Admissions FAQ

The deadline for us to receive your application is noon on December 4, 2007.

Our Department does not have a "formula" for admissions. The main consideration in admitting students is that the applicant's background and record show potential for success in the judgment of the admissions committee. We look at the whole package, the whole student – with both strengths and weaknesses, as well as the availability of resources in the department for the applicants.

Obviously, the better your test scores, transcripts, letters, and experiences, the better your chances of gaining admission – but there are no guarantees. We can never admit all the students with the ability to succeed in graduate school – there simply are not resources to support all of our excellent applicants. You are competing against the other who have applied this year.

Because of our "whole view" approach, we do not keep statistics of test scores, GPA's, etc. of those admitted in past years. We cannot advise you on the chances of success if you apply ahead of time.

Yes, everyone needs to take the GRE general test. We do not require any subject tests. This is a University requirement and the Department is not able to waive that requirement. You must take the test in time for us to receive the scores, which is generally early in the Fall. The test must be taken within 5 years of your application. Details are on the Graduate Admissions Office website.

If you come from a country where English is not the native language, you must take the TOEFL. This includes India and other such countries in which classes are often taught in English, but it is not the native language commonly spoken by people on the street. The only exceptions are described in "The Guide to Graduate Admissions". This is also a University requirement and cannot be waived by the Department.

You must request that ETS (Educational Testing Service) send your test scores to Stanford University. Use the Stanford University code 4704 (no further department code is needed). They will send the scores electronically to the central Graduate Admissions Office at Stanford University, and these scores must be matched by name and birthdate to the application files. It takes some weeks. Please mail a copy of your test scores directly to the department. We need both raw scores and percentile scores.

Please send all application materials directly to the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Student Services Office, 416 Escondido Mall, Bldg. 550, Room 551F, Stanford, CA 94305-2205.

Only US citizens and permanent residents can request that the application fee be waived - if the fee would cause significant hardship. Such a waiver is only granted to applicants who also qualify to have their GRE test fees waived, and you must include a copy of the test fee waiver when you request the application fee exception. You should submit the application on-line with a credit card payment and send in the fee waiver form. If a fee waiver is granted to you, the credit card charge will be refunded. This option is not available to international applicants. This rule is established by the Graduate Admissions Office and the Department cannot overrule the requirement for a fee. Details are on the Graduate Admissions Office website.

Stanford University does not allow students to apply to more than one department. You must make a choice. If you are not accepted by the department you apply to, you may request that your application be considered by another department. If the second department agrees to review the application, it can be done. Generally, financial aid is already awarded by the time this happens and in such cases, you would need to be prepared to fund yourself for at least the first year. Sometimes it is just too late for consideration, so plan carefully when you apply.

Simply check the box on the application form that asks if you wish to be considered for aid. If you do NOT check that box, you will not be offered aid. You do not have to provide proof of need. Financial aid is administered somewhat differently in graduate school than it is in undergraduate school.

Applicants may ask to be considered for either an M.S. degree or a Ph.D. degree. We do not accept applicants directly to the Engineer degree program, so please do not put this on your application form. If you expect to obtain both an M.S. degree and a Ph.D. degree, apply to the Ph.D. program only. Use the M.S. program ONLY if you expect to obtain a terminal M.S. degree and not continue your education.

We have a limited number of spaces available for Ph.D. admits. Sometimes we offer an M.S. program admission to someone who has applied to the Ph.D. program. Please email us a response when you are notified that you have not been admitted to the Ph.D. program that you wish to be considered for an M.S.

We do have a petition procedure for students who have done extremely well during their first two quarters in our program to request a transfer to the Ph.D. program. You must submit this petition at the start of Spring Quarter of your first year, and you must have support from two faculty members, including one who is willing to act as your Ph.D. research advisor and provide funding for you. Space is limited.

Degree requirements are a combination of rules set by the University and the Department. Details can be found in the Stanford Bulletin under the listing for this department.

If you have any questions about applying to Stanford or receiving financial support, please email: matsciengr@stanford.edu,

or write to:

The Department of Materials Science & Engineering
Attn: Student Services, Building 550-551F; MC 2205
Stanford University
Stanford, CA 94305-2205

Or, you may email Fi Verplanke at verplanke@stanford.edu or call her at (650) 724-6784. We cannot return long distance or international phone calls; email is the best option for communication.