Stanford University

School	Degrees	Duration
School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences	undergraduate magistracy	4 years 1 year
School of Humanities and Sciences	undergraduate magistracy	4 years 1–2 years
School of Engineering	undergraduate magistracy	4 years 1–2 years
Graduate School of Education	magistracy	1–2 years
School of Medicine	magistracy MD	2 years 4–6 years
law school	JD LLMs	3 years 1 year
Graduate School of Business	MBA MSx	2 years 1 year

Quarter	Dates
autumn	24 Sept. — 14 Dec.
Winter	Jan 7 — 22 March.
spring	1 Apr. – 12 Jun.
Summer	Jun 24 — 17 Aug.

Scientific achievements of Stanford University

• Stanford University has more than 5,000 research and scientific projects sponsored by investors and philanthropists.
• In 2013-2014, 135 USD billion was allocated for university projects. Most of the projects are funded by the Federal Government.
• In 2013, a computer was created here that runs on carbon nanotubes.
• Stanford University researchers have created four “artificial synapses” on a silicon chip.
• University specialists are working on a new generation of lithium-ion batteries.
• The university has created self-cooling solar panels.
• Prospective developments in the use of stem cells are underway at Stanford University.
• Stanford medical students are taking part in an interesting experiment: since 2014, they have been operating with Google Glass glasses.
• In 1971, the famous Stanford Prison Experiment was staged at the Department of Psychology. Psychologist Philip Zimbardo created prison conditions within the walls of SU and explored how the average person reacts to complete restriction of freedom.

Why choose Stanford University?

• Stanford University is located in the famous Silicon Valley. It has grown around the university not by chance: university graduates took an active part in the creation of such IT companies as Hewlett-Packard, Sun Microsystems, Yahoo!, NVIDIA, eBay, CISCO, Electronic Arts and Google.
• Stanford is home to the renowned Kantor Center for the Visual Arts, with 24 galleries, sculpture gardens and terraces.
• SU operates the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory with a two-mile underground accelerator. It is the longest linear accelerator in the world. The first web page in the USA was created in the SLAC laboratory.
• The target capital of Stanford University is 214 USD billion (as of August 31, 2014), which allows the university to provide financial support to its students.
• Stanford University has 625 interest groups, including 14 religious communities.
• Students move around the campus on bicycles. Stanford has its own bike park with over 13,000 bikes.
• Stanford University is known for the fact that the curriculum at the university is compiled individually for each student. The ratio of the number of students and teachers at the university is five to one.
• More than 50 Stanford faculty members are Nobel Prize winners.
• 90% of Stanford University graduates are successfully employed within the first few months, and their salary is considered the highest when compared with other prestigious US universities .
• Every year, Stanford University holds more than 200 conferences and seminars in which university students take part.

Requirements for admission to Stanford University

Stanford admission statistics

Stanford Master’s Statistics

Application Deadlines for Stanford University Admissions

If an applicant enters a creative specialty, it is necessary to prepare an appropriate portfolio and submit documents a month earlier than the deadlines for all other areas.

Scholarships and Grants at Stanford University

Over 80% of Stanford students receive financial aid, of which 58% are funded from the university fund, the rest of the students are supported by private organizations. Foreign students do not have the opportunity to receive financial assistance directly from the university – this is done by third-party organizations. Consequently, the amount of assistance for foreign students may be lower than for US citizens, because most of the assistance to American students is provided by the university (average scholarship – 51,614 USD ). Moreover, these organizations will provide support to undergraduate students only if an application for financial aid has been completed when submitting documents to Stanford.

Financial assistance is also offered to international students of master’s and doctoral programs who study engineering, study environmental disciplines, space sciences and related disciplines. Stanford has programs for future engineers DOE Computational Science Graduate Fellowship, Ford Fellowship, Fulbright-Hays and many others. The amount of scholarships ranges from 10,000 USD to 38,000 USD .

One of NASA’s research laboratories is located in Stanford, and the organization could not refuse financial support to university students. The scholarship is called the NASA Space Technology Research Fellowships. The program is aimed at supporting masters and doctors conducting research in the field of space development. The maximum scholarship amount is 78,000 USD .

Stanford University also provides scholarships for liberal arts students who wish to devote their lives to teaching (in schools or universities) in the future. The scholarship amount is from 4,000 USD to 8,000 USD for 9 months of study.

In addition, Stanford University has subsidies from the Graduate Student Aid fund. Assistance is offered to graduate students who are in a difficult financial situation (high expenses for treatment, dental services) and cannot solve their financial problems on their own. The amount of the subsidy depends on the specific situation and is negotiated with each student individually.

Additional Opportunities – Double Degree Studies at Stanford

Stanford University students have a unique chance to become holders of two diplomas at once in different specializations. Most often, students of MBA programs use this opportunity, combining the chosen direction with an engineering or economic specialty (for example, in a couple of years of study, you can get an MBA master’s degree and a master’s degree in computer science, environmental security or international politics and law). You can take a second specialty both at the university itself and at partner universities with which Stanford University has concluded cooperation agreements. Masters and doctors have the opportunity to receive an Ivy League diploma from Harvard President Kennedy School, Harvard Medical School, Princeton Woodrow Wilson School,

International exchange and internship programs at Stanford University

Stanford University offers its students to spend an academic year at one of the partner universities in Europe and the USA. Students in the undergraduate program have the opportunity to study selected disciplines at Howard University in Washington, Spelman College in Atlanta and Dartmouth College in Hanover. For future masters and Ph.D. exchange programs are available with the University of California (Berkeley) and the University of California (San Francisco).

Free education at Stanford

Stanford University, like any other prestigious university, is interested in attracting the most talented and intellectually developed students, therefore, when considering applications, the admissions committee does not take into account the solvency of the applicant. Moreover, the university allocates considerable funds to finance talented students who would like to study at Stanford, but do not have such an opportunity, since the cost of a one-year program ranges from USD 30,000 TO USD 60,000 (depending on the specialty).

Students whose families have an income of less than 125 USD 000 per year can apply for university assistance. In this case, students are exempt from tuition fees. If the family income is less than 65 USD 000 per year, the student does not pay for tuition, accommodation in a hostel and meals in student canteens located on campus.

In any case, the student will have to pay an amount of 5 USD 000, even if the university fully covers the cost of education. You can work part-time on campus (for example, be a teaching assistant or help in a laboratory or library) or work during the summer holidays to return this amount.

Accommodation at Stanford University

11.5 thousand students of Stanford live in 77 hostels located on campus. Some buildings are multi-storey buildings, others are single-family houses. In addition, the university has women’s and men’s communities, which also occupy separate hostels. Most of the buildings are located outside the central part of the campus, the dormitories are located in such a way that the way for students to study takes no more than 10 minutes. About half of all graduate students live on campus.

The cost of living in a single apartment is about 350 USD per month. The rooms in almost all hostels are standard, furnished with a desk, a bed, a wardrobe, a couple of chairs, a reading lamp and bookshelves. Toilet, shower and kitchen are shared. The buildings have rooms for recreation and study, where students can have fun in the company of their fellow students.

Notable Stanford University alumni and faculty

• Sergey Brin is a well-known scientist, specialist in the field of information technology and computer technology, entrepreneur, one of the developers of the Google search engine. He graduated with a master’s degree in engineering from Stanford University.
• Philip Knight is a former student at Stanford University who, a couple of years after receiving his MBA, founded Nike, a sportswear company.
• Mukesh Ambani is a businessman and philanthropist from India, owner and one of the shareholders of Reliance. The entrepreneur’s fortune is estimated at 32 USD billion. He studied for an MBA, but did not complete the program.
• Bertrand Meyer graduated from the Computer Science Department at Stanford University and is the creator of the programming language called “Eiffel”.
• John F. Kennedy – 35th President of the United States, studied in the MBA program until 1942.

Interesting facts about Stanford University

• Stanford University students celebrate Halloween at the Crypt, Stanford University’s family mausoleum.
• Another interesting tradition that students follow year after year is Full Moon on the Quad. On the night when the moon is full, the seniors exchange kisses with the freshmen.
• Heart-rending screams are sometimes heard from the campus of Stanford University: students call it Primal scream (“primal scream”). Usually students yell during the so-called “dead week” (days before exams). Every midnight for seven days, students open the windows in their residences and scream, relieving stress. During the “dead week” teachers organize the serving of “night breakfasts” to students. This is also a tradition.
• In the 1920s, the cost of studying at Stanford was about $120 per year.
• The first ever master’s programs on the West Coast of the United States were opened at Stanford University.

The process of admission to Stanford University

Many people want to study at Stanford University, but only a few go there, because it is one of the most selective and demanding universities in the United States. Admission to Stanford involves participation in a tough competitive selection based on the academic performance of the applicant, his personal qualities and achievements. The paramount role in making the final decision by the commission is played by the presence of leadership qualities in the future student, the desire to change the world and contribute to the development of science.

Stanford primarily considers applicants with high scores on the ACT or SAT exam tests , excellent knowledge of the English language, confirmed by the American TOEFL certificate , and a high average score of a diploma or certificate. In addition to fulfilling the standard requirements, the Stanford University admissions committee expects the applicant to write an essay or a motivation letter (Statement of Purpose) in English, in which the future student needs to demonstrate his goals and the experience gained over the years of study or work.

The applicant must have a clear idea of ​​what he wants to do in the future and what benefits he can bring to others (especially applicants for a place in a master’s or doctoral program). Since Stanford is saturated with the spirit of entrepreneurship, people here like to read motivational letters with original ideas.

At Stanford University, special attention is paid to the personal qualities of the future student, so another equally important point is the availability of academic recommendations (at least three) written by the applicant’s teachers (for bachelors) or professors (for masters and doctors). If an applicant is applying to Stanford for an MBA program , they must provide references from their employer or teacher.

The final stage of the admissions campaign is a personal interview. Basically, Stanford professors prefer to interview future graduate students, asking questions not only on the chosen specialization, but also more general questions in order to determine the intellectual potential of the applicant and the degree of his interest in learning. Russian applicants have the opportunity to be interviewed in Moscow.

Preparation of documents for admission to Stanford University

The selection committee will not consider the applicant’s candidacy if the documents sent by him are not in order, that is, they are incorrectly filled out, have grammatical or lexical errors. Therefore, it is important to initially draw up papers in accordance with the requirements and standards established at Stanford University. Even the smallest mistake can cost an applicant a place in a prestigious university.

Each applicant who wants to study abroad makes a decision on his own – to enter the university on his own, collecting the necessary papers, or to trust specialists. If you are not completely sure that you can overcome all the difficulties of the introductory campaign on your own, we are ready to offer you our professional assistance:

• We will help you collect the necessary package of documents for admission to Stanford University
• Increase your chances of getting funding from a university or private foundation
• We will help speed up the process of obtaining a student visa and reduce the risk of refusal due to formal errors
• Saved time you can devote to studying, preparing for exams or moving abroad