Entrance Requirements

Before you can become a student at Stanford, you must complete certain health-related forms, immunizations, and tests. This page describes the entrance requirements and is designed to help you prepare to meet them. Once you have read through the material and are ready to proceed, the link below should be used to access the forms.

Deadlines

All entrance medical requirements for freshman must be completed by June 30. For graduate students and undergraduate transfer students the deadline is July 31.

All students are required to undergo Tuberculosis Screening by the deadlines listed above. If you answer 'yes' to any of the screening questions, you will need to proceed to the Tuberculosis Testing process. You will have until September 25 to complete the Vaden Health Center testing requirement (see instructions for Tuberculosis Testing below). All other entrance medical requirements must be completed by June 30 or July 31, depending on which date applies to you.

Must-Do Requirements Before Entering Stanford

Please make sure you have read the material below and have collected the required information.

1. Health History
2. Immunizations (if you are a medical student, click here)
3. a). Tuberculosis Screening and b). Tuberculosis Testing
4. Treatment Agreement
5. Notice of Privacy Practices

1. Health History

Complete information about your health history enables the Vaden Health Center staff to treat you in the most effective manner. The information in your file is electronically secure and completely confidential. It cannot be released without your consent, except as required by law.

2. Immunizations

If you are a medical student, please click here for immunization information that is specific to you.

With the exception of the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine which is required by Stanford University, the following immunizations are highly recommended for all students according to the American College Health Association (ACHA) Guidelines.

Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR) Vaccine:

Measles, mumps, and rubella are serious communicable diseases that can spread in close living or classroom environments. All students must be vaccinated to prevent outbreaks.

If you were born after 1956, you must provide the following information even if it differs from the practices in your state or country of origin:

Proof of TWO doses of MMR at least 28 days apart after 12 months of age

Note: Two doses of MMR vaccine are required by Stanford for all students.

If you do not have access to the dates of your immunizations, you can send us a copy of lab results indicating immunity to measles, mumps, and rubella (fax using our toll-free fax number, 866-336-0164 -U.S. only- or 650-723-1600 -international-). If you have not previously completed these requirements you will need to be immunized now. 

Varicella Vaccine (Chicken Pox):

Two doses of Varicella vaccine are highly recommended for students who have not had Chicken Pox.

Hepatitis B Vaccine:

Three doses of Hepatitis B vaccine are highly recommended for all students.  Hepatitis B is a potentially very serious viral infection of the liver that can lead to liver failure, liver cancer, or death.  The vaccine is important for anyone who is sexually active, and is especially important for men who have sex with men, those who have multiple sex partners, anyone who has had a sexually transmitted infection (including HIV), and those who use injectable drugs or live in a household with a Hepatitis B carrier.

Tdap Vaccine (tetanus toxoid, reduced diphtheria toxoid, and acellular pertussis):

One dose of Tdap is recommended for all students, ages 11-64, regardless of when the last Td booster was given.

Note - Pertussis is epidemic in California. The state is seeing the largest outbreak since 1958. You should make sure you are up to date with pertussis vaccination. Whooping cough - known medically as pertussis - is a highly contagious respiratory tract infection.

Although it initially resembles an ordinary cold, whooping cough may eventually turn more serious, particularly in infants. Whooping cough is most contagious before the coughing starts.

The best way to prevent pertussis is through vaccination. The whooping cough booster vaccine for adolescents and adults is called Tdap. It protects against whooping cough, tetanus, and diphtheria.

Meningococcal Meningitis Vaccine*:

This vaccine is recommended for students who live in group residences and dormitories, especially first-year undergraduates.  It is also recommended for anyone who wants to have protection.  Individuals at high risk for Meningococcal Meningitis include those with weakened immune systems and those who travel to high-incidence areas.

*A booster dose is now recommended for those 16 years of age who received the initial dose at age 11-12. If the initial dose was given at 13-15 years, the booster dose should be given at 16-18 years of age. If the initial dose was given age at 16 years or older, no booster is needed, except where there is continuing risk.

Hepatitis A Vaccine:

Two doses of Hepatitis A vaccine are recommended for travelers, food handlers, men who have sex with men, and individuals with certain chronic diseases.

Pneumococcal Vaccine:

This injection is recommended to help prevent pneumonia in students with asthma or those with a history of smoking.  It is also important for students with other chronic diseases of the lung; heart or liver; those with diabetes; sickle cell disease; splenectomy; or immunosuppressive conditions. Other indications for vaccination include Alaska Native and/or American Indian heritage.

Human Papillomavirus Vaccine - Quadrivalent (HPV4) or Bivalent (HPV2):

Three doses of the quadrivalent vaccine are recommended for female college students 11 to 26 years old for prevention of cervical cancers and pre-cancers, genital warts, and anal cancer and pre-cancer. Three doses of the quadrivalent vaccine may be given to males aged 9 through 26 years to reduce the likelihood of acquiring genital warts, anal cancer and pre-cancer.

Alternatively, three doses of the bivalent vaccine can be given for prevention of cervical cancers and pre-cancers in female college students 11 to 26 years old.

Polio Vaccine:

Typically, a primary series of polio vaccine is administered in childhood with inactivated virus (IPV) alone, oral virus (OPV) alone, or IPV/OPV sequentially.  An IPV booster may be needed for travel after 18 years of age.

** Exemption from Immunizations**

A student may request a religious or philosophical exemption from the immunization requirement prior to June 30 for freshmen and July 31 for graduate and undergraduate transfer students. Attitudes, beliefs, or preferences that are purely personal are not grounds for an exemption. Download Instruction sheet and form.

 

3a. Tuberculosis (TB) Screening

Tuberculosis is a bacterial disease that can be spread in close living or classroom environments.  All students must undergo screening for risk by answering five questions that are listed on the Tuberculosis Screening Form (one of the Entrance Medical Requirements forms). If your answer is yes to any of the questions on the screening form, you will need to take steps to complete the Tuberculosis Testing Form described in the next section.

 

3b. Tuberculosis (TB) Testing

If you answer yes to any of the questions posed on the Tuberculosis Screening Form, you will be required to complete the Tuberculosis Testing Form (this form is also housed with the Entrance Medical Requirements forms). As you will see on the form, you will need to take action depending on which of the following two categories you fall into:

• If you have ever tested positive or have been treated for Tuberculosis in the past:

If you have ever had a positive TB skin test or blood test (10 mm or more induration), or if you have ever been treated for TB, you will need to have a chest X-ray in the U.S. or Canada within the six month period prior to your arrival at Stanford. X-rays performed outside the U.S. or Canada do not meet this requirement. The results of the chest X-ray (written report, not the films themselves) must be attached to the Tuberculosis Testing Form and submitted to Vaden Health Center.

A chest X-ray is available at the Santa Clara County Public Health Department in San Jose, California for a fee (call 408-792-5586), or at Vaden for a fee. Cardinal Care, Stanford’s student insurance plan, does not cover this entrance expense.

• If you have NOT tested positive for Tuberculosis in the past, but answered yes to any question on the screening form, you will need to be tested via one of the options below:

Option 1) Tuberculosis Blood Test (examples include IGRA or T-Spot)

The results of the blood test must be attached to the Tuberculosis Testing Form and submitted to Vaden Health Center.  The only two diagnostic blood tests for latent tuberculosis infection that are currently accepted at Vaden Health Center are as follows:

• QFT (QuantifERON-TB Gold)
• T-SPOT.TB test. 

Both tests are known as IGRAs (Interferon-γ -release assays).  We accept these test results from any country.

Option 2) Tuberculosis Skin Test (PPD)

The skin test must be performed at a health facility in the U.S. or Canada. The result must be entered onto the Tuberculosis Testing Form and submitted to Vaden Health Center. Tuberculosis skin tests administered in the U.S. and Canada that are reported as positive or negative without a measurement of reaction in mm, and/or are conducted more than six months prior to arriving at Stanford, will not be accepted. Unsigned forms will not be accepted. A history of BCG immunization does not fulfill this requirement, and it does not preclude you from having a PPD test.

A skin test is available at the Santa Clara County Public Health Department in San Jose, California, for a fee (call 408-792-5586), or at Vaden's Allergy, Immunization and Injection Clinic for a fee. Call (650) 498-2336 to schedule an appointment or go to Online Services to web book an appointment. Please note that Cardinal Care, Stanford’s student health insurance plan, does not cover this entrance expense.

4. Treatment Agreement

This section presents the Vaden Health Center Treatment Agreement form, which you must read and sign before we can provide medical services to you.

5. Notice of Privacy Practices

This section presents the Vaden Health Center Notice of Privacy Practices which you must read and acknowledge before we can provide health services to you.

Please see Online Security for information regarding how we keep your medical information secure during the online submission process and what to do if you have problems accessing the online form.

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