Updates
This page will be updated in May 2016.
Contact Information
When contacting University offices by email, always use your @stanford.edu email account so that we can verify your identity.
Approaching Stanford
(650) 72-FROSH, approaching@stanford.edu, via Stanford InYourClass
For general questions about the Approaching Stanford process, your forms, emails or mailings, preparing for Stanford, or just to chat with the Orientation Coordinators.
Bechtel International Center
new_intl_students@stanford.edu
For questions about visa matters and International Student Orientation (ISO).
Financial Aid Office
(888) 326-3773 or (650) 723-3058, financialaid@stanford.edu
For questions about your financial aid package and outside scholarship awards.
Office of Accessible Education
(650) 723-1066 or TTY (650) 723-1067
For questions about services and resources for students with disabilities and/or in need of accommodations during the academic year.
For accommodations needed during NSO (students or family members), email approaching@stanford.edu.
Student Services Center
(866) 993-7772 or (650) 723-7772
For questions about the University billing process and financial aid disbursements.
Vaden Health Center
(650) 498-2336, vaden-emr@stanford.edu
For questions about the health requirements, online health forms, health services, or health insurance waivers and coverage.
Frequently Asked Questions
What do I need to do first?
Read your Approaching Stanford Handbook and submit your Approaching Stanford Forms online by the June 8, 2015 (Freshmen) and July 1, 2015 (Transfers) deadlines. Refer to your Important Dates and Deadlines handout sent with the first Approaching Stanford mailing to identify other important communications and deadlines of which you should be aware. Check your @stanford.edu email frequently and begin communicating with administrators and each other via Stanford InYourClass.
Where do I find my student ID number?
You can find your SUID number on the letter from Vice Provost Harry Elam in your first Approaching Stanford mailing, on your acceptance letter from Dean Rick Shaw, or when you log in to Axess.
How do I check my @stanford.edu email?
Log in to your Stanford email account at webmail.stanford.edu. The University will send communications only to this email account and you are responsible for checking it regularly.
How do I access my @stanford.edu email on my mobile device?
You can use an iOS, Android, or Blackberry mobile device to access your Google Apps email and calendar following these instructions. When configuring a mobile device or desktop client you will need to first create a Google Apps password to use with it. To create a Google Apps password, go to tools.stanford.edu/cgi-bin/google-pass. You can use the same password for your mobile device and a desktop client.
How do I change my mailing address?
Go to Axess and click on “Student Center”, scroll down to Personal Information, and edit your address. Update your address in Axess every time it changes – during the summer and at any time after you’ve arrived to Stanford. We use the mailing address you list in Axess for your Approaching Stanford mailings, so be sure it is up-to-date at least two weeks before a schedule mailing.
What is Two-Step Authentication? What if I'm having problems with Two-Step?
Two-step authentication is required to access Stanford systems that have higher than normal levels of security and protects your Stanford account should someone else learn your password. You can update your authentication method at accounts.stanford.edu. We recommend that anyone who travels internationally and needs to log in to Stanford websites set their two-step authentication method to Duo Mobile Passcode, which allows you to generate your authentication code on your mobile device without an Internet or cellular connection.
If you are unable to access your two-step authetication method and cannot log in to accounts.stanford.edu to change it, you must contact HelpSU at (650) 725-HELP or submit a request at helpsu.stanford.edu. They will need to speak with you to confirm your identity before resetting two-step for you and giving you access to your account.
When will my Approaching Stanford mailings arrive?
The mailings will be sent according to the schedule on the Important Dates and Deadlines handout included in the first Approaching Stanford mailing. They may take 1-2 weeks from the posted date to arrive, 2-3 weeks for international students. The mailings are sent to the current mailing address listed in Axess, so be sure to update your address in Axess if it changes at any time during the summer. If you don’t receive a mailing within 3 weeks of the posted send date, you can email approaching@stanford.edu. The publications in all the mailings, except the Three Books, are available as PDFs at approaching.stanford.edu.
How do I change my preferred name?
You can change your preferred name in Axess.
How do I submit a photo?
Your photo is required for your Stanford ID card. The photo upload process is through a system maintained by the ID Card Office. Form 11 contains detailed information about the photo. If you have trouble uploading your photo, check to ensure that:
- You are using a compatible browser such as Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox or Internet Explorer. Safari is not compatible.
- You have selected a photo that meets the requirements: you are the only person in the photo; the background is solid white or light; you are facing forward with eyes open; no hats or sunglasses.
- You have submitted your photo in an acceptable format: png, gif, jpg, or jpeg.
- You have submitted a photo file that is 2MB or smaller.
- You have correctly cropped your photo. It will not be accepted if the width is larger than the height.
If you have met the above requirements and are still experiencing trouble, please submit a HelpSU ticket to the Student Services Center at helpsu.stanford.edu.
In addition to being used for your Stanford ID card, this photo is used as the default photo for your Stanford InYourClass profile and for the printed Stanford Lookbook, a publication of the photos, names, hometowns, and dorm assignments of freshmen and new transfers which every new student receives at check-in. Your photo may also be displayed in your dorm by your residence staff. You have the option on Form 11 of your Approaching Stanford Forms to opt out of being included in the Stanford Lookbook and residence displays.
Can I change information on my Approaching Stanford Forms before the deadline?
If you have already submitted your forms and the deadline has not yet passed, send an email to approaching@stanford.edu indicating your requested change and we will help you make the change. Some personal information on Form 1 has been auto-filled by information from your admission application - to request a change to this information, contact approaching@stanford.edu.
Can I change information on my Approaching Stanford Forms after the deadline?
If you need to make a change to the forms after the deadline, please send an email with the request to approaching@stanford.edu using your @stanford.edu email account. Depending on the issue we may be able to make the change, but many offices start using the information right away so only certain changes are allowed.
If I complete the online Vaden Health Forms, is there anything else I need to do?
You must complete both the online forms as well as send in an official copy of your immunization forms to Vaden Heath Center. “Official” is a term that signifies that this record has been produced and maintained by a doctor. You should scan and email, fax, or postal mail these records to Vaden Heatlh Center.
What if I need an accommodation?
If you have a medical condition, including severe food allergy, or documented disability, contact the Office of Accessible Education (OAE) to discuss accommodations you might need at Stanford, (650) 723-1066 or TTY (650) 723-1067. Be sure to contact the OAE by June 26, 2015, if you need to request a housing accommodation. For more information, review the registration process online at Registering for OAE Accommodations.
Who can I ask about classes during the summer? When do I enroll in classes?
You will not be able to enroll in classes until after you have met with your academic advisors during NSO. See Academic Advising for more information about these future advisors. During the summer, build a list of your academic questions and share these questions with your Academic Advising Director when she or he contacts you in mid-August.
Transfer students are encouraged to connect with Transfer Advising Coordinator Sally Menzer, smentzer@stanford.edu, starting in August. See Considerations for Transfers.
Can I get proof of enrollment?
Once you submit a Study List, enrollment verifications can be obtained online through Axess. However, as a new student, you cannot enroll in Autumn Quarter courses until NSO. If you need verification for scholarship or insurance purposes, you should first inform the scholarship agency or insurance company that Stanford freshmen will not be able to enroll in courses until September 21 (the Preliminary Study List deadline); thus, enrollment verifications will not be available until after that date. Sometimes a copy of your acceptance letter will suffice or companies will provide an extension. If you still need proof of enrollment, please send an email to approaching@stanford.edu and we will provide a letter of explanation.
Where do I send my final report and transcript?
Final reports and transcripts should be submitted online by your high school counselor via the Common Application. If your counselor cannot submit them online, he or she should print them out from the Common Application and send them with a mailing label to “Stanford University, Office of Undergraduate Admission at Montag Hall - 355 Galvez Street, Stanford, CA 94305-6106.” Instructions for sending these reports were included in your acceptance packet from the Office of Undergraduate Admission. Mailing labels and a link to the Common Application are available at Freshman Requirements and Process. For questions, contact admit@stanford.edu.
When are the Language Placement Tests? Should I take one?
Online written language placement tests begin on June 8 and take place through August 29, 2015. Check the schedule at Language Sequences and Placement.
Oral placement tests and some written tests will be offered during NSO. The placement tests are necessary if you are trying to fulfill the language requirement or if you plan to continue classes in a language with which you have familiarity. Placement tests may diagnose you as needing one to three quarters of additional study for the language before the requirement can be fulfilled. Placement test results are valid for one year.
I'm an international student, what do I need to do?
First, submit your Declaration of Finances form (sent to you by the Admission Office when you accepted your offer of admission). Once received, the Bechtel International Center will send you visa information. You will also receive more info from Bechtel during the summer. In the meantime, you can find info online, post to the "2015 Internationals" Group on Stanford InYourClass, or email Bechtel with your questions.
When is International Student Orientation (ISO) and how do I register for it? Who should attend ISO?
ISO begins Saturday, September 12, and concludes on Tuesday morning, September 15, 2015. Check-in will be from 2:00-6:00 p.m. on September 12 at which time you will move in directly to your dorm room for the academic year. All students attending ISO must register by checking the ISO box on their Housing Preference Form (Form 6) of their Approaching Stanford Forms. International students for whom the Bechtel International Center will issue visa paperwork are required to attend and therefore cannot participate in SPOT. US citizens living abroad are not required to attend, but may request and get approved to attend on Form 6. All other students will arrive on September 15th for New Student Orientation (NSO).
When is NSO? Is NSO required?
Yes. New Student Orientation (NSO) is from Tuesday, September 15, through Sunday, September 20, 2015. Students can begin moving in at 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday, September 15 and must be checked in by 5:00 p.m. that day. All incoming students are required to attend NSO for the full duration. The NSO Student Events Calendar will be available at orientation.stanford.edu by August 31, 2015.
