How to Apply

Stanford's High School Summer College features a convenient online application process. The "Step by Step" section below explains the basics of applying to our program. Although the bulk of your application will be electronic, certain materials will need to be mailed to our office.

Application materials should be sent to:

High School Summer College
Stanford University
482 Galvez Mall
Stanford, CA 94305-6079

Phone: 650-723-3109
Fax: 650-725-6080
Email: summersession@stanford.edu

We begin reviewing applications in January 2010. You will receive a decision concerning your admission approximately three weeks after receipt of your completed application and all required supporting documents. Students are strongly encouraged to apply as early as possible. Admission decisions are made on a rolling basis and the program may fill before the final deadlines. The deadline for our residential program is 05/02/2010; the deadline for our commuter program is 06/06/2010.

You can track the receipt of submitted items through your online account. You are responsible for verifying that all required forms and documents have been received by the appropriate deadlines. We will not notify you of missing items. Most correspondence from our office will be sent to you via email. It is your responsibility to provide us with a valid email address, notify us if you change your email address, check your email regularly, and ensure that your email account will accept mail from Stanford. If at any time you seem to have trouble receiving our email, try turning off your bulk email filter or adding summersession@stanford.edu to your address book.

After reading through steps 1 through 6, you will have the opportunity to begin your online application in step 7.

Step—by—Step, Electronic Application

1. High School Transcript  Request that an official copy of your high school transcript be mailed directly to the High School Summer College Office. All transcripts should be submitted with a grading system. The transcript must be in English. If translated from another language, please submit the original transcript along with an English translation. For international students, please also include background information on your school, written in English. Be sure that your Fall 2009 grades are included with your transcript.
 
2. Recommendation &
Recommendation Form		  Ask a teacher or counselor to write a recommendation for you. Submit only one letter of recommendation as additional recommendations will not be reviewed. As you work through the online application, you will be asked to enter the name of your recommender and given a link to download the Recommendation Form. After you have filled out the "To the Applicant" portion at the top, give this form to the person who will write the recommendation on your behalf. Include a stamped business-sized envelope addressed to the Stanford High School Summer College for their convenience.

For international students, if your teacher must write your letter of recommendation in a foreign language, please submit both the original recommendation along with an English translation. We reserve the right to verify translations of your application materials.

Your teacher or counselor may fax their recommendation provided it is written on school letterhead and faxed directly to us by the recommender. We must receive both the written recommendation and the completed recommendation form.
 
3. Test Scores  Make a photocopy of your official PSAT, SAT and/or ACT score report(s) and send the copy by mail to our office. Some schools include test scores on their official transcript; we are happy to accept results submitted in this manner. You cannot send us test scores by ordering directly from the College Board or ACT websites. The general code for Stanford University will result in your scores being sent to Undergraduate Admissions, and not the Summer College office.

For international students, or students who have not yet taken one of the standardized tests, please contact the Summer Session Office. Also for international students, the TOEFL is not required as part of our application process. However, it may be useful to know that most applicants to Stanford score above 110 on the Internet-based test or 637 on the Paper-based test.
 
4. Essay 

This year's essay topic is: In 500-700 words, write an essay that discusses some issue of local, national, or international concern and its importance to you.

When preparing your essay, be sure to follow the instructions online to submit your essay electronically.
 
5. Extracurricular Activities  Compile your statement of extracurricular activities and interests, such as academic and athletic clubs/teams, community or religious groups, volunteer work, employment, etc. Include any leadership positions you hold and the weekly time commitment for each activity.

Again, be sure to follow the instructions online to submit your extracurricular activities statement electronically.
 
6. Scholarship (optional)  If you are applying for a scholarship, complete the online scholarship application. Mail (or fax) copies of your parent's/guardian's signed 2009 federal (1040) tax returns.

2008 federal (1040) tax returns may be submitted if 2009 federal (1040) tax returns are not available. Please include details of any recent changes in your financial situation.
 
7. User Account Setup  Setup a user account and proceed through the online application.
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