Full-time Program Eligibility
Applicants from colleges and universities of recognized standing who hold a U.S. bachelor’s degree or its equivalent, or are anticipating conferral of the degree prior to admission, are eligible to be considered for admission to matriculated graduate study at Stanford University.
International students should carefully read the International Academic Credentials section before they begin their application to the EE department.
Applicants may only apply to one graduate program in an academic year.
Detailed information regarding graduate study at Stanford may be found on the central Office of Graduate Admissions website.
International students should carefully read the International Academic Credentials before they begin their application to the EE department.
All applications must be submitted online via Stanford's online application system. By using the online application, information is entered directly into our database. This ensures the consistency of information and reduction of error, as the review of applications is done entirely online. Paper applications are not available; the central Office of Graduate Admissions does not provide paper applications for any reason.
Part-time Program Eligibility
In order to participate in the Honors Cooperative Program, applicants must be employed by a member company of the Stanford Center for Professional Development AND hold a U.S. bachelor’s degree or its equivalent, or are anticipating conferral of the degree prior to admission. This program is open to domestic and international students. International students should carefully read the International Academic Credentials section before they begin their application to the EE department.
Please see the SCPD website for detailed information on the HCP program and membership opportunities.
Full-time and Part-time Programs
Below are the steps required for completing the application for graduate study to the Electrical Engineering department.
1) Statement of Purpose :
Succinctly describe your reasons for applying to the proposed program, your preparation for this field of study, and why our program is a good fit for you, your future career plans, and other aspects of your background, as well as interests which may aid the admissions committee in evaluating your aptitude and motivation for graduate study in our department.
You may upload one file (it should not exceed two pages in length, single spaced). Make sure to set your computer to a Western European or other English-language setting. We cannot guarantee the ability to access your statement if it is submitted in other fonts.
2) Letters of Recommendation :
All letters of recommendation (maximum and minimum of three) must be submitted using the online application system by the application deadline. Paper copies sent via post will not be accepted. The online recommendation submission system is easy to use and has been thoroughly tested for ease and effectiveness.
Please Note: If you submit more than three letters of recommendation, only the first three (3) that you list will be reviewed, as our department accepts a maximum of three letters of recommendation.
If your recommenders are unable to submit their letters via the online system please send the EE Admissions office an email detailing their circumstances.
Please do not wait for all of the letters of recommendation to be submitted before submitting your application. The online recommendation system will remain open for your recommenders until they submit their letter. You may view the status of received letters of recommendation on your status page.
3) Transcripts :
Mail two (2) official copies of your academic record (i.e., transcript) to the Electrical Engineering Department from each postsecondary institution attended for at least one year as a full-time student. An unofficial version of your transcript must also be uploaded to the online application. Please submit the most up-to-date version of your academic record, whether it is complete or not.
Concerning NDO courses taken at Stanford: Please upload unofficial transcripts and mail official transcripts for any NDO courses taken at Stanford, even if you have taken classes for less than 1 year. Transcripts (original or official translation) must be in English.
Concerning course work completed in a study abroad program: If the course work and grades are reflected on the transcript of your home institution, you do not need to submit original transcripts from the study abroad institution.
Concerning foreign institutions: If your institution provides a transcript in a language other than English, we require that you submit a translation of the transcript that is either provided by the institution or a certified translator.
The department only requires that you send hard copies of your academic records (i.e., official transcripts). Please DO NOT mail any other paper documents to EE's Admissions Office such as a resume/CV, publications, or financial documents, as they will not be seen by the admissions committee. The committee completes their review of all graduate applications online, and will not see hard copies of any documents sent via post. Any resumes, articles/papers, which you wish the committee to review must be sent to us, via email, as a PDF or Word document, and we will attach it to your application for review.
Please mail two (2) official transcripts to the following address :
Stanford University
Department of Electrical Engineering
Graduate Admissions Office
350 Serra Mall
Stanford, CA 94305-9505
4) Test Scores :
All test scores should be sent electronically by ETS to Stanford University at institution code 4704. In addition to submitting your official scores, be sure to self-report your scores on the online application (no department code is required).
GRE - All applicants are required to take the GRE General Test. GRE Subject test scores are not required. Scores must be from an examination taken within the last five years.
GRE Revised General Test: Starting August 1, 2011 ETS will launch the revised general test. As ETS states, if the GRE Revised General Test is taken in August through September 2011 then Stanford will receive the scores by mid-November, 2011. It is strongly encouraged that the GRE Revised General Test is taken no later than September, to ensure that scores will be received by the application deadline.
TOEFL - Stanford University requires the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) from all applicants whose native language is not English, regardless of citizenship status. The minimum TOEFL scores required are 575 for the paper-based test (600 for PhD applicants) and 89 for the internet-based test (100 for PhD applicants). The Test of Written English (TWE) portion of the TOEFL and the Test of Spoken English (TSE) are not required.
Applicants who have completed a four-year bachelor's degree or a two-year master's program (or its equivalent) in the U.S. or at an institution where English is the main language of instruction are not required to take the TOEFL. Please send your scores to Stanford at institution code: 4704 (no department code is required).
TOEFL scores submitted to Stanford must be taken within the last 18 months. For Autumn 2013-2014 applications, scores from March 2011 and later will be accepted.
5) Other Documents (e.g., CV/Resume, Publication, etc.) :
As part of the new application system, applicants now have the ability to upload one additional document as part of the online application form (this feature is located on Page 15 of the application). This file must meet the following criteria in order to be successfully uploaded:
- - Files must be 10 MB or less in size.
- - Files must not be password protected.
- - PDF files must not be digitally signed.
- - Multiple documents may be combined and uploaded in this section
- - Documents may contain URL links to other documents/publications
Students who have already submitted their application will not be able to upload documents via this system. However, any resumes, articles/papers, which you wish the committee to review that you have not uploaded via the online application system must be sent to us at [email protected], as a PDF or Word document and we will attach it to your application. Please note that we cannot guarantee that updated or additional materials will be accepted to be attached to your application once the application deadline has passed.
Please DO NOT mail any other paper documents to EE's Admissions Office such as a resume/CV, publications, or financial documents, as they will not be seen by the admissions committee. The committee completes their review of all graduate applications online, and will not see hard copies of any documents sent via post.
6) Online Application & Application Fee :
The application fee is $125. Application fees are non-refundable and must be received by the application deadline. Visit the graduate admissions website for information on fee waiver eligibility and process.
Start Your Application
You may submit your application even if the letters of recommendation have not been received; please do not wait on these letters. The online recommendation system will remain open for your recommenders until they submit their letter. You may view the status of received letters of recommendation and test scores on your status page.
7) HCP (Part-Time Applicants ONLY) :
When selecting your program, be sure to select the correct term for which you are applying.
Under Honors Cooperative Program, be sure to mark "Yes" and to complete the fields for Sponsoring Company Name, Country, City and Telephone.
Reapplicants [FAQs]
This section is for applicants who have previously submitted a graduate application to our department for Autumn 2009 and afterward. Applicants who were previously denied are welcome to reapply if they can demonstrate significant progress made since they last applied; we strongly recommend that these applicants submit a new statement of purpose, new test scores, and/or new letters of recommendation to boost their chances of admission. However, If you decide to reactivate any previous materials, please complete the following steps:
1) Create a new account and submit a new online application and fee.
2) Upload an unofficial transcript for each post-secondary institution attended, including transcripts that were included on the previous application. Mail two (2) official transcripts of any coursework taken since the date you last applied. You do not need to resend official transcripts that were previously mailed to our department if you applied for Autumn 09-10 or later.
3) Self-report your test scores on the online application. You only need to submit official scores if they are no longer valid as of your application date or if you wish to use more recent scores. GRE scores are valid for up to 5 years; TOEFL scores are valid (by Stanford's policy) for up to 18 months.
4) List complete information for the three (3) recommenders that you want to use for your application, even if any of them previously submitted a letter that you wish to reactivate. For the recommenders whose letters you are reactivating, please e-mail them in advance letting them know to disregard the automated email that will be sent to them when you click “Submit Recommendation Request.” Do NOT put your own e-mail address in any of the recommender e-mail fields, and do NOT use the same e-mail for multiple recommenders – this will significantly delay processing of your application and may jeopardize its review if submitted too close to the application deadline.
5) After you have submitted your application, send an e-mail to [email protected] with the following information:
a) Full name
b) Year and program of previous application
c) Names of institutions corresponding to official transcripts you wish to reactivate
d) Test scores you wish to reactivate, including test date
e) Names of recommenders whose letters you wish to reactivate
Re-applicants who last applied prior to December 2008 must submit new supporting documents in addition to completing the online application as outlined above, in the Application Procedures section.
Non-Degree Option (NDO Applicants) [FAQs]
In accordance with requirements of the Office of the Registrar, Non-Degree Option students must complete an application form and submit official transcripts to the SCPD office. Information on applying may be found on the SCPD website. Although applications are reviewed by the Electrical Engineering department, the Stanford Center for Professional Development handles all administrative processes.
An official transcript from each school you attended must be submitted. Transcripts should include grades through the last date of attendance and must show any degrees awarded. Official transcripts should be sent directly to the Stanford Center of Professional Development office. Students interested in the NDO program must submit an application before the start of each quarter they wish to enroll in. For information on the application process, please refer to the SCPD website.
