

Stanford University Admissions 2025: Application Deadline, Requirements & Costs
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- Stanford University Admission Overview 2025
- Stanford University Eligibility and Course Fee 2025
- Stanford University Application Process 2025
- Stanford University Acceptance Rate 2025
- Stanford University Students review
- Stanford University Admissions 2025 FAQs
Stanford University Admissions 2025
International students are welcome to apply to Stanford University, but by following the step-by-step Stanford admission process. From choosing the right program based on the profile to landing in the USA and starting classes, every step is a milestone.
Mentioned below is the admission process for international students:
- Research and Preparation: At this stage of the admission process, you should do a thorough analysis of their profile and gather information about Stanford courses, campus, and admission requirements. In addition to this, the students should prepare for any test they are required to take.
- Create an Account: The Stanford UG application can be made via the Common Application, and international applicants can apply via commonapp.org. The students who passed this stage will be asked to submit their biographical, academic, and extracurricular information.
- Submit Required Application Materials: Students must submit the required application materials, such as the Stanford application fee of USD 90 (INR 7.8K) for UG courses. For these courses, the scanned copies of standardized tests, school reports with the academic transcripts, teacher evaluations, etc.
- Write Personal Essays: As an important part of the Stanford University application, you need to write a personal essay that showcases your personality, values, and fit for Stanford.
- Application Review: The Stanford admissions team conducts a holistic review (considering academic achievements, test scores, essays, recommendations, extracurriculars, and other criteria). Preference is given to the students who are top-performing with outstanding achievement beyond academics.
- Acceptance: Once the Stanford application is submitted via the Common App by international students, the admission decisions come in mid-December (Early Action). International applicants are then required to confirm their enrolment by paying a deposit.
- Post Admission Process: For the last stage of the Stanford application process, a Form I-20 from the university is required to apply for an F-1 student visa to the USA.
Stanford University Application Deadlines 2025
Annually, Stanford University offers three intakes to international students, which are the Fall intake, the Winter Intake, and the Spring intake. The Stanford Fall intake is the most popular among international students as it aligns with the academic calendar, and the majority of the Stanford courses start in Fall. This university has a strong international presence with representation from over 70 countries.
For Stanford University admissions, international students can apply via the Common App for the undergraduate program and the University Official Portal for PG programs. The Stanford University MBA deadline comes in rounds. Stanford University application deadline for international students for both undergraduate and postgraduate programs is listed below:
Admission Type | Application Deadline/Date |
---|---|
Undergraduate | |
Early Action Application | Nov 1, 2025 |
Regular Decision Application | Jan 5, 2026 |
Decision Release (Early Action) | Mid-Dec 2025 |
Decision Release (Regular Decision) | Early Apr 2026 |
Admission Confirmation Deadline | May 1, 2026 |
Transfer Application Deadline | Mar 15, 2025 |
Postgraduate | |
Master's and PhD Programs | Dec 2, 2025 |
MBA Program Round 1 Deadline | Sep 9-10, 2025 |
MBA Program Round 2 Deadline | Jan 8, 2026 |
MBA Program Round 3 Deadline | Apr 7-8, 2026 |
Also Read: Admission Intakes in US Universities
Stanford University Visa Requirements for International Students
Once the student gets the offer letter from the university, they must apply for a visa to avoid any delay in admission. The students must have a copy of their passports, passport-size photographs, and other financial documents to apply for a visa at Stanford, along with the SEVIS fee of USD 350 (INR 30.4K) and a non-refundable visa application fee of USD 160 (INR 13.9K)
Students can check the visa requirements for international students below:
- SEVIS fee receipt
- I-20, DS-2019 forms
- Copy of passports
- Funding resource documents
- Offer letter from Stanford
- Financial documents
Also Read: USA Study Visa Requirement for Indian Students
To know what to wear on a Visa Interview, watch the video below:
Commonly asked questions On Admissions
A perfect application means exceptional academic achievment, intellectual excitement, and a strong values and mission on goals. A perfect appliction showcases an outsanding academic performance, often including with top grades and standerized scores. But Stanford just dosn't accept students by grades as it sees students beyond academic, the ideal applicant showcases extracurrcular acitivies, reasearch, passion for learning and projects that are unique in it's own.
Moreover, a standout application means that it also conveys a unique story that makes the applicant very different and unqiue from other applicants. This could be through personal essays, Recomendations and many more. Stanford University wants students who will contribute meaningfully to the university showcasing a good leadership, commitment and engagement. Hence this is what is a good or a perfect application like.
Indian applicants who want to get into Stanford University must keep the following points in mind:
- Getting excellent scores in standardized tests and focus on the other elements of the application efficient too;
- Get glowing letters of recommendation from teachers;
- A candidate's statement of purpose should be crisp and clear that shows how well you are prepared to be a part of one of the most prestigious universities;
- One of the most important part of Stanford application are the essays. It should portray what kind of person the candidate is and how much they have contributed to the society through their actions; and
- Another thing that differentiates a candidate from others is the urge for excellence. In SOP and essays, try and include points that can make a difference such as internships or practical training that may add value to the degree.
Stanford MBA and Harvard MBA are one of the best institutes in the world and in the world to do MBA programs at. The Harvard University and Stanford University are on the top MBA universities in the world by QS MBA ranking in 2024. Both provide unqiue curriculum which foster students with great knowledge. Both of them are best ranked universities to study in the USA for international students. They offer the best Master of Business Administration (MBA) programme to students with better placement opportunities. Below is the comparison for Stanford MBA and Hravard MBA:We have compared them below in terms of their MBA fees, ranking, and placements:
MBA Universities | MBA First-Year Tuition Fees | QS MBA Ranking in the World 2024 | MBA Placement Rate |
---|---|---|---|
Harvard University | INR 18 L - 63 L | #3 | USD 175,000 or INR 1.5 Cr |
Stanford University | INR 32 L - 1 Cr | #1 | USD 189,010 or INR 1.6 Cr |
Stanford University MBA Admissions 2025
Stanford University provides 9-month to 2-year MBA programs in specializations such as Business Administration, Finance, Economics, Management, Accounting, Public Policy and Policy, and Organisation & Leadership Studies. The tuition fees at Stanford University range between INR 32 L - INR 1 CR for the MBA program. The basic eligibility criteria to enter the MBA program are an Essay, a GRE/GMAT score, a letter of recommendation, a bachelor's degree from a recognized institution or equivalent, and English language requirements. Stanford University admission requirements for the MBA program for international students is listed below:
- 4-year bachelor’s degree or 2-year master’s degree followed by a 3-year bachelor's degree.
- Academic transcripts
- GRE/GMAT scores
- English language proficiency test scores (only TOEFL iBT accepted)
- Three letters of recommendation
- Statement of Purpose
- Essays
- Resume
- Interview
- Standardized test scores (if applicable)
Eligibility Criteria
- Accepting Exams: TOEFL, PTE, IELTS, GRE, GMAT, Duolingo
Commonly asked questions On MBA/PGDM Admissions
Stanford University is a prominent university offering various high-quality and world ranked courses. MBA is one of the top courses at the university and has the impressive placement rate.
The MBA course at the university requires the Graduate Management Admission (GMAT) or the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores along with interviews and other supporting documents to be considered for the admission.
The Master of Business Administration (MBA) course specialisation at the Stanford University are offered in different fields including Business Administration; Finance; Economics; Management; Accounting; Public Policy; and many more.
The MBA course at the university is a two year long course providing high quality of academic experience along with practica approch.
Stanford UniversityStudents Ratings & Reviews
- 50% students never faced discrimination in this university

Stanford University Admissions 2025 FAQs
While considering the cost for an MBA programme at Stanford, one needs to take into factor various expenses. Below we have given the cost for different components that need to be considered for pursuing MBA. The living expense includes rent, food, and other personal expenses that a student will bear while pursuing his MBA at Stanford. Further, medical insurance is included in the cost of attendance for all the students even if they are covered by any other insurance plan.
Particulars | Cost for 2023-24 for a Single Student |
---|---|
Tuition | USD 79,860 |
Living expense | USD 18,453 |
Housing | USD 20,271 |
Medical insurance | USD 7,128 |
Health fee | USD 753 |
Stanford University MS in Computer Science admission requirements are given below:
- A bachelor’s degree
- While the university does not require a specific undergraduate coursework, it is important that applicants have Quantitative and Analytical skills; a bachelor’s degree is CS is not required
- Academic transcripts
- Standardized test scores
- TOEFL score
- Any relevant experience
- 3 academic or professional experiences
- Statement of Purpose
- Any other admission material
In order to complete Stanford University admissions process, the applicants are required to follow an application process. Given below are the steps to apply to Stanford University:
Undergraduate Admissions
The components required to complete Stanford University application for undergraduate courses are:
- Common application
- Application fee of USD 90
- School report form and counselor letter of recommendation
- Official transcripts
- Letter of recommendation from two teachers
- Any other document (as applicable)
Graduate Admissions
For the submission of Stanford University graduate application, the applicants are required to follow the steps given below:
- First of all, check the entry requirements
- Then, click on the relevant application button present on the Graduate admissions page of Stanford University
- Next, create a new application account and enter all the asked details like name, email id, birth date, etc.
- Then, follow the instructions to establish the account password
- Lastly, login and fill out the application and submit it
- The application fee to apply for Stanford University graduate courses is USD 125
Documents required for Stanford University graduate admissions
- Academic transcripts
- Standardized test scores
- CV / resume
- Letter of recommendation
- Statement of purpose
Stanford Graduate School of Business is one of the top-ranked MBA programs in the U.S, and graduates here are paid amongst the best globally.
- The median base salary reported by the graduates of 2024 was USD 175,000
- 93% of graduates received job offers within 3 months of graduation, and about 85% of graduates accepted job offers in that time frame
- Top industries were Finance, Technology, and Consulting
For Stanford University admissions to the MBA program, the applicants are required to have the following things:
- A U.S. bachelor’s degree or equivalent is required. Also, the two-year master’s degree following the three-year bachelor’s degree is preferred but not required
- Academic transcripts
- GMAT / GRE test score
- Work experience is not required but applicants can submit CV if they want to (one-page resume)
- Two letters of recommendation
- Essays
- Optional short answer question
- Application fee
Stanford University MBA program is one of the most selective programs by top business schools. The school received more than 6,000 applications and accepted just 431 candidates. Just the test scores won't be enough to secure admission to Stanford MBA. Apart from this, you need an excellent undergraduate GPA and relevant work experience.
Stanford University admissions requirements for MBA programme are given below:
- The average undergraduate GPA for the class of 2025 was 3.77
- The GMAT score required was 738
- Work experience of 5 years
Read: MBA Colleges in USA
Indian students who want to take admission to the undergraduate courses at Stanford University should pay attention to the following:
- A very competitive SAT / ACT score
- TOEFL / IELTS scores
- Academic transcripts
- Records of leadership skills (if any)
- Records of internships
- Recommendation letters
- Statement of Purpose
- Any other aspect that reflects uniqueness
- Writing skills for essays
As a student at Stanford, here’s what they can do on the weekends:
- Join organizations that take you to places – teams or clubs with school-funded travel
- Take weekend trips with the Outdoor Center to Yosemite, St. Reyes, and other local landmarks
- Head north to Marin for amazing coastal hikes, food, and some quaint little towns like Bolinas
- Sit in the library and study
- Go to sporting events
- Go to California Avenue for brunch / dinner / lunch
Sanford University accepts TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) as the only English language requirement. Sanford University does not require English language test scores for the undergraduate admissions. The minimum score required at the university for the admission are mentioned below:
Exams | Minimum Scores |
---|---|
Doctoral Programs | 100 |
Master's Programs: all (except School of Engineering programs) | 100 |
Master's Programs: School of Engineering | 89 |
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