Summer Session for
Online-Only Students

Stanford Summer Online provides access to educational opportunities offered by one of the world’s premier institutions of higher education. By providing courses in an online format, summer students have the flexibility to include challenging academics within their regular routines. See if one of our online courses will allow you to have a learning experience that’s truly transformative.

Program Dates

Eight-Week Courses: Monday, June 20 – Saturday, August 13

About the Program

Students from around the world are invited to enroll in one of a handful of Stanford summer courses taught entirely online. If accepted to the program, you’ll have the opportunity to earn credit at one of the most competitive universities in the United States. Choose from the following course options: ECON 1V – Principles of Economics (5 units), ENGLISH 90V – Fiction Writing (5 units), and STATS 216V – Introduction to Statistical Learning (3 units).

Students attending Stanford Summer Online (SSO) will participate in online-only courses and will not be required to come to campus to complete their studies. Consequently, SSO students will not be able to apply for on-campus housing, and international SSO students will not be sponsored for an I-20 (Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant F-1 Student Status).

Application Information

The Summer Session application opens in December 2015. Admission is a selective process, and students are admitted on a rolling basis. To be eligible to apply, students must:

  • Be at least 18 years of age by the start of the program (June 20, 2016).
  • Have graduated from high school or secondary school or equivalent.
  • Have successfully completed at least one term of college or university courses following graduation from high school prior to applying (students who have already graduated from college or university are also eligible).
  • Be able to verify fluency in the English language, using one of the methods described in the International Requirements section of the website.

In addition to submitting an online Summer Session application, students are asked to upload an unofficial transcript for all colleges or universities attended, and compose a short personal statement in response to a specific question. For more information, visit the How to Apply page.