Frequently Asked Questions

No, the GRE is not required. MSE Admissions will NOT accept GRE Scores Submitted.

You can check the status of your application in the application portal. We do not provide application updates.

Please review eligibility requirements for graduate study at Stanford  here.

Applicants who hold a previous degree in a subject other than MatSCi are welcome to apply. We welcome applications from a wide range of of academic background such as: Chemical Engineering, Biological Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Applied Mathematics, Earth and Planetary Sciences, Environmental Engineering, Quantum/Molecular Engineering.Any engineering discipline or related science discipline (such as physics, chemistry, etc.), or mathematics is a good base for graduate study in materials science and engineering.

Applicants may ask to be considered for either an MS degree or a PhD 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 MS degree and a PhD degree, apply to the PhD program only. Use the MS program ONLY if you expect to obtain a terminal MS degree and not continue your education.

We have a limited number of spaces available for PhD admits. Sometimes we offer an MS program admission to someone who has applied to the PhD program. Please indicate in your application that you wish to be considered for an MS if you are not offered a position in the PhD program.

We do not require a minimum GPA. We perform an individualized, holistic review of each applicant.

Our department takes a holistic approach when reviewing submitted applications. We do not keep statistics of test scores, GPAs, etc. of past years.

Our department does not have a "formula" for admissions. We perform an individualized, holistic review of each applicant. We are particularly interested in learning about your experiences and personal strengths that have prepared you for graduate school. Because of our "whole view" approach, we do not keep statistics of test scores, GPAs, etc. of those admitted in past years. Early application will not increase your chance of being accepted.

We do not accept submissions after the deadline except under very rare extenuating circumstances, such as a serious and prolonged medical emergency that lasted throughout the duration of the application period.

Your application will be evaluated based on the materials submitted by the deadline. We do not accept updates to your resume or Statement of Purpose, and do not accept additional materials such as new grades or coursework.

You will not be able to modify the majority of your application once it’s submitted. You may update the following information on your status page after submitting your application: Recommenders, TOEFL Test Scores (if required), Contact Information (email, phone, address).

We do not offer consultations and cannot schedule meetings with individual applicants to discuss their applications. We do not offer tours of the department or our laboratory facilities. Applicants may contact faculty directly or visit campus independently.

If you know you are unable to start next Autumn quarter, please do not apply. We generally do not offer deferrals to MS or PhD students unless there is an urgent, valid medical/family reason.

The MS and PhD program starts in Autumn. If you need to defer, you will need to request a whole-year deferral. Deferral requests are not always approved. If you know in advance that you cannot start school the following Autumn, please wait to apply in a future year.

PHD Program Funding: We provide full financial support to all of our PhD students for the duration of their program, contingent on maintaining satisfactory degree progress. This financial support includes a living stipend/salary, full payment of tuition, and a health insurance subsidy. We strongly encourage all applicants to apply for outside fellowships, such as the National Science Foundation (NSF).

MS Program Funding: The MS program is generally self-funded. MS applications may be reviewed for a limited number of fellowships. These awards are competitively allocated and are based on academic merit. We encourage all applicants to apply for outside fellowships such as the National Science Foundation (NSF). In addition, the School of Engineering's Student Success and Engagement team has compiled a list of resources for funding your MS degree.

PhD Program: Yes! All PhD students without fellowships are placed in teaching or research assistantship positions. The selection of a research topic is carried out by mutual agreement between the student and the advisor(s). This financial support includes a living stipend/salary, full payment of tuition, and a health insurance subsidy.

MS Program: It is quite rare for a first-year MS student to secure an assistantship. Most MS students fund their studies with loans and search for assistantships once they have built relationships with faculty in the MSE or other departments. There is no central hiring process within the MSE department. Students must contact faculty members directly to inquire about assistantships.

Requirements for TOEFL/IELTS Testing are listed here.

For the MSE admissions committee and university to read your transcripts, any text must be translated into English. You must submit original language records with official English translations. We accept translations issued by the institution or a professional translation service. Translations must be literal and complete versions of the original records.

All of the faculty members have public pages on the Stanford online directory, including contact information, and many have links to their labs. The web is a great place to start. The MSE website also has links to our faculty.

No. Applicants are not expected to have a confirmed PhD faculty advisor before applying. We admit students to the department as a whole, and their faculty advisors are matched during the first year of the program. 

We have many interdisciplinary students. There are MSE students that conduct research with advisors from other departments as well as students from other Home Departments (ChemE, MechE, Applied Physics, BioE, to name a few) that work with MSE advisors. In that respect, your research advisor and PhD research experience is determined by the advisor’s lab and their current projects. 

Admitted PhD students do laboratory rotations their first two quarters to align with an advisor. Our admissions process is holistic and is not based on a single advisor’s availability to take on students. We do not have information for applicants regarding individual faculty availability.

In choosing a home department or program to apply to, you should consider the coursework, the culture, and the other program requirements involved. We recommend comparing the course requirements and program info both on the Stanford Bulletin https://bulletin.stanford.edu/ as well as individual department websites. In addition, look at the specific faculty members that are doing research in your field of interest and see which department(s) they are affiliated with.

Last, students with a primary PhD advisor outside of MSE always have a Co-Advisor in MSE. This is all determined during the student’s time in the program, and is not decided prior to admission.

We encourage excellent students from all backgrounds to consider Stanford University for their graduate studies. In making admissions decisions, the Department of Materials Science and Engineering complies with the requirements of the law as determined by the Supreme Court of the United States, evaluating each applicant based on their "experiences as an individual—not on the basis of race.”

It is not common. The MS is a terminal degree and is not intended to prepare students for our PhD program.

No, you may only apply to one MS program at a time. If you apply to more than one, both applications may be disqualified.

It is not possible to complete an entire MS degree online. Stanford does offer a part-time MS program in MatSci, but there are some caveats – please contact the Stanford Engineering Center for Global & Online Education for more information. The MS program is designed for local students to come on campus on a part-time basis, supplemented by a few classes online.

Please send an e-mail to mseadmissions@stanford.edu with the subject line: “Applied to the PhD in error. Please move me to the MS pool.” In the email, please state your full name so we can find you easily.