Transfer Applicants

Source: https://admission.stanford.edu/apply/transfer/apply.html Parent: https://admission.stanford.edu/apply/first-year/index.html

Application and Essays

The application and Stanford Questions become available in early August each year. Stanford accepts the Common Application , which asks about:

• Family background
• School information
• Academic honors
• Extracurricular activities, family responsibilities, work experience, or military service

Our holistic review allows us to consider each applicant's unique circumstances and educational background. We recognize that our transfer applicants have taken many different routes to higher education, and we welcome the varied perspectives these students bring to campus. Additionally, we understand that family, personal or financial circumstances may prevent students from participating in traditional extracurricular activities. We hope you will use the application to explain your specific situation.

When you apply to Stanford, you apply to the university as a whole, not to a particular major, department or school. We encourage you to indicate prospective majors and career interests in the application, but please know you are not bound by these selections in any way.

Stanford Essays

We ask applicants to write a personal statement that addresses their reasons for transferring and the objectives they hope to achieve (250-650 words).

Applicants will also answer several short questions (limit 50 words each) and write a short essay on each of the topics below. Applicants can complete these essays in the Stanford Questions section of the Transfer Common Application.

• What piece of advice would you share with your younger self? Describe what experience or realization led you to this understanding. (50-150 words)
• The Stanford community is deeply curious and driven to learn in and out of the classroom. Reflect on an idea or experience that makes you genuinely excited about learning. (100-250 words)

• Choose one of the two prompts below (100-250 words):

• Virtually all of Stanford's undergraduates live on campus. Write a note to your future roommate that reveals something about you or that will help your roommate — and us — get to know you better.

• Stanford's community is an essential part of the undergraduate experience. How do you define community, and what contributions have you made to yours?

• Please describe what aspects of your life experiences, interests and character would help you make a distinctive contribution as an undergraduate to Stanford University.

Updated on October 1, 2025 1:35 PM