance at Stanford: Cardinal Care

Stanford requires all registered students to carry adequate health insurance and offers Cardinal Care to meet that rule. Most undergraduates are covered by their parents' plans and often waive Cardinal Care, but for international students Stanford automatically assumes Cardinal Care and includes its cost in the student budget; the budget page does not state the premium. Students with zero expected parent contribution and no adequate coverage are eligible for scholarship funds to cover Cardinal Care.

Your first-year Stanford budget from abroad

From abroad, a few first-year items sit on top of the standard budget lines: the application fee and the one-time new-student fees below, with Cardinal Care already in an international student's budget.

All amounts here are in US dollars, as Stanford publishes them.

What you actually pay: financial aid at Stanford

About two thirds of Stanford students receive some form of aid; the 46% on need-based Stanford scholarships pay an average of $20,000 toward their bills after all grant aid. Stanford states that domestic students whose family income is below $150,000 pay no tuition, and tuition, room and board are free under $100,000.

For international applicants, Stanford's trade-off sits in admission: a request for financial aid is a factor in the admission evaluation, making the process more selective. Once you are in, Stanford will meet the full need of all admitted students regardless of citizenship. The Stanford financial aid chapter explains how to apply from abroad; the US tuition costs guide gives a general overview.

Graduate costs at Stanford: the GSB publishes its own

Graduate study sits outside the Stanford undergraduate budget. The Graduate School of Business publishes its own budget: for 2026-2027 it puts medical insurance in the cost of attendance for all students and allows two round-trip tickets to be added to the cost of attendance each academic year. For other Stanford master's and PhD programmes, look up tuition on your programme's own page.

Stanford meets the full need of every admitted student who requested aid when applying, regardless of citizenship, but for international citizens that request is a factor in admission, making it more selective. For 2027-2028 aid, international applicants have priority filing dates of 15 November 2026 for Restrictive Early Action and 15 February 2027 for Regular Decision; the CSS Profile and IDOC opened on 1 October 2026.

Stanford undergraduate aid is need-based, and Stanford does not expect students to borrow to meet their need. As an international citizen, you decide on the Stanford application itself whether to ask for that aid.

Need-aware admission for international citizens

Stanford is need-blind for US citizens, US permanent residents, undocumented students and Eligible Noncitizens, regardless of where they attend high school. A US citizen or permanent resident at a school abroad is a domestic applicant for financial aid purposes, while the application is read in the context of that school.

For every other applicant, Stanford admission is need-aware. Stanford says financial aid resources are limited for international citizens, though Stanford does offer admission to a number of these applicants each year. Three Stanford rules decide what the aid box on your application means:

• Saying no is final. International citizens who say on the application that they will not apply for aid, and are then admitted, are not eligible to apply for financial aid at any time during their four years at Stanford.
• One exception. If your citizenship status changes while you are enrolled and makes you eligible for US federal aid, Stanford may consider you for need-based aid from that quarter.
• Saying yes is honoured in full. If you ask for aid and are admitted, Stanford meets your full demonstrated need, regardless of citizenship.

The Stanford trade-off is plain. If your family cannot pay the full cost, ask for aid and accept a more selective review. If your family can pay, saying no to Stanford aid closes that door for all four years, even if your family's situation changes.

How much Stanford aid covers

Stanford publishes income lines for what a family pays:

Read those Stanford income lines with care if your family lives abroad. Stanford's About page words the $150,000 rule for domestic students, and the $100,000 line on Stanford's home page names no citizenship; ask the Financial Aid Office whether either line applies to a family outside the US. What Stanford does promise an international citizen is full demonstrated need, and Stanford points every applicant to its net price calculator for an award estimate.

Across all Stanford undergraduates, not only international students, about two thirds receive some form of aid, 60% receive scholarships from Stanford, including athletic scholarships, and 46% receive need-based scholarships and pay an average of $20,000 toward their bills after all grant aid. Stanford also says more than 80 percent of Stanford undergraduates complete their degree with no debt.

How to apply for Stanford aid from abroad for 2027-2028

Stanford's 2027-2028 requirements say that international students who are applying for aid must indicate this intention on the admission application. The Stanford aid dates then follow your admission round.

• CSS Profile, online. If your parents are divorced, separated or were never married, each parent provides CSS Profile information separately.
• ISAFA instead: if you cannot afford the CSS Profile fee, or the College Board cannot take payments from your country, submit the International Student Application for Financial Assistance by Document Upload, but not if you can file the CSS Profile.
• Canadian citizens also complete IDOC, with signed copies of 2025 Canadian tax statements, and do not need to complete the International Student Supplement.

Merit scholarships and outside awards at Stanford

Stanford does not offer merit scholarships outside of a limited number of athletic scholarships. A strong application raises your chance of admission to Stanford, not the size of your Stanford grant; only demonstrated need sets that.

Stanford's undergraduate aid site lists outside scholarships among its types of aid; ask the Stanford Financial Aid Office how an outside award changes a Stanford grant before you accept a scholarship from home.

Graduate funding at Stanford: Knight-Hennessy and the GSB

This section is for graduate study only; look to your department and to funders at home as well.

The Knight-Hennessy Scholars program awards full funding to pursue any graduate degree at Stanford, including joint and dual degrees, with funding for up to three years of graduate study. Knight-Hennessy selects up to 100 students each year who are newly enrolling in a graduate degree program in any of Stanford's seven schools. Candidates of any country may apply, with one application to Knight-Hennessy and one to the degree program. The Knight-Hennessy application for the 2027 cohort closed on 06 October 2026.

At the Stanford Graduate School of Business, approximately half of MBA students receive fellowship funds, and an external scholarship for less than $40,000 does not reduce a GSB fellowship.

Virtually all of Stanford's undergraduates live on campus, and the Stanford student budget for the 2026-2027 academic year sets $22,944 for housing and food. Stanford charges housing and food quarterly on the university bill, together with tuition and fees.

Claw Fountain at Stanford Univerisity

One of the Stanford application essays asks you to write a note to your future roommate. Before you plan four years of housing, confirm with Residential & Dining Enterprises (R&DE) Student Housing whether housing is guaranteed for all four years and how first-year students are assigned to a residence.

Where Stanford undergraduates live

Stanford describes undergraduate housing as a range: from large freshman dorms, to small, four-class houses on the Row, to fraternities and sororities, to co-ops where members cook their own dinners and take turns baking fresh bread each weeknight. R&DE runs it: R&DE Student Housing Operations offers a variety of housing options for undergraduate and graduate students and their dependents.

Stanford links the residences to teaching through Residential Education (ResEd): living and learning are woven together in residential education at Stanford. Stanford dining halls aim for a plate for every dietary need.

What housing and food cost in 2026-2027

The Stanford budget assumes living in a residence hall or off-campus; the Housing and Food line is not the price of one particular room, and the budget page gives no separate meal-plan price. As of 9 Oct 2026, the 2026-2027 budget was the latest Stanford had published, one year before an autumn 2027 start.

The Stanford budget assumes a student attending full-time for Autumn, Winter and Spring quarters. Stanford adds that most students do not actually pay the full budget, and its home page says tuition, room, and board are free for undergrads with family incomes under $100,000. If you apply from abroad, read that with care: financial aid resources are limited for international citizens, and a request for aid is a factor in the admission evaluation. The financial aid chapter explains the rules.

Graduate housing at Stanford

Stanford graduate housing offers on-campus spaces for individuals, couples, and families, with cafes and pubs, outdoor gathering spaces and gyms close by.

Once you are admitted, confirm with R&DE Student Housing whether housing is guaranteed to new graduate students in their first year.

At Stanford you can join more than 600 student organizations or over 45 club sports teams and watch 36 varsity teams. Stanford calls itself a citizen of Silicon Valley and the Bay Area, and the Bechtel International Center is Stanford's hub for international students and families.

Clubs, arts and traditions at Stanford

Stanford counts more than 600 student organizations. Its own examples run from Down with Gravity for jugglers to the Stanford Student Space Initiative, which builds and launches rockets. Through the Haas Center for Public Service, more than 1,000 Stanford students a year do service with community organizations, nonprofits and companies, and the student-run Stanford Speakers Bureau has brought Nobel laureates, artists and creators to campus since 1935.

Stanford's art museums are on campus. The Cantor Arts Center, officially the Iris & B. Gerald Cantor Center for Visual Arts, is open and free for everyone, and the Anderson Collection, opened in 2014, shows modern and contemporary American art. With Bing Concert Hall, the McMurtry Building and Frost Amphitheater, the Stanford arts district hosts dozens of concerts, exhibitions, and events each year.

Stanford athletics and NCAA titles

Stanford's 36 varsity teams have won 139 NCAA titles. Stanford says its teams have won titles in 20 different sports. Stanford's student life page adds that the swimmer from your biology class may be a current or future Olympian.

As a Stanford student you get free admission to all regular season home games, and Stanford Stadium, rebuilt and opened in 2006, seats 50,000. If you want to compete without a varsity place, Stanford runs over 45 club sports teams, including archery, badminton, dragon boat, golf, jump rope, ultimate and wushu.

Living in Palo Alto and Silicon Valley

Stanford's campus is still nicknamed the Farm. Stanford was built on the Stanford family's Palo Alto stock farm, an 8,180-acre property, and opened on 1 October 1891. Stanford's history page places that farm 35 miles south of the family's San Francisco residence. To cut car traffic on campus, Stanford introduced the free Marguerite shuttle, named after a horse that pulled a jitney between campus and Palo Alto.

Stanford calls itself a citizen of Silicon Valley and the Bay Area, and its history shows why. Engineering professor Frederick Terman, dubbed the "Father of Silicon Valley", pushed Stanford students to commercialize their ideas. In 1939 graduate students William Hewlett and David Packard spun an audio oscillator into the company now known as HP, and Larry Page and Sergey Brin later founded Google using computers in their dorm rooms. What Stanford graduates do next is in the careers chapter, and the visa chapter covers Bechtel and the 2026 F-1 rule changes.

Support for international students at Stanford

The Bechtel International Center is Stanford's hub for international students and families. Bechtel's site covers visa types, travel in and out of the US, employment and maintaining your status.

Bechtel also posts immigration news that can change your plans. On 1 September 2026 Stanford paused, until further notice, all CPT applications that are not required for degree completion, after memos from the US Student and Exchange Visitor Program. Check Bechtel's news before you plan a US internship during your Stanford degree.

From abroad, the student visa comes after your offer: Stanford sends admitted international citizens information detailing the student visa application process.

From a Stanford offer to an F-1 visa

The F-1 visa starts with your offer: once you are admitted, Stanford sends information detailing the student visa application process, and for the next steps its admission page points you to the Bechtel International Center: Immigration website. Follow your US consulate's own instructions before you pay a fee or book an interview.

Stanford's Bechtel International Center and the 2026 rule changes

Stanford's admission page sends visa questions to the Bechtel International Center: Immigration website, and Bechtel is Stanford's hub for international students and families, covering visa types, travel, employment and maintaining your status. Ask Bechtel about arrival arrangements such as airport pickup or orientation dates after you accept your offer.

Stanford's Bechtel International Center also tracks the 2026 F-1 rule changes. On July 17, 2026, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced changes to the "duration of status" for F and J nonimmigrants. On 14 September 2026, Bechtel reports, a federal judge in Massachusetts temporarily blocked a rule that would have eliminated "duration of status" from taking effect. Check the Bechtel news page before you travel, because the rules may still change before autumn 2027.

Working while you study at Stanford

Curricular Practical Training (CPT) at Stanford is narrower than usual: since 1 September 2026 Stanford has paused, until further notice, all CPT applications that are not required for degree completion. For a summer internship on non-required CPT, confirm with Bechtel that the pause has ended before you accept.

Stanford suits you if you want to be admitted to the university as a whole, not to a particular major, choose a major later, and either can pay without aid or accept that, as an international citizen, asking for aid makes the process more selective. As of 9 Oct 2026, Stanford's first-year page lists 1 November 2026 for Restrictive Early Action (REA) and 5 January 2027 for Regular Decision (RD).

Stanford asks you to list prospective majors, but you are not bound by these selections in any way. Stanford fits a student who wants breadth before choosing.

Stanford calls itself a citizen of Silicon Valley and the Bay Area. Stanford does not suit you if you want a professional degree straight from school, because Stanford does not offer pre-med, pre-law, or business majors, or if you hoped for one semester there: Stanford has no exchange programs for undergraduates, and the undergraduate way in is to apply as a transfer student.

Applying to Stanford from abroad: the numbers and the aid choice

For an applicant from abroad, the rules that matter most here are the aid rules below.

• Ask for aid as an international citizen and the request is a factor in the admission evaluation, making the process more selective; Stanford's aid resources for international citizens are limited, though Stanford does offer admission to a number of these applicants each year.
• If you asked for aid and are admitted, Stanford will meet the full need of all admitted students regardless of citizenship. There are no merit scholarships outside a limited number of athletic scholarships.
• Say you will not apply for aid and, if admitted, you are not eligible to apply for financial aid at any time during your four years.

As of 9 Oct 2026, Stanford's Student Budget page showed 2026-2027, not the 2027-2028 budget for your year. For international students Stanford assumes Cardinal Care health insurance and adds its cost to your budget. Stanford's About page states free tuition below $150,000 of family income for domestic students, and Knight-Hennessy Scholars funds graduate degrees, not the bachelor's.

Applying from abroad is worth it if your family can pay the full budget, or if you need aid and accept a more selective review in return for full need met once admitted. Do not hide a real need for aid: under the four-year rule you could not ask later.

Comparing Stanford with your other options

Compare MIT, Harvard, ETH Zurich, EPFL, Imperial, NUS or Tsinghua on test rules, aid for international students and tuition using each university's own admission pages. The Stanford side of that comparison:

With Stanford REA you may not apply early to any other private U.S. college/university. You may still apply early to any public college/university and to any non-U.S. college/university if their decision is non-binding.

Next steps for autumn 2027 entry

Ask two academic teachers and your counselor now, and if your transcripts and teacher letters are not in English, have them translated into English by your English teacher or other school official: applicants cannot translate the documents themselves.

Official pages of Stanford University, checked on 9 Oct 2026.

About Stanford | Stanford University · First-Year Applicants : Stanford University · International Applicants : Stanford University · Application Fee/Fee Waiver : Stanford University · Application and Essays : Stanford University · First-Year Applicants : Stanford University · International Applicants : Stanford University · Regular Decision and Restrictive Early Action : Stanford University · The Student Budget : Stanford University · Undergraduate Basics : Stanford University · Stanford University · Restrictive Early Action—International Students · Regular Decision—International Students · Our History | Stanford University · About Stanford | Stanford University · Stanford History | Facts · Preparing for Stanford Academics : Stanford University · Transcript, School Report and Recommendations : Stanford University · Application Status FAQ : Stanford University · Graduate Admissions - Stanford University · Application Essentials - Stanford GSB MBA · English Language Proficiency: TOEFL, IELTS & PTE - Stanford GSB MBA · Test Scores - Stanford MSx Program · Test Scores - Stanford GSB MBA · Interview : Stanford University · Arts Portfolio : Stanford University · QuestBridge · Transfer Applicants · Education Information for MBA Program Application · Applying to the MBA Program | Stanford Graduate School of Business · GMAT, GRE & Executive Assessment - Stanford MSx Program Application | Stanford Graduate School of Business · Letters of Recommendation for the MSx Program · Deadlines for Applying to the MBA Program | Stanford Graduate School of Business · Bechtel International Center · Cost of Attendance | Stanford Graduate School of Business · Undergraduate Admission · Knight-Hennessy Scholars Program | Stanford Graduate School of Business · Types of Aid | Stanford Graduate School of Business · QuestBridge : Stanford University · Life on the Farm | Stanford University · Residential & Dining Enterprises | Stanford R&DE · Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University

Photos: Stanford University Arches with Memorial Church in the background: photo Jawed, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons · Stanford Oval May panorama: photo King of Hearts, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons · Stanford University Green Library Bing Wing: photo LPS.1, CC0, Wikimedia Commons · Stanford University Aerial View: photo Mark Leschinsky, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons · Les-bourgeois-de-Calais: photo User:Introvert, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons · Claw Fountain at Stanford Univerisity: photo Oleg Alexandrov, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons