Frequently Asked Questions About Certifications

 Q: What is the name of the Dean of Students?

A: The name of the Dean of Students is Chris Griffith.

Q: Do I need to meet with the Dean of Student Affairs or any other University administrator in order to get my certification form processed?

A: No, there is no need to meet with the Dean or any other administrator.

Q: What other forms/materials do I need to submit with the certification form?

A: In addition to the stamped, pre-addressed envelope to the school/entity, you may wish to enclose a stamped, self-addressed postcard that Stanford can return to you after your forms have been processed and sent to the requested recipients, and a stamped, self-addressed postcard for each entity to mail to you to confirm receipt of your certification form.

Q: Will Stanford accept a faxed or emailed certification form?

A: Yes. Stanford requires a signature on all faxed certification requests or forms emailed as attachments

Q: Will Stanford fax the forms to the school for me?

A: No. Most institutions will not accept faxed or emailed copies of certification forms for the same reason Stanford does not accept them.

Q: How will my forms be mailed to the institutions?

A: You may include a stamped, pre-addressed regular business-sized envelope for each form to be sent via the U.S. Postal Service. If using UPS, FedEx, DHL, USPS Express or Priority Mail services, please include correct postage or a pre-paid air-bill. NOTE: Stanford does not accept USPS Certified Mail, and does not pay for postage.

Q: Is there a certification form processing fee?

A: No, Stanford does not charge for processing certification forms.

Q: If I have a disciplinary and/or academic probation record at Stanford, what happens after the Judicial Affairs Office and/or Registrar’s Office checks the affirmative boxes on the certification forms?

A: For any affirmative responses to disciplinary questions, the Office of Community Standards must provide a letter of explanation to accompany the form. The Student Services Center (acting on behalf of the Registrar’s Office) will provide a copy of your official enrollment certification along with a cover letter explaining our policy in regards to academic standing questions. The Registrar’s Office does not respond to academic standing questions rather, we provide an official Stanford enrollment certification as proof of your enrollment. If the institution you are sending your Dean’s certification to has questions about gaps in your enrollment, they should contact you directly for further explanation. All of this is explained in detail in the cover letter that Stanford attaches to your dean certification form.

Q: Will I have any input into the letter of explanation regarding my disciplinary record?

A: Yes. The Office of Community Standards will draft a response, then try to review it with you before sending it with the certification form to the recipient entity. It is very important for you to include your telephone number and/or email address when sending the certification form to this Office.)

Q: Will I have any input into the information regarding my academic standing record?

A: The Registrar’s Office does not respond to academic standing questions on dean’s certification forms. Instead, we provide an official Stanford certification as proof of your enrollment. If the institution you are sending your dean’s certification to has questions about gaps in your enrollment, they are instructed to contact you directly for further explanation. All of this is explained in detail in the cover letter that Stanford attaches to your dean certification form.

It is your prerogative, as the student, to inform the third party about the reasoning behind any gaps in your enrollment. The Registrar’s Office is unable to confirm or refute the veracity of such statements.

Q: If no Dean’s Certification Form is provided by the school/entity to which I am applying, but some type of disciplinary clearance is required, what should I do?

A: Send a request for a clearance letter to the Office of of Community Standards. Be sure to include with your request a stamped, pre-addressed envelope to the school/entity requiring the clearance, the instructions and/or a copy of the request from the school/entity, its name, and your contact information.

Q: Does Stanford provide a student’s GPA and class rank to other schools?

A: No. Under no circumstances will a student’s GPA be released to third parties/with the certification forms.Stanford calculates a GPA for internal academic standing purposes only. Class rank is not calculated for any purpose.

Q: The institution/entity to which I am applying claims that it did not receive my certification form. What should I do?

A: As noted above, you may wish to include a stamped, self-addressed postcard for each school/entity to return to you confirming receipt. Remember that often there are significant delays in admissions office processing of forms. You should contact each individual school/entity to verify that they have (or have not) received your forms before contacting Stanford again. It is very important that you allow sufficient time for processing AND mailing. Neither the Office of Community Standards nor the Registrar’s Office will be responsible for delays or misdirection in mailing caused by the U.S. Postal Service or other mailing services.

Q: If I want to check the status of my certification forms, whom do I contact?

A: Please allow 30 business days after submitting your request for certification before contacting Stanford. The Office of Community Standards telephone number is (650) 725-2485. The Student Services Center telephone number is (650) 723-7772 or 866-993-7772 (toll free). Please provide your de your name, telephone number and/or email address when making inquiries.

Q: How to request an Official Degree Certification if I can no longer authenticate into Axess?

A: Alumni who graduated more than 5 years ago and no longer have an active SUNETID and password can still request electronic degree certification by using the Degree Certification Request Form (pdf). Requests can be made via mail, email, fax (650-721-1585), or in person at the Student Services Center located at Tresidder Memorial Union, 2nd floor. We are unable to accept telephone or rush requests. If you wish to place your request via email (degreecert@lists.stanford.edu) you must attached a scanned copy of your signed transcript request form.