Undergraduate Advising and Research

Undergraduate Advising and Research

Central UAR Office: Sweet Hall, first floor
Phone: (650) 723-2426
Fax: (650) 725-1436
Web Site: http://undergrad.stanford.edu
Email: advising@stanford.edu, vpue-research@stanford.edu
Appointments: (650) 723-2426

Undergraduate Advising and Research upholds the mission, standards, and requirements of the University, introduces students to the full intellectual richness of undergraduate study at Stanford, supports students in their academic and intellectual pursuits, and instills within them a sense of identity within and belonging to our community of scholars at Stanford. UAR is responsible for facilitating new students’ transition to Stanford, academic advising, academic policy and progress, and undergraduate research opportunities.

Transitioning New Students

UAR is responsible for the Approaching Stanford program, which guides new students through the process of coming to Stanford from their admission to the University until the first day of class. This process culminates in New Student Orientation which is required for all new freshmen and transfer students. See the Approaching Stanford web site for additional information.

Freshman and Transfer Student Policies

Stanford values the transition process as the foundation for thriving both academically and personally in our community. The following policies support this principle and apply to freshmen and new transfer students:

• All freshmen and new transfer students are required to attend New Student Orientation and must be in residence by 5:00 p.m. on the first day of NSO, Tuesday, September 15, 2015.
• Freshmen and new transfer students are required to live on campus in University housing for three consecutive quarters in their first year. Should behavior warrant a first-year student’s removal from the residences, that student cannot enroll in classes until he or she has returned to the residential community.
• When circumstances arise which make it advisable for a freshman to take a leave absence at any time during the first year, he or she is required to wait until Autumn Quarter of the following year to return to Stanford.
• Freshmen and new transfer students cannot enroll in the Summer Quarter prior to their first year unless they are participating in a VPUE-sponsored program. Exceptions are very rarely granted.

Advising

UAR pairs each freshman with two advisers: a pre-major adviser and a UAR academic advising director. Freshmen are matched with their pre-major advisers (faculty and academic staff) according to their preliminary academic interests and residence. Pre-major advisers are well suited to help students understand the University and are the first of many mentors students find at Stanford. The UAR academic advising directors in the undergraduate residences complement the role of the assigned pre-major advisers with a comprehensive understanding of the curriculum. They advise students broadly on their courses of study and long-term goals and can answer questions about academic policy. The UAR advising staff also includes professional advisers in Sweet Hall who specialize in research, fellowships, and pre-professional and coterminal advising, as well as advisers in the Athletics Academic Resource Center (AARC), who support varsity athletes.

See the Advising web site for more information about academic advising, programming, and support for undergraduates.

Academic Policy

UAR oversees the implementation of University academic policies, including petitions for exceptions to academic policy and monitoring students’ academic progress. There are professional advisers in Sweet Hall who specialize in supporting students who are on academic probation, provisional registration, or suspension. For more information about academic policies that UAR advisers and academic advising directors help students navigate, see the Academic Policies web site.

Undergraduate Research and Fellowships

UAR encourages undergraduates to work with faculty on independent projects in research, the arts, and senior synthesis. UAR facilitates these close relationships by providing advising and funding to undergraduates across all disciplines and at all stages of developing an idea into a research project. See the Research and Independent Projects web site for more information. For current deadlines, grant types, and program details, see the Student Grants page. Faculty or departments interested in applying for funding to support undergraduates in their working groups can learn more on the For Faculty page.

Together with advisers at the Overseas Resource Center  and the Haas Center for Public Service, UAR advisers help prepare students to compete for nationally competitive fellowships. UAR also administers the campus nomination process for several U.S.-based fellowships. See the Fellowships web site for more information on fellowship opportunities.

UAR offers workshops and individual consultations on planning for graduate or professional studies (e.g., business, education, law, and medicine) and on general application procedures, including how to write personal statements, how to solicit letters of recommendation, and how to prepare for interviews. See the Planning for Graduate and Professional School web site for more information.