Application Instructions

These instructions are for PhD/MS applicants. These applicants should also review the Stanford Graduate Admissions website for university-wide admissions policies, which we link to in our own instructions where appropriate. In cases where the instructions on our department website differ from the Stanford Graduate Admissions website (e.g., the number of official transcripts required), you should follow the instructions on our department website.
 

Step 4: Submit Required Materials

We require applicants to submit official test scores (TOEFL) to validate the information submitted in the online application.

❏ Official TOEFL/IELTS Scores

To be eligible for graduate study at Stanford, you must demonstrate sufficient proficiency to read English with ease, understand rapid idiomatic English as used in lectures and group discussions, and express thoughts quickly and clearly in spoken and written English.

Effective for applicants starting graduate study in 2026: You are not required to submit English proficiency test scores if you meet one or more of the following criteria:

• You are a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.
• Your first language is English.
• You earned a U.S. bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral degree, or international equivalent from a university where all instruction was conducted in English.
• You have two or more consecutive years of professional or educational experience in English, in the past 10 years.

You will not be required to submit English proficiency test scores in the application if your responses on the Personal Background page reflect that you meet the above criteria; no additional documentation is required at the time of application. If you are offered admission and accept the offer, you may be required to submit supporting documentation as a condition of admission.

If you do not meet any of the criteria listed above, then at the time of application you are required to submit an official test score from the Test of English as a Foreign Language Internet-Based Test (TOEFL iBT) or the International English Language Testing System Academic Test (IELTS Academic) that meets the university’s minimum score for admission consideration.

Minimum Score Requirements for English Proficiency

	TOEFL	IELTS
Minimum Score for Admissions Consideration*	90	7
Minimum Score for Exception from Stanford English Placement Test**	109	8

*Each graduate program may set a higher minimum score for admission consideration as appropriate for the specific field of study. Refer to your graduate program’s website to check whether it requires a higher minimum score.

**The English Placement Test is required for incoming students who earned a score below 109 (TOEFL) / 8 (IELTS) at the time of application. There are no exceptions to this requirement, even for those who score just below the cutoff. The test takes place shortly before the first quarter of graduate study and is administered by the English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Program, who will determine whether language courses are required or recommended to support the student’s success in the graduate program.

Stanford considers English proficiency test scores to be valid for two years. See below for the earliest test date Stanford considers TOEFL/IELTS scores to be valid.

Entry Term	Application Open Date	Earliest Valid Test Date
Autumn 2026-2027	September 2025	September 1, 2023

❏ Unofficial Transcripts

Select one (1) of the following methods, if you have accepted admission to Stanford, to submit an official transcript from every college/university you enrolled: