PhD Admissions Requirements and Procedures

Thank you for your interest in applying to the doctoral program offered by the Department of Statistics. Applicants interested in Biostatistics should apply to the Statistics Ph.D. program and note the information below in the Statement of Purpose section.

Ph.D. in Statistics - https://statistics.stanford.edu/academics/doctoral-program

Ph.D. in Statistics with a concentration in biostatistics - https://statistics.stanford.edu/academics/biostatistics-training-program

Contact - stat-admissions-PhD@lists.stanford.edu

All graduate applications are reviewed at the department level. Please read the following information carefully. We have made a great effort to provide detailed, thorough and relevant information regarding the application process and hope that it will provide answers to your questions.

APPLICATION DEADLINE - Tuesday, December 8, 2015

The deadline for all graduate application forms to be submitted online for the Department of Statistics for matriculation in autumn 2016 is Tuesday, December 8, 2015. We do not matriculate students in any other quarter. The online application fee is $125 for all applicants, both domestic and international. Click here for details regarding the Application Fee Waiver.

Self-reported (unofficial) test scores that could not be included with the online application should be emailed to stat-admissions-PhD@lists.stanford.edu and must be received by the above deadline. Recommenders must submit online recommendation letters by the above deadline. All copies of official transcripts must be received (not postmarked, but actually in our office) by Monday, January 4, 2016.

Applicants who do not have a bachelor's degree from a university based in the U.S. should review the information for international students at https://gradadmissions.stanford.edu/applying/international-applicants to determine their eligibility to apply to graduate school at Stanford. Be sure your bachelor's degree or equivalent will be conferred before your intended program start date.

Offers of admission cannot be made without receipt of official test scores and transcripts.

WHAT DO I NEED TO SUBMIT?

Application Form Applicants can access the online application and all accompanying information beginning in mid-September at http://studentaffairs.stanford.edu/gradadmissions. Any problems that you encounter while completing or submitting the application must be addressed by contacting the support desk as indicated on the application website. Since the Stanford application software is not Stanford-based, we cannot help with technical issues.

Statement of Purpose Explain the nature of your interest in one specific program in the department and reasons for wanting to study at Stanford. In the first sentence of your statement of purpose, indicate the name of the specific program to which you are applying. Include details about your preparation for this field of study, your future career plans, and any other aspects of your background and interests which may aid the admissions committee in evaluating your aptitude and motivation for graduate study. Your statement should be typed, single-spaced, and no longer than two pages, ensuring that your full name and the program to which you are applying is on each page. If you are applying to Stanford together with another person (siblings, couples, etc.) and would not accept admission if both were not admitted, please let us know. Note that once your application has been submitted, we cannot accept any revised statements of purpose or résumés.

Do not upload academic papers, theses, or dissertations as part of your statement of purpose. These items are not required. If you wish to submit them, please do so separately by uploading them in the ‘document uploads - additional information’ section of the application. We do not accept materials submitted via email or mail.

Biostatistics Applicants interested in biostatistics should make this clear early on in the statement of purpose, and should also list biostatistics in the Additional Academic Interests section of the application.

Transcripts As part of the online application, applicants are required to upload scanned copies of transcripts (either official or unofficial) from all postsecondary institutions attended as a full-time student for one academic year or longer. If you have participated in a study abroad program or transferred courses to your home institution, and the individual courses and grades are reflected on the transcript of the home institution, then you do not need to submit transcripts from the study abroad/transfer institution.

Multiple page uploads are allowed for all transcripts. In addition, TWO print copies of OFFICIAL transcripts of all uploaded versions must be submitted directly to our department. These may be sent either directly from the school or by the applicant, providing that the envelope containing the transcripts is sealed and signed/stamped across the sealed area. Transcripts that are received opened are considered unofficial and void, and will not be used in the review process. Applicants whose transcripts are not in the English language must submit the originals plus two notarized copies translated into English. Applicants who submit e-transcripts that are digitally signed and certified by the institution do not need to submit official paper transcripts.

Applicants from Chinese institutions are encouraged to use the China credential service within the graduate application to request and submit CHESICC authenticated transcripts. This service is eco-friendly and provides validated documents to the department to which you are applying. Applicants submitting CHESICC authenticated transcripts do not need to submit official paper transcripts.

Stanford University's Graduate Admissions Office does not accept any third-party transcript credential service such as WES, with the exception of CHESICC.

Applicants currently in school should send the most recently available versions of their transcripts (even if no grades are listed) until complete versions can be submitted. GPAs of at least 3.5 are strongly recommended.

Applicants must include GPAs for all current and completed degree programs. If the applicant's school does not use any scoring system or only provides grades at the end of the degree program, please note this in the Additional Educational History section of the application. Applicants whose school's scoring system does not use the 4.0 scale MUST provide the original score, original system (eg a scale of 1-30 or 1-100), and a converted GPA based on the 4.0 scale. Stanford University does not convert the GPA for you. It is the applicant's responsibility.

Test Scores

GRE General Test (http://www.gre.org) Applicants must take the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test administered by the Educational Testing Service (ETS). This is a University requirement and cannot be waived unless you already hold a Ph.D. degree from an accredited institution (see below). Both the old and new score formats of the GRE tests are considered equally acceptable by our department. 

GRE Math Subject Test The Statistics Department also requires the GRE subject test in mathematics. IMPORTANT: Unlike the general test, the math subject test is only offered three times each year. Check here for dates. Applicants interested in biostatistics are also required to take the math subject test.

Applicants wishing to submit an application for matriculation in 2016 must be able to provide at least self-reported (unofficial) test scores for both tests by the December 8 application deadline. All official score reports must be sent electronically by ETS to Stanford University. Our institution code number for ETS reporting is 4704. No department number is required. Test scores may be no older than 5 years, dating back from December 8, 2015. The GMAT is not accepted as a substitute for the GRE. No other subject test is accepted in lieu of the mathematics subject test.

Applications will be processed using the self-reported (unofficial) test scores. If you submit your online application before you have taken the test(s), please email your scores to stat-admissions-PhD@lists.stanford.edu as soon as you have them and no later than the December 8 application deadline.  Offers of admission are contingent on receipt of the official scores from both tests. While we have not established any particular GRE score necessary for admission, the average General GRE scores (in percentiles) of admitted applicants are Verbal 83%, Quantitative 91% and Analytical Writing 52%. The average Math Subject GRE score is 82%. If you submit results from more than one eligible test date we will consider the higher of the scores.

If you have already earned a Ph.D. degree, or your Ph.D. studies are in progress when you apply and your degree will be conferred prior to your intended start quarter, you may request a GRE General Test waiver. This must be approved at the University level. To receive an official waiver of the GRE General Test requirement email the Graduate Admissions Office with the following information: full name, institution attended, degree earned, and degree conferral date. Once you have received confirmation from the Graduate Admissions Office that your GRE General Test waiver request has been approved, you must forward this notification to the email address detailed at the end of this page. Additional information can be found at https://gradadmissions.stanford.edu/applying/starting-your-application/required-exams

Note: To bypass the entry of GRE General Test scores in the application, enter a future test date. In the additional information section of the application you can note that you have received a waiver from Graduate Admissions.

TOEFL (http://www.toefl.org) Adequate command of spoken and written English is required for admission. Applicants whose first language is not English must submit an official test score from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). Stanford accepts only ETS (Educational Testing Service) scores.  Our institution code number for ETS reporting is 4704. No department number is required. Test scores may be no older than 18 months, dating back from December 8, 2015.

Exemptions are granted to applicants who have earned (or will earn, before enrolling at Stanford) a U.S. bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree from a college or university accredited by a regional accrediting association in the United States, or the international equivalent degree from a university of recognized standing in a country in which all instruction is provided in English. Therefore, applicants with degrees from the U.S., Australia, Canada (except Quebec), New Zealand, Singapore, Ireland, and the United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales) are exempt from taking the TOEFL and do not need to submit the TOEFL Waiver Request form.

Applicants with degrees from institutions in countries other than those listed above and in which English was the only language of instruction must submit the TOEFL Waiver Request form in order to be evaluated for a waiver to the TOEFL requirement. If you receive confirmation from the Graduate Admissions Office that your TOEFL waiver request has been approved, you must forward this notification to stat-admissions-PhD@lists.stanford.edu. Note that U.S. citizenship does not automatically exempt an applicant from taking the TOEFL if the applicant’s first language is not English. Stanford does not accept IELTS scores.

A minimum TOEFL score of 100 on the Internet based test (iBT) or 600 on the paper-based test is required by Stanford University for all Ph.D. applicants. Evidence of adequate English proficiency must be submitted before enrollment is approved by Graduate Admissions. The average TOEFL score of Ph.D. applicants admitted to the Department of Statistics is 109. The Test of Written English (TWE) portion of the TOEFL is not required.

Applications will be processed using the self-reported (unofficial) test scores. If you submit your application before you have taken the test, please email your score to stat-admissions-PhD@lists.stanford.edu as soon as you have it. iBT test-takers will be able to access their scores online approximately 10 days after the test date. Therefore, we recommend that you take the test no later than mid-November 2015 to ensure that you meet the December 8 application deadline. Offers of admission are contingent on receipt of the official scores.

Note: To bypass the entry of TOEFL scores in the application, enter a future test date. You can add in the additional information section of the application that you have received a waiver from Graduate Admissions.

Additional information can be found at https://gradadmissions.stanford.edu/applying/starting-your-application/required-exams

Letters of Recommendation Three letters of recommendation are required. Letters of recommendation are handled via an online recommendation system, which is part of the online application. Applicants will be required to register the contact information of their recommenders who will then receive an email with directions on how to proceed. Online applications must be submitted by the December 8 deadline. We do not accept emailed or paper recommendations. However, we do accept letters submitted by your university's letter service. If this applies to you, you will still need to enter information for each recommender in the online application, including e-mail addresses which will automatically generate the email to each recommender requesting a letter. It is your responsibility to contact them to let them know to disregard this email and to use the university's letter service.

Your letters should be written by those who have supervised you in either an academic or employment setting. If possible, at least one should be from a university professor familiar with your academic work. Your recommendations should directly address your suitability for admission to the Statistics department. We pay extra attention to the potential for future excellence, as indicated in letters of recommendation. The most important factors we look at are: quantitative and analytic strength, communication skills in English, leadership, maturity and focus. 

Note: If you have any concerns that one of your recommenders will not be able to submit their letter by the deadline, you may want to consider requesting letters from a total of four recommenders. This will increase the likelihood that three letters will be submitted by the deadline and that your application will be marked as complete.

Résumé (and other optional papers) Applicants must upload a résumé/CV into the 'résumé' section of the application. Applicants may upload additional papers such as samples of your academic or published works in the 'additional information' section of the application. These will be included in your application file, though there is no guarantee that they will be reviewed by the admissions committee. With the exception of the required official transcripts, do not send any duplicates of materials that you have submitted online. They will not be added to your file.

All official transcripts should be mailed to:

Statistics Ph.D. Graduate Admissions
Statistics Department
Sequoia Hall, Room 222
390 Serra Mall
Stanford University
Stanford, CA  94305-4065

Self-reported (unofficial) test scores should be emailed to stat-admissions-PhD@lists.stanford.edu

Do not send any materials to Graduate Admissions in the Registrar’s Office.

We will update your application status in the ‘Check List’ section of your online application account between December 9 and 17, 2015 and January 4 and 8, 2016 to inform you whether or not your application is complete. If the application is not complete, the missing items will be either categorized as ‘not received’, or will be specifically listed. You will be given one week to submit the missing items. There is no need to contact us to check on this. Doing so significantly delays the application process and our ability to confirm your application status.

Decisions are usually announced in late February. Please do not contact us prior to this date to check the status of your application.

Consideration for the M.S. Program Applicants who indicate that they would like to be considered for the Master's program in the 'Application Options' section of the online application are eligible to request that their application be reviewed by the M.S. Admissions Committee. In order to pursue this option, applicants whose applications to the Ph.D. program were not successful must directly respond to the Ph.D. admissions decision email within three business days indicating this request. However, there is no guarantee that the M.S. Admissions Committee will accept the application. Applicants will be notified via email as to whether the request has been granted.

Financial aid Please note that requesting financial aid on the application form will not affect your chances of being admitted to one of our graduate programs. All prospective students should review the estimated expenses associated with graduate study at Stanford.

All students accepted to the Ph.D. program are offered financial support. All tuition expenses are paid and there is a fixed monthly stipend determined to be sufficient to pay living expenses. Financial support can be continued for five years, department resources permitting, for students in good standing. During this time students typically receive both a teaching and research assignment each quarter, which do not exceed 20 hours total.

Students are strongly encouraged to apply for outside scholarships, fellowships, and other forms of financial support. Students with outside support enable the department to stretch its own resources. The department will supplement outside awards to the level set for departmental support. Further details regarding financial support can be found at https://statistics.stanford.edu/academics/Ph.D.-ext-finance.

For more information, please review the University's Graduate Admissions web site. If you still have questions, please contact us at stat-admissions-PhD@lists.stanford.edu. In the subject heading of the email, please type 'Admissions: LAST NAME, First Name'. Given the large number of requests for information received, we would appreciate your understanding in the event that there are delays in responding.

Good luck! We look forward to receiving your application.