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Stanford CS PhD Acceptance Rate

    Getting into a PhD program in Computer Science at Stanford University is extremely competitive. The admissions process is rigorous, with applicants needing to meet a high standard in order to be considered for admission. With the reputation of Stanford being one of the top CS programs in the country, the bar is set high for prospective students.

    In order to be admitted to the PhD program at Stanford University in Computer Science, applicants typically need to have a strong academic background. This includes a stellar transcript with high grades in relevant coursework, as well as impressive standardized test scores. Additionally, having strong letters of recommendation from professors or professionals in the field is essential. Research experience, including published papers and prestigious fellowships, can also make an applicant stand out in the competitive pool of candidates.

    The admission process for Stanford’s PhD program in Computer Science involves submitting a complete application with all required materials, including transcripts, test scores, letters of recommendation, a statement of purpose, and a resume. Applications are reviewed by a committee of faculty members, who evaluate each candidate’s qualifications and potential for success in the program. Final decisions are based on a combination of academic achievement, research experience, letters of recommendation, and fit with the program’s faculty and research areas.

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    Admission Criteria for Stanford CS PhD
    		 Stanford CS PhD program requires students to have stellar transcripts & scores, strong references, research experience, publications, and possibly prestigious scholarships like NSF or NDSEG.
    GPA Requirement for Stanford PhD CS
    		 PhD students at Stanford must maintain a minimum 3.0 GPA overall to be eligible for degree conferral.

    how to get into Stanford CS PhD

    The department offers the degrees of Bachelor of Science, Master of Science, and Doctor of Philosophy. It also participates in the following undergraduate inter-disciplinary programs: Symbolic Systems and Mathematical and Computational Sciences. Additionally, the department participates in the graduate inter-disciplinary program in Computational and Mathematical Engineering, and the joint CS MS/Law, CS PhD/Law, and CS MS/MBA programs. Admission to the joint MS degree programs requires application to, and acceptance for admission by, both CS and the Law School (for the joint CS MS/Law degree) and both CS and the Graduate School of Business (for the joint CS MS/MBA degree).

    Typically GPA’s are at least 3.6 (on a 4.0 scale) for Ph. D. applicants and 3.5 for MS applicants.

    When applying to a Ph. D. program in CS, you’d like your grades in CS and Math and Engineering classes to be about 3.5 out of 4.0, as a rough guideline. A 3.4 GPA from a top- ranked CS undergraduate program like CMU counts the same as a 3.8 or 3.9 GPA from a less well-known CS undergraduate program.

    Our Computer Science PhD program is a great way for students to get a PhD in computer science without committing the time and emotional energy usually required. The experience you gain from completing this degree will put you ahead of other job applicants from traditional five year programs. Don’t wait, apply today.

    Mengqiu Wang @ Stanford

    stanford computer science PhD admission requirements

    Please note: all application deadlines are final. Applications will not be accepted after the deadline.

    This information is designed to facilitate your application processing and to maximize your chance for admission to our graduate programs in the Computer Science Department. Please read this material carefully BEFORE you fill out your application.

    • BEFORE YOU BEGIN, you must review the University’s Graduate Admissions website before applying on-line. Then, carefully follow their directions as the first step for completing an application to the Computer Science Department. Detailed graduate information, financing Graduate Study and University requirements for application to Graduate Study at Stanford are available at this website.
    • Keep your e-mail address current by notifying CS Graduate Admissions at admissions@cs.stanford.edu. All correspondence regarding your application and notification of all admissions decisions are done via your e-mail.
    • Make sure your first and last names remain consistent throughout the application process, on your TOEFL and GRE tests, and in your correspondence with the department.
    • Because of the large volume of applications received, submit your application early to avoid any delays in processing.
    • Admission to the Computer Science Department is very competitive. Each year approximately 3,000 applications are received for our graduate programs. It is recommended that all parts of the application be strong as many outstanding applications are received. In order to ensure a complete and competitive application, careful preparation and attention is required. Please plan well in advance of the application deadline and submit your application early.
    • Take your GRE and TOEFL tests early. You must ensure that the scores arrive at Stanford by our deadline. Be sure to self-report all available scores on your application and have ETS send your official scores to Stanford immediately. Any inquiries regarding transmission must be directed to the Education Testing Service (ETS.)
    • We do not keep records of application documents/materials from previous years.  You are required to re-submit all the documents/materials.
    Adding the MS (Grad Auth) Overview | Stanford EE

    how to get into stanford for PhD

    Let’s do some simple math.

    I applied to CS PhD this year (2018–2019) to several schools. One of them is UW (University of Washington). They rejected me, but in the rejection email, they mentioned that they received 2100 applications.

    People self-select, meaning not everyone is applying to Stanford, but I would believe a similar number or slightly more people applied to Stanford (due to it being the “dream” school). So let’s say 3000.

    Stanford CS PhD admits about 80 students in total each year, 40–45 of them get into SAIL (Stanford Artificial Intelligence Lab) that focus on AI research, the rest got into HCI, Biocomputing, Systems, Programming Language / Logic, etc. AI programs are exceptionally hard to get into nowadays due to its increased popularity.

    A simple probability count will tell you: 80 / 3000 = 2.6%

    This is lower than Stanford’s undergrad admission rate: 4.69% [1]. If we believe 2100 is the right number instead of 3000, then 80 / 2100 = 3.8%, still lower. The bar of judging PhD applications vs. undergrad applications is not the same, so this number might not be meaningful to compare.

    Then if you are focusing on AI, which I believe many applicants are working on AI right now, then the chance of you getting into SAIL can be lower than the general admission rate. We can suppose that possibly 65% of the 2100 applicants have an AI background or position themselves as an AI researcher — given the popularity of AI and easiness of branding oneself as an AI researcher. Then the admission rate for an AI student would be 45 / (2100 * 65%) = 3.29%. This is probably as competitive as it can get, and I think this is probably also true for MIT, Berkeley, and perhaps CMU as well.

    10% is such a happy estimate 🙂

    If you worked on AI problems, like CV or NLP, since all these schools allow you to choose your research field during application, you could have chosen “HCI” or “Systems” to avoid the fierce competition in the AI track. It won’t work. The admission committee will judge your application material and put you in a bucket that they think most fit your material, i.e., you list an AI paper, you are AI for life. I did some medical/clinical research, so I picked “biocomputing” and wrote my SoP (statement of purpose) that way. I still ended up in the AI track. There’s no escape.

    A silver lining is that not all Stanford PhD programs are this competitive. Try MS&E (Management Science and Engineering), try BDS (Biomedical Data Science), try EE (Electrical engineering). All of them should be easier than AI-crazed CS department! If you are still a lower-class undergrad, switch your field away from AI and do robotics, systems, HCI, biocomputing, education if you want to have a great chance of getting admitted.

    MS (Master of Science) Admissions Overview | Stanford EE

    stanford ms cs requirements

    Minimum GPA requirement. In order to receive your MSCS degree, your GPA in the courses you submit on your program sheet must be at least 3.0, which corresponds to a B in Stanford’s grading scale. Note that you need not get a B in every course.

    REQUIREMENTS

    A candidate is required to complete a program of 45 units. At least 36 of these must be graded units, passed with a grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 (B) or better. The 45 units may include no more than 10 units of courses from those listed below in Requirement 1. Thus, students needing to take more than two of the courses listed in Requirement 1 actually complete more than 45 units of course work in the program. Only well-prepared students may expect to finish the program in one year; most students complete the program in six quarters. Students hoping to complete the program with 45 units should already have a substantial background in computer science, including course work or experience equivalent to all of Requirement 1 and some prior course work related to their specialization area.

    Requirement 1: Foundations—

    Students must complete the following courses, or waive out of them by providing evidence to their advisers that similar or more advanced courses have been taken, either at Stanford or another institution:

    1. Logic, Automata, and Computability: CS 103
    2. Probability: CS 109 or STATS 116 or MS&E 220 or CME 106
    3. Algorithms: CS 161
    4. Computer Organization and Systems: CS 107
    5. Principles of Computer Systems: CS 110

    Requirement 2: Significant Software Implementation—

    Students must complete at least one course designated as having a significant software implementation component. The list of such courses includes: CS 140, 143, 144, 145, 148, 210B, 221, 243, 248, 346.

    Requirement 3: Specialization—

    Students may choose to satisfy this requirement through one of two options, Single Depth or Dual Depth, outlined following. All courses taken for this requirement must be taken for letter grades.

    • Option 1—Single Depth
      • A program of 27 units in a single area of specialization must be completed. A maximum of 9 units of independent study (CS393, 395, 399) may be counted toward the specialization.
      • Additionally, students must complete three breadth courses from the list of approved breadth courses associated with their chosen specialization. Individual specializations explicitly have different breadth requirements; see the individual specialization sheets at http://cs.stanford.edu/degrees/mscs/programsheets for details.
      • Breadth courses may not be waived and must be completed for a letter grade.
    • Option 2—Dual Depth
      • Students select distinct primary and secondary areas.
      • A program of 21 units in the primary area of specialization must be completed. A maximum of 9 units of independent study (CS393, 395, 399) may be counted toward the primary specialization.
      • Students must also complete a program of five courses satisfying the requirements for their secondary area of specialization.
      • Breadth courses are not required.

    Specialization Areas—

    Ten approved specialization areas which may be used to satisfy Requirement 3 are listed following. Students may propose to the M.S. program committee other coherent programs that meet their goals and satisfy the basic requirements.

    Courses marked with an asterisk (*) require consent of the faculty adviser. Courses marked with a double asterisk (**) may be waived by students with equivalent course work and with the approval of their adviser.

    1. Artificial Intelligence—
      1. CS 221**
      2. At least four of: CS 223A, 224M, 224N, 224S, 224U, 224W, 226, 227, 228, 229, 231A
      3. Sufficient depth units from category (b) and the following: CS 124, 205A, 222, 225A, 225B, 227B, 228T, 231B, 246, 262, 270, 273A, 274, 275, 276, 277, 278, 279, 294A*, 321, 322, 327A, 328, 329, 331, 341, 345, 364A, 364B, 374, 377,* 379*; 393*, 395*, 399*; EE 263, 363, 364A, 364B, 376A; ENGR 205, 209A; MS&E 251, 252, 339, 351, 352, 353; PSYCH 202, 205; STATS 202, 315A, 315B
        • Students with a 27- or 21-unit depth option (Option 1 or 2 above) must take 27 or 21 units respectively subject to satisfying the area (a), (b), and (c) requirements above.
        • Students with a secondary area of specialization (per Option 2 above) in Artificial Intelligence must take five total courses satisfying the area (a) and (b) requirements above.
        • Those students who have waived out of CS 221 may take an additional course in either area (b) or (c).Artificial Intelligence Breadth Courses—CS 140, 143, 144 or EE 284, 145, 147, 148, 149, 154, 155, 157, 164, 240, 240E, 242, 243, 244, 244B, 244E, 249A, 255, 258, 259, 261, 268; CME 108, 302; EE 108B, 282.
    2. Biocomputation—
      1. at least four of: CS 262, 270, 272, 273A, 274, 278, 279
      2. Sufficient depth units from category (a) and the following: CS 228, 229, 245, 246, 261, 268, 275, 277, 341, 345, 346, 365, 374, 393*, 395*, 399*; BIOC 218; GENE 203, 211; SBIO 228
        • Students with a 27- or 21-unit depth option (Option 1 or 2 above) must take 27 or 21 units respectively subject to satisfying the area (a) and (b) requirements above.
        • Students with a secondary area of specialization (per Option 2 above) in Biocomputation must take five total courses, three courses of which must come from area (a) and the remaining two courses may come from either area (a) or (b).Biocomputation Breadth Courses—CS 121 or 221, 124, 140, 143, 144 or EE 284, 145, 147, 148, 149, 154, 155, 157, 164, 205A, 222, 223A, 224M, 224N, 224S, 224U, 224W, 226, 227, 227B, 231A, 240, 240E, 242, 243, 244, 244B, 244E, 249A, 255, 258, 259, 276, 279; CME 108, 302; EE 108B, 282.
    3. Computer and Network Security—
      1. CS 140**, 144**, 155, 244, 255
      2. At least three of: CS 142, 240, 241, 244B, 244C, 259, 261, 340, 344, 355, 365
      3. Sufficient depth units from category (b) and the following: CS 240E, 244E, 245, 294S*, 295, 341, 344B, 345, 347, 361A, 393*, 395*, 399*; EE 384A, 384B, 384C, 384M, 384S, 384X, 384Y
        • Students with a 27- or 21-unit depth option (Option 1 or 2 above) must take 27 or 21 units respectively subject to satisfying the area (a), (b), and (c) requirements above.
        • Students with a secondary area of specialization (per Option 2 above) in Computer and Network Security must take five courses; those five courses must satisfy the area (a) requirement and additional courses from area (b) should be taken if any area (a) requirements are waived.Computer and Network Security Breadth Courses—CS 121 or 221, 124, 143, 147, 148, 149, 154, 157, 164, 205A, 222, 223A, 224M, 224N, 224S, 224U, 224W, 226, 227, 227B, 228, 229, 231A, 242, 243, 249A, 258, 262, 268, 270, 273A, 274, 276, 279; CME 108, 302; EE 108B, 282.
    4. Human-Computer Interaction—
      1. CS 147**
      2. One of: CS 247, 294H
      3. One of: CS 376, 378, 448B
      4. One of: CS 124, 142, 148
      5. One of: CS 303; COMM 206, 268; PSYCH 110, 252
      6. One of: ARTSTUDI 160; ME 203, 216A, 313, 377
      7. One or more courses from areas (b) through (f), or the following: CS229, 242, 246, 248, 295, 341, 393*, 395*, 399* or any d.school class listed at http://www.stanford.edu/group/dschool/participate/classes.php, or any HCI class listed at http://hci.stanford.edu/courses noted as counting toward the CS M.S. degree. Such courses must be numbered 100 or above and be taken for at least 3 units to count for this requirement.
        • Students with a 27- or 21-unit depth option (Option 1 or 2 above) must take 27 or 21 units respectively subject to satisfying the area (a) through (g) requirements above.
        • Students with a secondary area of specialization (per Option 2 above) in Human-Computer Interaction must take five courses as follows:
          1. one course each from areas (a), (d), (e), and (f)
          2. then one course from either area (b) or (c)
        • Students waiving out of the area (a) requirement should take one additional course from areas (b) through (g).Human-Computer Interaction Breadth Courses—CS 121 or 221, 140, 143, 144 or EE 284, 145, 149, 154, 155, 157, 164, 205A, 222, 223A, 224M, 224N, 224S, 224U, 224W, 226, 227, 227B, 228, 231A, 240,240E, 243, 244, 244E, 249A, 255, 258, 259, 261, 262, 268, 270, 273A, 274, 276, 279; CME 108, 302; EE 108B, 282.
    5. Information Management and Analytics—
      1. CS 145**
      2. At least four of: CS 224N, 224W, 229, 245, 246, 276, 345, 346, 347
      3. Sufficient depth units from category (b) and the following: CS 224S, 224U, 228, 228T, 231A, 240, 242, 243, 244, 244B, 244C, 249A, 249B, 255, 262, 270, 271, 272, 273A, 274, 275, 279, 315A, 321, 341, 344, 364B, 374, 393*, 395*, 399*; STAT 315A, 315B.
        • Students with a 27- or 21-unit depth option (Option 1 or 2 above) must take 27 or 21 units respectively subject to satisfying the area (a), (b), and (c) requirements above.
        • Students with a secondary area of specialization (per Option 2 above) in Information Management and Analytics must take five courses satisfying the area (a) and (b) requirements above. Note that if CS145 was waived in area (a), students should take an additional course from either area (b) or (c) in its place.Information Management and Analytics Breadth Courses—CS 121 or 221, 124, 140, 147, 148, 149, 154, 155, 157, 164, 205A, 222, 223A, 224M, 226, 227, 227B, 240E, 244E, 258, 259, 261, 268; CME 108, 302; EE 108B, 282.
    6. Mobile and Internet Computing—
      1. Two of: CS 140**, 144, 244
      2. One of: CS 142, 147, 247
      3. One of: CS 155, 255
      4. CS 294S
      5. Sufficient depth units from categories (a) through (d) and the following: CS 224W, 244E, 246, 344, 344E, 364A, 376, 393*, 395*, 399*; EE 359, 384A, 384B, 384C, 384E, 384M, 384P, 384S; COMM 268, 280; PSYCH 252.
        • Students with a 27- or 21-unit depth option (Option 1 or 2 above) must take 27 or 21 units respectively subject to satisfying the area (a) through (e) requirements above.
        • Students with a secondary area of specialization (per Option 2 above) in Mobile and Internet Computing must take five courses satisfying the area (a) through (d) requirements above.Mobile and Internet Computing Breadth Courses—CS 121 or 221, 124, 143, 145, 148, 149, 154, 157, 164, 205A, 222, 223A, 224M, 224N, 224S, 224U, 226, 227, 227B, 228, 229, 231A, 240, 240E, 242, 243, 244B, 249A, 258, 259, 261, 262, 268, 270, 273A, 274, 276, 279; CME 108, 302; EE 108B, 282.
    7. Real-World Computing—
      1. At least three of: CS 148, 223A, 231A, 248
      2. At least three of: CS 205A, 205B, 226, 249A, 249B, 262, 268, 277, 348A, 348B, 374; CME 302, 306, 326
      3. Sufficient additional units chosen from the above and from the following: CS 225A, 225B, 228, 229, 247, 270, 271, 272, 273A, 274, 294A*, 327A, 328, 331, 448, 393*, 395*, 399*
        • Students with a 27- or 21-unit depth option (Option 1 or 2 above) must take 27 or 21 units respectively subject to satisfying the area (a), (b), and (c) requirements above.
        • Students with a secondary area of specialization (per Option 2 above) in Real-World Computing must take five total courses satisfying area (a) and two of the three courses in the area (b) requirements above (i.e., three courses in area (a) and two courses in area (b).Real-World Computing Breadth Courses—CS 121, or 221, 124, 140, 143, 144 or EE 284, 145, 147, 149, 154, 155, 157, 164, 222, 224M, 224N, 224S, 224U, 224W, 227, 227B, 240, 240E, 242, 243, 244, 244B, 244E, 246, 255, 258, 259, 261, 276, 279; CME 108, 302; EE 108B, 282.
    8. Software Theory—
      1. CS 242, 243
      2. At least one of: CS 241, 258, 259
      3. At least one of: CS 244, 245, 295, 341, 343, 345
      4. At least one course from the following: CS 255, 261, 268, 355, 361A, 361B, 365
      5. At least two additional courses chosen from (b), (c), (d), or the following: CS 294S*, 346, 393*, 395*, 399*
        • Students with a 27- or 21-unit depth option (Option 1 or 2 above) must take 27 or 21 units respectively subject to satisfying the area (a)-(e) requirements above.
        • Students with a secondary area of specialization (per Option 2 above) in Software Theory need to take 5 total courses satisfying the area (a) through (d) requirements above:
          1. two courses in area (a)
          2. one course each in areas (b) through (d).Software Theory Breadth Courses—CS 121 or 221, 124, 140, 147, 148, 149, 154, 155, 157, 164, 205A, 222, 223A, 224M, 224N, 224S, 224U, 224W, 226, 227, 227B, 228, 229, 231A, 240, 240E, 244B, 244E, 249A, 262, 270, 273A, 274, 276, 279; CME 108, 302; EE 108B, 282.
    9. Systems—
      1. CS 140**, 144**, 240, 242
      2. At least three of: CS 243, 244, 245, 248, 348B; EE 271, 282
      3. At least two additional courses chosen from category (b) and the following: CS 240E, 240H, 244B, 244C, 244E, 246, 249A, 249B, 255, 259, 262, 270, 271, 272, 276, 294S*, 295, 315A, 315B, 340, 341, 343, 344, 344B, 345, 346, 347, 348A, 349, 374, 448, 393*, 395*, 399*; EE 273, 382A, 382C, 384A, 384B, 384C, 384M, 384S, 384X, 384Y
        • Students with a 27-unit depth option (Option 1 above) must take 27 units subject to satisfying the area (a), (b), and (c) requirements above.
        • Students with a 21-unit depth option (Option 2 above) must take that many units subject to satisfying the area (a) and (b) requirements above, and additional courses may be taken from area (c) if any courses in the area (a) requirement are waived.
        • Students with a secondary area of specialization (per Option 2 above) in Systems need to take five courses; those courses must satisfy the area (a) requirement and additional courses may be taken from area (b).Systems Breadth Courses—CS 121 or 221, 124, 147, 154, 155, 157, 164, 205A, 222, 223A, 224M, 224N, 224S, 224U, 224W, 226, 227, 227B, 228, 229, 231A, 255, 258, 261, 268, 273A, 274, 279; CME 108, 302
    10. Theoretical Computer Science—
      1. CS 241 or 258 or 259, 261 (361A or 361B may be used as substitutes for 261)
      2. Sufficient additional units chosen from: CS 228, 241, 246, 254, 255, 258, 259, 262, 268, 341, 345, 355, 356, 357, 358, 359,* 361A, 361B, 364A, 364B, 365, 369,* 374, 393*, 395*, 399*, 468*; MS&E 310
        • Multiple CS 359, CS 369, and/or CS 468 courses may be taken as long as they are each on different topics, denoted by different letter suffixes for the courses.
        • Students with a 27- or 21-unit depth option (Option 1 or 2 above) must take 27 or 21 units respectively subject to satisfying the area (a) and (b) requirements above.
        • Students with a secondary area of specialization (per Option 2 above) in Theoretical Computer Science need to take 5 total courses satisfying the area (a) and (b) requirements above:
          1. two courses in area (a)
          2. three courses in area (b).Theoretical Computer Science Breadth Courses—CS 121 or 221, 124, 140, 143, 144 or EE 284, 145, 147, 148, 149, 154, 155, 157, 164, 205A, 222, 223A, 224M, 224N, 224S, 224U, 224W, 226, 227, 227B, 229, 231A, 240,240E, 242, 243, 244, 244B, 244E, 249A, 270, 273A, 274, 276, 279; CME 108, 302; EE 108B, 282.

    * With consent of faculty adviser.

    ** Students with equivalent course work may waive with approval of their adviser.

    Requirement 4—

    Additional elective units must be technical courses (numbered 100 or above) related to the degree program and approved by the adviser. All CS courses numbered above 110 (with the exception of CS 196 and 198) taken for 3 or more units are pre-approved as elective courses. Additionally, up to a maximum of 3 units of 500-level CS seminars, CS 300, EE 380, EE 385A, or other 1-2 unit seminars offered in the School of Engineering may be counted as electives. Elective courses may be taken on a satisfactory/no credit basis provided that a minimum of 36 graded units is presented within the 45-unit program.

    stanford cs phd application

    To be eligible for admission to graduate programs at Stanford, applicants must meet one of the following conditions:

    • Applicants must hold, or expect to hold before enrollment at Stanford, a bachelor’s degree from a U.S. college or university accredited by a regional accrediting association.
    • Applicants from institutions outside the U.S. must hold the equivalent of a U.S. bachelor’s degree from a college or university of recognized standing. See minimum level of study required of International applicants.

    You may apply to only one degree program per academic year, with these exceptions: within the Biosciences, you may apply to up to two Ph.D. programs within your one application; or you may apply concurrently to one departmental program and to a professional school program, i.e., Law, Medicine (M.D. program), or Business. For instance, it is feasible to apply to a degree program in one department and to the PhD program at the Graduate School of Business simultaneously.

    Application Requirements

    Please note: all application deadlines are final. Applications will not be accepted after the deadline.

    This information is designed to facilitate your application processing and to maximize your chance for admission to our graduate programs in the Computer Science Department. Please read this material carefully BEFORE you fill out your application.

    • BEFORE YOU BEGIN, you must review the University’s Graduate Admissions website before applying on-line. Then, carefully follow their directions as the first step for completing an application to the Computer Science Department. Detailed graduate information, financing Graduate Study and University requirements for application to Graduate Study at Stanford are available at this website.
    • Keep your e-mail address current by notifying CS Graduate Admissions at admissions@cs.stanford.edu. All correspondence regarding your application and notification of all admissions decisions are done via your email.
    • Make sure your first and last names remain consistent throughout the application process, on your TOEFL and in your correspondence with the department.
    • Because of the large volume of applications received, submit your application early to avoid any delays in processing.
    • Admission to the Computer Science Department is very competitive. Each year approximately 3,000 applications are received for our graduate programs. It is recommended that all parts of the application be strong as many outstanding applications are received. In order to ensure a complete and competitive application, careful preparation and attention is required. Please plan well in advance of the application deadline and submit your application early.
    • Take your TOEFL tests early. You must ensure that the scores arrive at Stanford by our deadline. 
    • We do not keep records of application documents/materials from previous years.  You are required to re-submit all the documents/materials.

    Application Checklist

    Completed Online Application must be submitted by the CS application deadline. The online application can be found here.

    • Application fee of $125: to be paid in the online application with a credit card.
    • Statement of Purpose – Your Statement of Purpose should be concise, focused, and well written. It should describe succinctly your reasons for applying to the proposed program at Stanford, your preparation for this field of study, research interests, future career plans, and other aspects of your background and interests which may aid the admissions committee in evaluating your aptitude and motivation for graduate study. The Statement of Purpose must be no more than two pages in length, single-spaced. It will be submitted as part of the online application.
    • 3 Recommendation Letters –
      In the online application, you will be asked to identify your recommenders and their email addresses. Please notify your recommenders that they will receive an email prompt to submit their recommendation online. CS only accepts online recommendations through the application system; CS cannot accept mailed, emailed or faxed recommendations.
      You must submit a minimum/maximum of 3 recommendation letters and they must be submitted through the online application system.  We recommend that at least 2 of these letters be from academic sources. Please have your recommender write candidly about your qualifications, potential to carry on advanced study in the field specified, intellectual independence, capacity for analytical thinking, ability to organize and express ideas clearly, and potential for teaching. In describing such attributes as motivation, intellect, and maturity, specific examples are more useful than generalizations. For more information on submitting letters of recommendation visit here.
    • Resume- Please submit your resume in the online application. Please be sure to include any publications here.
    • Supplemental form- This form is part of the online application. Please be sure to list any publications and your website on this form AND on your resume (CV). Upload your resume (CV) on the Document Uploads, Confirmation & Submission” section (page 15) and a copy of your NDO transcript on the Additional Information’s section of the online application.
    • Transcripts – You are required to upload official copies of your transcripts or e-transcripts onto the online application for all institutions you have attended for at least a year as a full time student. Transcripts from Stanford’s Non Degree Option (NDO) program should also be uploaded. Please DO NOT mail your official transcripts unless we contact you to do so. For more information on the minimum level of study required of applicants who wish to apply for graduate study at Stanford, please go to: International Applicants | Graduate Admission.
      Please DO NOT mail any other  paper documents to the Admissions Office such as publications, or financial  statements/documents, as they will not be reviewed by the admissions committee. The committee reviews all graduate applications online, and will have no access to copies of  any documents sent via post. Please note that we will not upload documents emailed  to us to your applicant file.
    • GRE – GREs are NOT required for PhD applicants. 
    • TOEFL – We do not accept IELTS scores.
      Stanford University requires the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) from all applicants whose native language is not English. The Test of Written English (TWE) portion of the TOEFL is 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. For more information on TOEFL requirements, please see: Required Exams | Graduate Admissions 
      The TOEFL test may be taken no earlier than 18 months prior to the application deadline. Be sure to take the test in time for your scores to be received at Stanford by the application deadline. Stanford Institution code: 4704 (no department code is required). TOEFL website: http://www.toefl.org.
    PhD in Computer Science or Computer Engineering | Computer Science & Engineering at WashU

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