Eligibility

To be eligible for admission to graduate study at Stanford, you must meet the university’s minimum requirements for academic credentials and English proficiency.

Minimum Education Requirements

You must hold, or expect to hold before enrollment at Stanford, a U.S. bachelor’s degree or its international equivalent from a college or university of recognized standing. 

For applicants who earned their qualifying degree outside the United States: If you are unsure whether your international degree is considered equivalent to a U.S. bachelor’s degree, we recommend using the degree equivalency tool offered by World Education Services (WES).

For admitted students who earned their qualifying degree outside the United States: After accepting the offer of admission, you may be required at that time to submit a WES evaluation as verification of your academic credentials. (A WES evaluation is not required during the application process.) For more information, refer to Official Transcripts & Degree Conferral Documents (2025 Entry).

English Proficiency

As a graduate student enrolled at Stanford, you will be expected to read English with ease, understand rapid idiomatic English as used in lectures and group discussions, and express thoughts quickly and clearly in spoken and written English.

If your first language is not English, you are required to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language Internet-Based Test (TOEFL iBT).

Refer to the link above for more information, including Stanford’s minimum TOEFL score requirements and TOEFL waivers/exemptions.