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Find the official policies that govern our student and academic community.
Once per quarter, continuing graduate students may submit a Graduate Program Authorization Petition in Axess to request additions or changes to their graduate program, rather than applying through Graduate Admissions. If a graduate student wishes to terminate enrollment (permanently or indefinitely) in one or more of their current graduate degree programs, they may submit a request to Permanently Withdraw from a Graduate Degree Program.
Graduate students must be admitted into their initial advanced degree program at Stanford by providing a traditional application via Graduate Admissions. Certain departments allow continuing students to enter into an additional degree program via the Graduate Program Authorization Petition (“Grad Auth”). Students may only submit the Grad Auth once per quarter (calendar start date to calendar end date), and may only submit one petition to be effective in a given quarter.
In a single grad auth petition, a student may perform one or a combination of the following:
Add a new dual degree in their current department (e.g. add a master’s to a PhD)
Add a new dual degree program in a different department or school
Enter a joint degree program
Change degree programs (i.e., discontinue a current program and add another)
Students must have an active enrollment status to submit the Graduate Program Authorization Petition. The petition may not be used by Coterminal graduate students who have not yet conferred their bachelor's degree, nonmatriculated students, nor by any student on a leave of absence.
Students who have previously completed or permanently withdrawn from a degree program and do not have ongoing enrollment at Stanford must submit a new Application for Graduate Admission.
The Graduate Program Authorization Petition is submitted electronically through Axess to the department in which admission is requested, as well as the student's current academic department if different. Admitting departments may require additional materials or documentation from the student before approval, particularly in the case of requesting authorization for a terminal degree program. Additional documentation may include but is not limited to:
GRE General or Subject Test scores,
statements of purpose,
or letters of recommendation.
Students are encouraged to submit their petitions prior to the start of the term in which the student wants their new plan to be effective. Students should refer to the Student Services website opens in a new tab for applicable petition submission deadlines. Petitions are approved or denied at the discretion of the student's approving departments. The student will be charged a $125 petition fee after petition processing, regardless of the petition outcome.
The application fee for the submission of a Graduate Program Authorization Petition will be waived upon degree program request in the following circumstances:
Doctoral students in the Biosciences programs, Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, or Bioengineering, and who are changing to another degree at the doctoral level within one of these programs;
Graduate students who have been dismissed from their PhD program for academic reasons and, with permission of the home degree program, add a master’s or Engineer degree in the same program. The PhD program and any other active graduate degree programs must be discontinued in order for the student to be eligible for the fee waiver.
Students who wish to terminate study in all their active graduate programs should review the guidelines for voluntary separation and permanent withdrawal from the university.
Students active in multiple graduate programs who wish to discontinue study in one while remaining enrolled in the other should submit the appropriate Request to Permanently Withdraw from Degree Program form opens in a new tab in Axess.
To resume study in that program at a later date, the student may be allowed to apply for reinstatement into their prior program, or must apply through Graduate Admissions for readmission; both instances will be assessed a fee.
Petitions submitted by international students changing departments or degree programs will also require approval from the International Student Advisor at the Bechtel International Center opens in a new tab. International students may be required to submit additional information or documentation to the Bechtel International Center before their petition will be approved, e.g. if the requested change lengthens their planned stay.
Students with an active coterminal master’s program who have not yet completed their bachelor’s degree should refer to the policy on Coterminal Program Changes.
Adding or removing a degree program may impact a student's tuition assessment. Graduate students who are enrolled in more than one graduate degree at Stanford, where each program charges different tuition, are charged as follows:
the tuition associated with a degree in the doctoral/professional category, if the other degree is in the master's category.
Degrees in the doctoral or professional category for tuition purposes are the PhD, DMA, JSD, MD, and JD degrees.
Degrees in the master's category for tuition purposes are the Engineer, MA, MS, MPP, MBA, MFA, LLM, MLS, and JSM degrees.
the higher tuition rate, if both degrees are in the same category.
a University-approved tuition rate if the student is in a special program for which specific tuition agreements have been approved by the Faculty Senate (e.g., all joint degree programs (JDPs) or the Master of Science in Medicine program).
Instructions for students interested in making changes to their graduate program can be found on the Student Services opens in a new tab website.
The Office of Graduate Admissions oversees the processing of applications, admissions, and matriculation for graduate programs.
A student’s active enrollment status at Stanford may be discontinued for reasons such as failing to enroll or obtain an approved leave of absence by the final study list deadline, voluntarily leaving, academic dismissal, or expulsion.
Former students who were discontinued may apply for reinstatement into their degree program. The University is not obliged to approve reinstatements of students.
