Admissions

Applications to the MS program and all supporting documents must be submitted and received online by the published deadline. Information on admission requirements is available on the department’s website; see the department’s deadlines page. Exceptions are made for applicants who are already students at Stanford and are applying to the coterminal program.

Eligibility

To be eligible for admission in a Stanford graduate program, applicants must meet:

• Degree level. Applicants must hold, or expect to hold before enrollment at Stanford, a Bachelor's degree from a U.S. college or University accredited by a regional accrediting association.

  • Applicants from institutions outside of the United States must hold the equivalent of a United States Bachelor's degree from a college or University of recognized good standing. See detailed information by region on Stanford graduate admissions opens in a new tab website.

• Area of undergraduate study. While we do not require a specific undergraduate coursework, it is important that applicants have strong quantitative and analytical skills; a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science is not required.

  • We advise prospective applicants to review the CS Foundation requirements opens in a new tab and Stanford ExploreCourses opens in a new tab to evaluate prerequisites for graduate-level courses in Computer Science.

Any questions about the admissions eligibility should be directed to admissions@cs.stanford.edu.

Please visit our department admissions website for more information: https://www.cs.stanford.edu/admissions opens in a new tab

At Stanford, students can get both a BS and MS degrees together by participating in the Coterminal Master's Program (Coterm) for short. This program is extremely popular in computer science, with students from a variety of undergraduate backgrounds (including CS, EE, Psychology, and more) pursuing an MS CS. Any questions about the admissions process should be directed to admissions@cs.stanford.edu.

Eligibility

• All applicants must have earned 120 units toward graduation (UTG) as shown on the undergraduate unofficial transcript. This includes allowable Advanced Placement (AP) and transfer credit.

• Applications must be submitted no later than the quarter prior to the expected completion of your undergraduate degree. In general, applications would have to be filed in the Winter quarter prior to the Spring quarter graduation.

• Applications must be submitted by the deadline for each quarter.

• The Computer Science Department requires that applicants must be registered students (not on "leave of absence" status).  

• Please note the deadlines opens in a new tab for Coterm applicants.

• The online application to the Coterm program can be found here opens in a new tab. Your supporting documents (University/registrar Coterm forms, statement of purpose, resume, unofficial transcripts) must be uploaded on the system. The Computer Science Department requires three letters of recommendation. You can submit your application and then follow up with recommendations later.

• You do have the ability to save your application and return to complete it at a later date by hitting the "save" button. After you have completed the application please hit the "submit" button. You will not be able to make changes to your application after you have pressed the "submit" button. Be sure to "submit" your application by 11:59pm PST the day of the deadline. No late submissions will be accepted.

Note: Admitted CS Coterm students are not eligible to defer to a different term.

For more information, please see our website at: https://www.cs.stanford.edu/admissions/coterminal-admissions-overview opens in a new tab