External Application Requirements
Application requirements
Thank you for your interest in applying to the Statistics MS or Data Science MS program offered by the Department of Statistics.
The following instructions apply to both the Statistics and the Data Science MS graduate application.
All graduate applications are reviewed at the department level. For helpful answers and guidelines for applying, please read the information on this page and our list of admissions FAQs carefully. We have made a great effort to provide detailed, thorough and relevant information regarding the application process and hope that it will provide answers to your questions.
APPLICATION DEADLINE - January 15, 2025 (11:59PM PST)
We do not matriculate students in any other quarter. The online application fee is $125 for all applicants, both domestic and international. Some applicants may be eligible for an Application Fee Waiver. The department is unable to provide application fee waiver codes.
Updated: Aug. 2024
Personal Background
Applicants can access the online application beginning September. Any problems that you encounter while completing or submitting the application must be addressed by contacting the support desk as indicated on the application website. The Stanford application software is not Stanford-based, we cannot help with technical issues at the department-level.
Program Selection
Degree Program:
STATISTICS (MS)
Specialization:
Leave this field blank if you do not intend to pursue the Data Science track.
Only applicants who intend to pursue the Data Science subplan should select the specialization from the drop-down menu. Applicants who select Data Science will only be considered for this program and NOT in addition to the Statistics MS degree program.
Are you applying under Stanford's Honors Cooperative Program?
HCP applicants should follow the same application process as general applicants and should confirm "HCP" status on the application. Please note admission is only for autumn quarter entry. This master's program cannot be completed entirely online; on-campus attendance will be required for the majority of the courses.
Entry Term:
Autumn
Academic History
Current/Previous Post-Secondary Institutions
List every post-secondary institution where you have been enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate degree program, including any degree program in which you are currently enrolled. Your list must include the institution where you earned your bachelor’s degree (or its international equivalent as defined in Stanford’s minimum international education requirements for graduate study.
For each institution you list below, upload your transcript. The transcripts you upload here are considered unofficial and will suffice for the review process. If you are offered admission to Stanford and accept the offer, you will be required to submit official transcripts/degree conferral documents.
- Applicants are required to upload electronic (or scanned paper copies) of either official or unofficial transcripts from all post-secondary institutions attended as a full-time student for one academic year or longer and any degree program in which you are currently enrolled.
- Transcripts must be in English. If the documents are not in English, then institution-produced or certified translations are required, in addition to the official original-language documents.
Only applicants who are offered admission AND accept are required to submit official transcripts.
Stanford’s assessment of a "foreign degree" is based on the characteristics of a national educational system, the type of institution attended, and the level of studies completed. Please refer to the international section of this website.
The University reserves the right to require additional academic documents. If we are unable to verify the nature or authenticity of your academic documents, we may ask you to obtain an evaluation from a foreign credential evaluation service.
Stanford Non-degree Coursework
Courses taken through Stanford Online that are relevant to the Statistics program.
Academic History Questions
Academic standing at your previous institution(s).
Test Scores
The General GRE is required of all applicants, except those who have earned a doctoral degree (or Ph.D. equivalent) by the start of the program. The department does not accept the GMAT, LSAT, or MCAT in lieu of the GRE exam.
The TOEFL exam is required of applicant's whose first language is not English.
- TOEFL Exemptions
- Grad Admissions Required Exams
- Information on GRE/TOEFL registration, test centers, dates
Any scores you self-report on this page are considered unofficial and will suffice for the initial review process. Please arrange for official scores to be sent by ETS to Stanford University (Institution Code: 4704) as soon as they are available.
Graduate Admissions guidelines for Reporting Scores: Scores must be submitted before their respective expiration dates. No scores are valid beyond the date ETS will send or resend them to schools.
Checklist concerns:
Please be aware that scores submitted by ETS can take between 3-5 weeks to reconcile with the submitted application. We ask that any prospective applicant to either Statistics graduate degree program arrange to take the GRE exam well in advance of our deadline and evaluation period.
Experience
All fields OPTIONAL as this information can be included on your resume/CV.
- Research Experience
- If you have prior research experience, provide details about each experience below. List experiences in order of significance to you, with the most meaningful experience listed first. (Include in the resume/CV.)
- (Research experience is not required to apply to the Statistics or Data Science MS programs.)
- If you have prior research experience, provide details about each experience below. List experiences in order of significance to you, with the most meaningful experience listed first. (Include in the resume/CV.)
- Publications/Presentations/Posters
- If applicable, list any publications you have authored or presentations/posters you have delivered in order of significance to you, with the most meaningful listed first. (Include in the resume/CV.)
- Awards & Honors
- If applicable, list any awards or honors you have received.
- Work Experience
- If you have prior work experience, provide details about each experience below. Experiences may include internships, part-time and full-time employment. (Work experience is not required to apply to the Statistics or Data Science MS programs.)
- Resume/CV
- File upload (Optional, but recommended.)
Recommendations
Choose Your Recommenders
Letters of recommendation should come from academic or professional references who know you well and are qualified to evaluate your potential for graduate study.
Register your recommenders below as soon as possible to ensure their letters are received by the application deadline.
- When you add a recommender below, the application system will send a personalized link to that individual to submit the recommendation online.
- After your recommender submits the recommendation letter, you will receive an email notification and the status on this page will automatically update.
- Need to change a recommender? Click “Edit” next to the recommender you wish to replace, then click “Exclude” at the bottom of the popup window (the recommender you exclude will not receive an email notification). You then will see the option to add a new recommender.
Do not wait for the recommendation letters to be submitted/uploaded to submit your completed application. Recommenders may also upload letters after the application has been submitted!
Statements
Statement of Purpose (Personal Statement) REQUIRED
Describe succinctly your reasons for applying to the proposed program at Stanford, preparation for this field of study, research interests, future career plans, and other aspects of your background and interests that may aid the admission committee in evaluating your aptitude and motivation for graduate study. Your statement should be typed, single-spaced, and no longer than two pages, ensuring that your full name and the program to which you are applying is on each page.
Program Supplemental (NEW)
Applicants will be required to include information about courses that meet the recommended prerequisites of either the Statistics MS or Data Science subplan, including any advanced coursework in the related subjects.
List 3 to 10 courses equivalent from your institution(s) to the prerequisites of the Statistics Data Science program.
- Multivariable Calculus and Linear Algebra - Geometry and algebra of vectors, systems of linear equations, matrices and linear transformations, diagonalization and eigenvectors, vector valued functions and functions of several variables, parametric curves, partial derivatives and gradients, the derivative as a matrix, chain rule in several variables, constrained and unconstrained optimization.
- Programming - Abstraction and its relation to programming. Software engineering principles of data abstraction and modularity. Object-oriented programming, fundamental data structures (such as stacks, queues, sets) and data-directed design. Recursion and recursive data structures (linked lists, trees, graphs). Introduction to time and space complexity analysis. Uses the programming language C++ covering its basic facilities.
- Intermediate Statistics - Multiple regression and ANOVA, possibly without linear algebra Statistical tools for modern data analysis, bootstrap, and cross-validation.
- Intermediate Probability - Sampling distributions of sums, means, variances, and order statistics of random variables. Convolutions, moment generating functions, and limit theorems. Probability distributions useful in statistics (gamma, beta, chi-square, t, multivariate normal).
- Advanced Coursework - Any advanced course in the subjects of Statistics, Mathematical Computation, Computer Science, Econometrics, Data Science or any related subject.
Additional Information
- Other Stanford Applications
- Prior/Current Stanford Affiliation
- Other Graduate Schools
- List other institutions to which you are applying for graduate study. (optional)
- External Funding for Graduate Study
- Admissions decisions to the Statistics MS program is independent of a student's ability to pay.
- Additional Information
- You may use this section to provide additional information that was not covered by the questions in the application.
- Applicants can upload a combined PDF file that lists any institution/organization that you have taken any preparatory courses that apply to the degree you are applying to, such as online certificate programs; Coursera ; extension school programs/continuing education, etc.
- You may use this section to provide additional information that was not covered by the questions in the application.
Signature & Review
Signature
By submitting this application, you consent to Stanford University’s collection and processing of any sensitive personal data contained in your application to evaluate your application and for the other purposes described in Stanford University’s Online Privacy Policy and Offline Privacy Policy.
Review
The Review section identifies any section of the application which needs correcting of any fields or file uploads.
Please read through your entire application to ensure you are including the information that you wish to be evaluated. The department cannot accept changes or updated documents.
Changes to your application or updated materials are not allowed.
Please employ a careful review of your entire application for errors or typos of any sort, including uploaded documents before submitting.