About the Application

Stanford uses an on-line application to facilitate application processing and ease of use. While the on-line application is the preferred method of submitting an application, for those who are unable to submit on-line, a paper-based application may be submitted (see "Applying Using the Paper Application" below).

You may submit only one application per academic year.

Application Fee and Payment

The application fee is $105 for all applicants.

The fee is non-refundable and must be received by the appropriate application deadline.

Using the online application, acceptable forms of payment are:

Credit Card (Visa or MasterCard): You may pay your application fee with your credit card by selecting the Credit Card Payment option in the online application.

Payments made via credit card will appear on your statement with the name of Stanford University’s admissions application fee billing agent “Apply Yourself College Application System.”

Check or Money Order (drawn in US dollars): If you are unable to pay by credit card, mail a check or money order payable to “Stanford University” to:

Graduate Admissions
Office of the University Registrar
630 Serra Street, Suite 120
Stanford, CA  94305-6032

With your check/money order, include:

• Full name exactly as it appears on the application
• Date of birth
• Email address
• Application pin number
• Program to which you are applying

Important: Your check must be received at least two weeks prior to your application deadline to allow sufficient time for processing. Graduate Admissions will send you email notification to let you know that your application is approved for submission.

If applying on paper, acceptable form of payment is:  Check or money order (drawn in US dollars), with your completed application.

Note: Your completed paper application and fee payment must be received at least three weeks prior to your application deadline to allow sufficient time for processing.

Application Fee Waiver

Applicants who are citizens or permanent residents of the U.S. may be eligible for a waiver of the $105 application fee if they can obtain a GRE Fee Reduction Certificate for the current academic year.

• For GRE Fee Waiver Reduction information, visit http://www.ets.org/gre/.
• To be valid, the form must be affixed with an official school stamp or seal and signed by the appropriate school official.
• Make a copy of your original  GRE Fee Reduction Certificate prior to submission to ETS GRE, as duplicates are not provided.
• Mail (or fax) the copy of the completed waiver to:
  Graduate Admissions, Office of the University Registrar
  630 Serra Street, Suite 120
  Stanford, CA  94305-6032
  Fax: 650 723-8371
  

• Include the following with your GRE fee waiver certificate:
  1. Full name exactly as it appears on the application
  2. Date of birth
  3. Email
  4. Application PIN number
  5. Program to which you are applying

Important: Do not send the waiver to the department. Your fee waiver request must be received at least two weeks prior to your application deadline to allow sufficient time for processing. Graduate Admissions will contact you via email regarding the status of your request.

Application Fee Refunds

The application fee may be refunded only if all the following conditions have been met:

• The application cannot be considered (for example, if the department decides not to admit new students)
• The application was submitted on or before the deadline to apply
• The applicant submitted only one application for graduate admission
• All required documents were received in a timely manner.

Applying Using the Paper Application

If you are unable to apply electronically, you may request a paper application from:

Graduate Admissions Office
630 Serra Street, Suite 120
Stanford 94305-6032

The cost for the paper application is $20 (nonrefundable) in addition to the normal application fee. The $20 fee must be paid in advance by check or money order (payable to Stanford University). Do not send cash.

Note: It may take up to one week from the date we receive your request for the paper form to be delivered; three or more weeks for international delivery. We do not send applications via overnight or express mail.