Stanford University in Stanford, California is one of the most prestigious, and most difficult to get into, research universities in the world. The institution is passionate about educating students for the purpose of changing the world, and they take that mission very seriously. Home to a little over 8,000 undergraduates, Stanford is extremely popular for students interesting in emerging technologies, innovation, and the health care sciences, research, and technology fields. They also love seeing fields overlap and engage, and budget more than a billion dollars to fund research projects that push boundaries and challenge expectations.
Stanford is also known for being the home of many of the most exceptional student athletes in the country. At least one medalist has been from Stanford in every summer Olympics in which the U.S. has competed since 1912. And, of course, international students rank the school top on their lists. The undergraduate program is home to about 900 international students at any given time, or about 11.5% of the undergraduate student body.
Stanford is wildly popular, but it’s also not very big. They received nearly 54,000 applications for admission for first-year enrollment in the fall of 2023. Of that pool, they accepted 2,099 students — or less than 4%. But Stanford doesn’t want that low acceptance rate to intimidate students out of applying. They want to see applicants who push boundaries, who challenge themselves, and who strive to defy the odds, even the odds of admission to Stanford.
If you’re considering submitting an application, this post will tell you everything you need to know about how to stand out as an international student.
Applying to Stanford can be stressful, so send us an email if you’re feeling overwhelmed.
What is Stanford looking for in International Students?
The application process for international students interested in Stanford is the same as for all other applicants, but they are a need-aware school for international students when it comes to financial aid so they will take any requests for aid into consideration when reviewing your application.
They’ll also know what they are looking at, and looking for. The Stanford application readers understand different school systems, and different grading and examination criteria, from around the world. They will read your application within the context of your educational experience, program, and resources. That said, they don’t let things ‘slide’ just because you weren’t in the U.S. school system — if anything, the expectations are heightened.
Courses + Grades
Let’s be blunt. Less and an “A” is okay in life, but it’s not okay for Stanford admissions. While there is no minimum GPA for consideration by Stanford, your transcript is the most important aspect of your application bar none.
Stanford doesn’t require any particular course distribution (compare this, if you will, to Columbia, which has strict distribution requirements for applicants), but they do expect to see a wide range of courses taken in English literature, mathematics, science, language, and history. As important is that you excel across the board. You can have favorite subjects and classes, but that should come through in your essays — not in your transcript. In your transcript, everything you take should look like your favorite class.
When it comes time to submit, you do not need to have grades converted to an American GPA, short for Grade Point Average. Transcripts and teacher recommendations must be translated into English, though, and those translations (if translations are needed) must be submitted along with the originals. You can’t do the translations yourself though. Translations must be done by school officials or a similar professional.
Stanford also has specific resources on academic preparation prior to applying that you should be looking at well ahead of your senior year.
Extracurriculars
When it comes down to what you do outside of the classroom, though, Stanford isn’t as specific. But that doesn’t mean that they don’t expect a lot from you.
Everyone who is applying to Stanford who is a real candidate for admission, as in the application readers will actually debate the merits of the application and consider the student for admission, has amazing grades. They’ve taken the hardest classes, and they’ve excelled in each one. So, what differentiates students? Activities.
Stanford wants to see exceptionalism not just in the classroom, but also outside of what you do to earn a grade. We advise applicants to Stanford to have one “spotlight” activity that is not a sport, and that they excel at this activity to a level that is wild and strange for a high school student. This could be a leadership role in an organization at school, or something completely unrelated to school. But, again, it should not be a sport unless you are being recruited as an athlete — and even then, we discourage it.
Then, you should have 2-3 “support” activities that take up less of your time but that you are still committed to and have been actively pursuing for at least one year. This is where a sport or two could come in, or other school clubs, volunteer positions, or community roles.
Finally, competitive applicants to Stanford should have completed at least one internship or job in a field that is relevant to what you want to study in college that lasted for a minimum of one month. Short, pay-to-play internships do not cut it here, and do not impress Stanford. And, of course, everything above is a minimum. You could also supplement with paid work (nothing glamorous needed, and we encourage service work), other activities at school, or summer programs.
Standardized Tests
After grades and activities, come the standardized tests — and they aren’t mandatory. Submitting the SAT or ACT is currently optional through the 2024-2025 application cycle, but they may bring back a testing requirement after that point, as many other top colleges are doing. Even though it is optional, 69% of admitted and enrolled first-year students in the fall of 2023 had submitted either an SAT or an ACT score. What should you take from this? That you really should submit a score. A strong standardized test score underlines your grades and can emphasize your readiness for college if you haven’t had access to high-level courses in your prospective major area. Aim for at least a 1550 on the SAT or a 35 or 36 on the ACT.
English proficiency test results are also optional for international applicants to Stanford, but you can submit them if you’d like. We recommend that any applicants for whom English is not their native language, or the language spoken primarily at home, should submit scores from TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo English Test.
Final Thoughts
Applying to Stanford is a bold act that requires confidence, clarity of vision, and a lot of leg-work before pressing submit if you want any chance of getting in. If you’re aiming for Stanford, assess your grades, courses, and activities to make sure that you’re headed in the right direction. And, if you find gaps, adjust accordingly.
If you see yourself at Stanford, we can help make that happen. Get in touch.