Transfer Requirements & Process

Transfer Common Application

The Transfer Common Application asks about personal information such as:

• Birthplace and date
• Citizenship
• Family background
• Schools attended
• Co-curricular and extracurricular involvement

You will also have the opportunity to tell us about yourself by describing your educational journey, academic honors, listing your extracurricular activities, noting any work experience and writing an informative and insightful essay.

Our holistic review allows us to consider each applicant's unique circumstances and educational background. We recognize that many of our transfer applicants have followed non-traditional routes to higher education, and we welcome the diverse perspectives these students bring to campus. Additionally, we understand that family, personal or financial circumstances may prevent students from participating in traditional extracurricular activities; use the Common Application to explain your specific situation.

Stanford Questions

Access the Stanford Questions online at The Common Application. The Stanford Questions section, which includes the Stanford essay questions, is part of the Transfer Common Application and may be accessed in the "My Colleges" tab. As a result, there is no Writing Supplement Form for Stanford University.

1. Go to commonapp.org, create an applicant account and add Stanford University to your "My Colleges" list.
2. Access the Stanford Questions by clicking on "Stanford University" in your "My Colleges" list.

We view the Stanford Questions as your opportunity to tell us about yourself by describing some of your favorite personal activities and social interests and writing informative and insightful short essays. These responses help us understand your individual experiences and insights.

No two applicants in our pool are the same, so we take great care to ensure we review your application within the context of your surroundings. The information you provide assists us in interpreting and evaluating your transcripts, test scores, essays and evaluation letters.