Undergraduate Admission
Discover Stanford
Experience the freedom to be the person you want to be, freedom to dive deep into academic discovery, and freedom to pursue your passions. Faculty and staff will spark and support your inquiry, and your peers will challenge you in a dynamic learning environment where listening and respectful discourse are paramount. Stanford will provide you the opportunity of a lifetime.
It isn’t just about the courses or the grades. It’s about the human being behind all of it. The cornerstones of resilience—learning, seeking advice, getting perspective and finding community—offer a way for young people to grow as they embark on the next major step in their lives.
– Richard H. Shaw, Dean of Undergraduate Admission
Application Deadlines
Restrictive Early Action Application with Arts Portfolio
Restrictive Early Action Standard Application
Regular Decision with Arts Portfolio
Regular Decision Standard Application
Transfer Application with or without Arts Portfolio
We look forward to learning about you through your application.
A Stanford Education is Possible.
Stanford offers comprehensive, need-based financial aid that makes it possible for all admitted undergraduate students to attend — and we do not expect students to borrow to meet their need. Learn how the program works, then use the net price calculator to get an award estimate based on your family’s financial situation.
News & Announcements
Thanksgiving holiday office closure
The Offices of Undergraduate Admission and Financial Aid will close at 2 p.m. (PST) on Wednesday, November 27, 2024 and will reopen on Monday, December 2, 2024.
Stanford will resume standardized test requirement for undergraduate admission
Stanford will resume requiring either the SAT or the ACT for undergraduate admission, beginning with students applying in fall 2025 for admission to the Class of 2030. Stanford will remain test-optional for students applying in fall 2024 for admission to the Class of 2029.
See details
Test scores represent only one part of a holistic review of each applicant to the university, for which academic potential is the primary criterion for admission. Performance on standardized tests is an important predictor of academic performance at Stanford, a review by the faculty Committee on Undergraduate Admission and Financial Aid has confirmed. The renewed testing requirement will allow Stanford to consider the fullest array of information in support of each student’s application.
Stanford paused its testing requirement in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, beginning with students applying to the Class of 2025. Since then, undergraduate applicants to Stanford have been welcome to submit test scores but have not been required to do so.
The university is reinstating the test requirement in a manner that will allow all students enough lead time to plan and prepare for testing. Scores from the SAT or ACT will only be required beginning with students applying in fall 2025 for admission to the Class of 2030.
Stanford will continue to review applicants in context, and to consider each piece of an application as part of an integrated and comprehensive whole. More specifically, the university evaluates academic achievement and potential in the context of each student’s background, educational pathway, work and family responsibilities, and other factors.
Testing policy for 2024-2025 admission cycle
For the 2023–24 and 2024–25 admission cycles, Stanford will not require ACT or SAT scores for first-year or transfer applicants.
See details
Our test optional policy will extend to applicants applying for the Fall 2025 entry term.
Stanford is committed to a holistic review of all candidates. We consider the vast array of information provided in and with each student’s application, whether that information includes test scores or not. Students may continue to self-report test scores in their application if they would like. Applications without test scores will not be at a disadvantage.
The NCAA Eligibility Center has announced a standardized testing policy for students who intend to play NCAA Division I or II sports: “the NCAA will no longer require standardized testing as part of the eligibility criteria.”
Engage with Us