The following requirements and processes apply to all PhD and most master’s programs with the following exceptions:
Application available: October 2021
PhD application deadline: Early December 2021
MA/MS application deadline: Early January 2022
Knight-Hennessy Scholars GSE program application deadline: Fall 2021
Complete and submit Stanford’s graduation application form.
Coterm applicants (current Stanford undergraduates): please use the coterminal application. For more information on being a GSE coterm, visit this page: https://ed.stanford.edu/admissions/coterminal
The application fee is $125, is nonrefundable, and must be received by the application deadline.
Application fee waivers are available to GSE applicants in three ways:
GRE fee reduction certificate and diversity program participation waivers are granted by Stanford's central graduation admissions office. School-based waivers are granted by GSE admissions. School-based waiver applications will be reviewed on a first-come basis. Acceptance or denial of your fee waiver application does not affect your likelihood of admission into a graduate program.
GSE Admissions reviews and releases our School-based fee waiver decisions in rounds as follows:
Round 1: October 1 - October 16 @ 12pm PDT (decisions released on October 16)
Round 2: October 17 - October 30 @ 12pm PDT (decisions released on October 30)
Round 3: October 31 - November 13 @ 12pm PST (decisions released on November 13)
Round 4: November 14 - November 20 @ 12pm PST (decisions released on November 20)
Round 5: November 21 - December 11 @ 12pm PST (decisions released on December 11)
Round 6: December 12 - January 6 @ 12pm PST (decisions released on January 6)
If your fee waiver application is accepted you will receive a waiver code to enter on the payment page of your graduate admissions application. If you do not receive a fee waiver, you are instructed to pay the $125 nonrefundable fee.
Your typed, single-spaced statement of purpose should be between one and two pages. Describe your reasons for applying, your preparation for this field of study, why our program is a good fit for you, your future career goals, and other aspects of your background and interests that might aid the admissions committee in evaluating your aptitude and motivation for graduate study.
If you are applying to the doctoral program, you should include your research interests and the names of two or three faculty members whose work closely converges with yours, to identify potential advisors. DAPS applicants have a specific statement of purpose prompt; please review it below under the program-specific requirements section.
For master's applicants, focus on how your previous work, background, and/or academic experience informs your decision to apply to the program as well as how the program will impact your career goals.
Please keep a copy for your records.
Upload your resume or CV (whichever is most appropriate to your background) in the online application. There is no page limit, though we typically see resumes of one page.
In the online application, you will be asked to identify your recommenders and their email addresses. Please notify your recommenders that they will receive an email prompt to submit their letters online. You can submit your request for letters of recommendation through the system without submitting your entire application. Stanford GSE only accepts recommendations through the online application system, and cannot accept mailed, emailed, or faxed recommendations.
Your recommenders should be people who have supervised you in an academic, employment, or community service setting. We strongly recommend that at least one of these letters be from a university professor familiar with your academic work. Your letters should directly address your suitability for admission to a graduate program at Stanford GSE.
It is your responsibility to ensure that all three letters of recommendation are submitted through the application system by the application deadline.
We require transcripts from every college and university you have attended for at least one academic year as a full-time student. Upload transcripts as scanned copies or PDFs (no larger than 10MB) when submitting the online application. Please refrain from uploading a secured PDF/transcript with a digital signature, as our system cannot upload these properly.
If you earned a degree at the institution from which you are submitting a transcript, please ensure that the degree conferred and the degree conferral date are clearly visible on the document. If you are currently enrolled in a degree program and will not have earned the degree by the time you submit your application, submit your most recent in-progress transcript.
If admitted, we will contact you with instructions for sending official transcripts. Note that the instructions for sending transcripts in the online application and on the Stanford Graduate Admissions Office website differ from this GSE requirement.
If the transcript from your home institution reflects your study abroad coursework and grades, you do not need to submit original transcripts from your abroad institution.
If your institution provides a transcript in a language other than English, we require that you submit a translation, either provided by the institution or a certified translator. Translations must be literal and complete versions of the original records.
If your transcript does not include your degree conferred and your degree conferral date, please submit a scanned copy of your diploma, a conferral statement, or a conferral document in addition to your transcript. If you are currently enrolled in a degree program and will not have earned the degree by the time you submit your application, submit your most recent in-progress transcript.
Due to conditions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, the GSE will not require the GRE for admission for the 2021-2022 academic year. However, some GSE programs provide the opportunity to submit GRE scores if you have taken the test and feel that your scores would enhance your application. Not submitting your GRE scores when your program of interest offers you the option to submit them does not affect your application negatively in any way. If your program indicates the GRE as optional (see program-specific requirements below) and you wish to send scores, please follow the guidelines below.
For applicants submitting optional GRE scores: We accept all scores that are still valid/reportable by ETS standards. If your scores are reportable you may send them electronically to Stanford University institution code 4704 (department code does not matter). Once you submit your application, your scores will be matched with your application. We cannot guarantee that official scores received after your program’s application deadline will be included in your application.
NOTE: we do not yet know if the GRE will be required for fall 2022 entry or beyond. We hope to know more about the future of the GRE requirement in September 2021.
Stanford University requires the TOEFL from all applicants whose native language is not English. The GSE requires a minimum score of 250 for the computer-based test, 600 for the paper-based test, or 100 for the internet-based test. The Test of Written English (TWE) is not required. Applicants who have completed a four-year bachelor’s degree or a two-year master’s program (or equivalent) in the U.S. or at an institution at which English is the main language of instruction do not need to take the TOEFL. For more information on TOEFL requirements, please refer to the Stanford Graduate Admissions website.
You should plan to take the TOEFL and have the scores sent electronically to Stanford at institution code 4704 no later than the following dates:
Please note that the TOEFL may not be taken earlier than 18 months prior to the application deadline.
To help you identify whether you are required to take the TOEFL, please follow our TOEFL flowchart.
GRE: Not required for admission to the 2021-2022 academic year
Interview: The admissions committee might contact you for an interview in order to get additional information.
Writing sample: Not required
GRE: Optional for admission to the 2021-2022 academic year
Interview: The admissions committee might contact you for an interview in order to get additional information.
Writing sample: Not required
Statement of purpose: Please include the following (2,000 word maximum):
GRE: Not required for admission to the 2021-2022 academic year
Interview: The admissions committee might contact you for an interview in order to get additional information.
Writing sample: Not required
GRE: Not required for admission to the 2021-2022 academic year
Interview: The admissions committee might contact you for an interview in order to get additional information.
Writing sample: Required. Please submit a piece of writing that helps us understand your perspectives on education as they relate to race, inequality, and/or language. The piece could include a blog post, an op-ed, a reflection on a lesson you have designed, an essay, or a more formal research paper. There is no minimum or maximum page limit requirement, however 1,000 words to 5,000 words is preferred.
GRE: Not required for admission to the 2021-2022 academic year
Interview: Not required
Writing sample: Required. Please submit one research-oriented writing sample, e.g., a master's or honors thesis, senior or capstone research paper, a class research paper or proposal, or a study written in the context of your employment. The writing sample should be at least 10 pages in length; submitting the work in its entirety is acceptable.
GRE: Optional for admission to the 2021-2022 academic year
Interview: The admissions committee might contact you for an interview in order to get additional information.
Writing sample: Not required
GRE: Optional for admission to the 2021-2022 academic year
Interview: The admissions committee might contact you for an interview in order to get additional information.
Writing sample: Not required
Supplemental application: You will be asked to respond to these essay prompts on the SHIPS EDS supplemental application.
GRE: Optional for admission to the 2021-2022 academic year
Interview: The admissions committee might contact you for an interview in order to get additional information.
Writing sample: Not required
GRE: Optional for admission to the 2021-2022 academic year
Interview: The admissions committee might contact you for an interview in order to get additional information.
Writing sample: Not required
GRE: Not required for admission to the 2021-2022 academic year
Interview: Not required
Writing sample: Required. Please submit one research-oriented writing sample, e.g., a master's or honors thesis, senior or capstone research paper, a class research paper or proposal, or a study written in the context of your employment. The writing sample should be at least 10 pages in length; submitting the work in its entirety is acceptable.
GRE: Optional for admission to the 2021-2022 academic year
Interview: Not required
Writing sample: Required. Please submit one research-oriented writing sample, e.g., a master's or honors thesis, senior or capstone research paper, a class research paper or proposal, or a study written in the context of your employment. The writing sample should be at least 10 pages in length; submitting the work in its entirety is acceptable.
GRE: Not required for admission to the 2021-2022 academic year
Interview: Not required
Writing sample: Required. Please submit one research-oriented writing sample, e.g., a master's or honors thesis, senior or capstone research paper, a class research paper or proposal, or a study written in the context of your employment. The writing sample should be at least 10 pages in length; submitting the work in its entirety is acceptable.
GRE: Optional for admission to the 2021-2022 academic year
Interview: The admissions committee might contact you for an interview in order to get additional information.
Writing sample: Not required
The SHIPS Philosophy PhD program will not admit students for the 2021-2022 academic year. Please check back in September 2021 for information on the 2022-2023 academic year.
GRE: Optional for admission to the 2021-2022 academic year
Interview: The admissions committee might contact you for an interview in order to get additional information.
Writing sample: Not required
The CTE master's program will not admit students for the 2021-2022 academic year. Please check back in September 2021 for information on the 2022-2023 academic year.
GRE: Optional for admission to the 2021-2022 academic year
Interview: The admissions committee might contact you for an interview in order to get additional information.
Writing sample: Not required
Supplemental application: You will be asked to respond to these additional questions on the EDS supplemental application.
Additional requirement: Students will need basic programming skills to enter most data science classes. As a result, basic programming experience or prior coursework in programming is required. Novices should consider taking EdX or Coursera courses before applying. The education data science program relies on R and Python programming languages.
GRE: Optional for admission to the 2021-2022 academic year
Interview: Not required
Writing sample: Required. Please submit one research-oriented writing sample, e.g., a master's or honors thesis, senior or capstone research paper, a class research paper or proposal, or a study written in the context of your employment. The writing sample should be at least 10 pages in length; submitting the work in its entirety is acceptable.
GRE: Not required for admission to the 2021-2022 academic year
Interview: Not required
Writing sample: Not required
Supplemental essays: You will be asked to respond to these essay prompts on the LDT supplemental application.
GRE: Optional for admission to the 2021-2022 academic year
Interview: Not required
Writing sample: Required. Please submit a writing sample of no more than 10 typewritten pages. This may be a paper written for a course, a section of an undergraduate thesis, a report submitted in the context of your employment, or a piece you write in response to a current event or something you have read. This writing sample should show evidence of your ability to evaluate an issue or problem, use evidence, and offer an informed opinion or solution.
Supplemental essays: You will be asked to respond to an additional essay prompt on the POLS supplemental application. Why POLS? Why Stanford? (2,500 characters maximum)
Still have questions? Our FAQ page might have what you are looking for.
For information not covered in our program pages, application requirements, or FAQ page, please contact the GSE Admissions Office at gseadmissions@stanford.edu. For information on recruitment events and visiting campus, please see Connect & Visit.
To learn more about tuition and financial support at the GSE, please visit Financing Your Education.
If you are uncertain about which degree or program to which you should apply, read "Which Degree, Which Program" by Associate Dean for Student Affairs, Professor Eamonn Callan.
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