Application Requirements
Applicants applying from outside Stanford must visit Graduate Admissions before beginning the application process for complete application information and instructions. Please see the Calendar for this year's deadlines.
It is the applicant's responsibility to ensure he or she meets all eligibility requirements before applying. All application materials, including supporting documents, must be received by the application deadlines.
Students applying from within Stanford should pay special attention to the Graduate Degrees section in the Stanford Bulletin regarding residency and unit requirements. See How to Apply for application instructions.
A completed external application consists of the following:
Application Form
See the section How to Apply for instructions on completing the correct application form for your intended program. Submit all supporting materials for your application in one envelope whenever possible. This will help ensure that all of your materials arrive by the deadline.
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Application Fee
Visit Graduate Admissions for the current year's application fee, and fee waiver process.
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Statement of Purpose
Be sure to keep a copy for your records. List your name and the program you are applying to at the top of the page.
Your statement should be typed, single-spaced and no longer than two pages. It should address why you are interested in pursuing a degree in Statistics and what type of employment or studies you plan to pursue upon graduation.
If you are applying to Stanford together with another person (siblings, couples, etc) and would not accept admission if both were not admitted, please let us know this as well.
If you upload your statement with the online application, DO NOT submit a second hard copy of it.
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Resume/CV
You may submit a resume and/or CV. Neither is required, they are optional.
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Letters of Recommendation
We expect three letters of recommendation. You may include one additional recommendation, if you wish. People who have supervised you in either an academic or employment setting should write your recommendations. If possible, at least one should be from a university professor familiar with your academic work. Your recommendations should directly address your suitability for admission to the Statistics department. We pay extra attention to the potential for future excellence, as indicated in letters of recommendation. The most important factors we look at are: quantitative and analytic strength, communication skills in English, leadership, maturity and focus.
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College and University Transcripts
You must upload one scanned version of your official transcript(s) in the online application AND mail two official copies from all previous colleges or universities attended for one year or more full time to the department of Statistics. You may have the transcripts mailed directly from the institution to the Statistics Department; or the institution must provide you with your transcripts in sealed envelopes, which you forward --unopened -- to the department. Transcripts that are received opened are unofficial and void. They are not used in the review process.
The only exception allowed is in cases where the institution does not provide official transcripts without a written request from Stanford. In such cases, we will accept a notarized copy translated into English. However, if you accept an admission offer you will be required to provide an official transcript to Graduate Admissions in order to matriculate at Stanford.
Students with international academic credentials must meet Stanford's eligibility requirements for graduate study. Visit Graduate Admissions to review the guidelines established. Be sure your bachelor's degree equivalent will be conferred before your intended program start date.
Concerning study abroad program or transferred courses: if the course work and grades are reflected on the transcript of your home institution, you do not need to submit transcripts from the study abroad/transfer institution.
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Test Scores
1. GRE General Test
All external applicants are required to take the GRE General Test, unless they possess a PhD.
(If your studies are in progress when you apply, you may waive the GRE as long as your PhD will be conferred before your intended start quarter.)
To receive an official waiver of the GRE requirment, you must send an email to the Graduate Admissions Office ([email protected]) with the following information: full name, institution attended, degree earned, and degree date. (Note: Departmental staff cannot waive the GRE; do not contact the Statistics department in regards to waiving the GRE requirement.) Once you have received confirmation from the Graduate Admissions Office that your GRE waiver request has been approved, you must forward this notification to [email protected]. (Note: In order to bypass the entry of GRE scores in the application is for you to enter a future test date. You can add in the additional information section of the application that you have received a waiver from Graduate Admissions as you hold a PhD degree.)
Applicants wishing to apply for 2013 admission to the PhD program must take the GRE no later than November 2012.
We do not accept any other tests (such as the GMAT) in lieu of the GRE.
There is no minimum GRE score requirement.
If you submit results from more than one test date, we will consider the higher of the two scores.
2. GRE Subject Test - Mathematics
a. PhD: All PhD applicants (internal and external) are required to take the
GRE Subject Test in Mathematics.
b. MS: We do not require MS applicants to take this test, but a high
score may increase your chances for admission.
Stanford Institution code: 4704 (no department code required - leave blank
or enter any number you choose)
GRE website: www.gre.org
Internal applicants are not required to submit new general GRE scores if they have already taken the exam.
3. TOEFL
Scores are required of all applicants whose first language is not English. Exceptions are granted for applicants who have earned a U.S. bachelor’s or master’s degree from a college or university accredited by a regional accrediting association in the United States, or the equivalent of either degree from a non-U.S. college or university of recognized standing where all instruction is provided in English. This exception does not apply if the courses were completed in a country where English is spoken but not all courses were provided in English. Being a U.S. citizen does not automatically exempt an applicant from taking the TOEFL; if the applicant’s first language is not English, the applicant must meet the exception above or submit TOEFL scores. Stanford does not accept IELTS scores.
Scores must be submitted from a test taken within the last 18 months prior to the application deadline.
For a list of exceptions, visit Graduate Admissions -- click on International Applicants.
If you wish to verify that you do not have to take the TOEFL, contact Graduate Admissions directly. Departmental staff cannot waive the TOEFL; do not contact the Statistics department in regards to waiving the TOEFL requirement. To receive an official waiver of the TOEFL requirment, you must send an email to the Graduate Admissions Office ([email protected]) with the following information: full name, institution attended, degree earned, and degree conferral date or expected degree conferral date. Once you have received confirmation from the Graduate Admissions Office that your TOEFL waiver request has been approved, you must forward this notification to [email protected]. (Note: In order to bypass the entry of TOEFL scores in the application is for you to enter a future test date. You can add in the additional information section of the application that you have received a waiver from Graduate Admissions.)
The minimum TOEFL requirements are as follows:
250 Computer-Based
600 Paper-Based
100 Internet-Based
Applicants should possess a strong command of English and score well above these minimums in order to be competitive. See the FAQs for the average scores of admitted applicants.
Please see Graduate Admissions for the University's minimum TOEFL score requirement; applications with scores below the minimum are not reviewed.
The Test of Written English (TWE) portion of the TOEFL is not required.
Stanford Institution code: 4704 (no department code required - leave blank
or enter any number you choose)
TOEFL website: www.toefl.org
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