Application Process

You can work on your application at your own pace. Any information you've entered will be saved, provided you've clicked the "Continue" button at the bottom of the page. If you need to exit the application, simply close your browser. You'll be able to edit your application information until you submit it for review.

Create an account by registering on the application page. We'll send you a verification email to confirm your email address. After you've successfully verified your account, use the red “Start a New Application” button to begin your application.

We look forward to learning about you through your application to Stanford Summer Session. Our application will encourage you to spend time reflecting on who you are and what is meaningful to you. At Stanford Summer Session, we practice holistic admission. Each piece in your application is part of an integrated and comprehensive whole.

Academic Excellence:
Your transcript and school profile tell us about your school and your academic achievement. The primary criterion for admission to Stanford Stanford Summer Session is academic excellence. We look for your preparation and potential to succeed in a university setting. We expect you to challenge yourself throughout high school and to do very well. The most important credential for evaluating your academic record is your high school transcript. Please know that our evaluation goes beyond any numerical formula. There is no minimum GPA nor is there any specific number of AP or honors courses you must have on your transcript in order to have your application reviewed or be admitted.

Intellectual Curiosity:
In your essay we learn about your ideas and interests, and what is meaningful to you. We want to see your commitment, dedication and genuine interest in expanding your intellectual horizons, both in what you write about yourself and in the courses that you’ve taken.

Context:
And in the additional information section, we seek to learn about any individual circumstances or anything that wasn’t included in other parts of the application that you want to share with us. As we review each application, we pay careful attention to unique circumstances, whether described in the essay or in the optional additional information section. We take into account your school and the curriculum that is available. By focusing on your achievements in context, we evaluate how you have excelled in your school environment and how you have taken advantage of what is available to you in your school and community.

In the Introductory Questions section, you will decide whether you are applying for the residential or commuter program. There are key differences between being a Residential or Commuter student, so we encourage you to review your decision carefully.

Enter your parent/guardian contact information. The listed parents/guardians will receive an email notifying them that you started an application. Stanford Summer Session can’t disclose your information to anyone not listed on your application.

Submit your high school transcripts. Transcripts should include your full name and the name of your school. They must include your most recently completed semester grades. Previous Summer Session students should also submit their grades from the summer. Transcripts do not need to be official. School profiles are often part of the transcript, or they may be submitted as a separate document. School profiles provide information about your high school’s curricular offerings and grading system.

If you’re an international student, please take note that transcripts must be in English.

Applicants whose native language is not English must submit iBT TOEFL, IELTS: Academic, Cambridge Exam, Duolingo, TOEIC, or PTEA scores. Scores with the applicant's name must be uploaded within the application. Please see the International Students page for details on the language waiver.

It can be hard to get to know a student through an online application. What do you want the readers of your application to know about you, apart from courses and grades?

Write a short essay that tells us more about you, and gives us a sense of your writing.

Respond to ONE of the following questions in 300–400 words.

• Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome?
• Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.
• Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you?
• Share an essay on any topic of your choice that helps us know a little bit more about you.

To help the Admissions Committee get to know you better, you can submit a list of up to five activities that you participate in. It can include clubs, part-time jobs or internships, sports, volunteering, taking care of younger siblings or family, or any other activities that you devote time to outside of your classes and homework. The Activities List is entirely optional and not submitting one will not negatively impact your application.

If you wish to provide additional information about your transcript, special circumstances, or qualifications not included in the application, you will be given a space to do so. Successful applicants have used this space to explain an inconsistency in their grades, a gap in their schooling, or other circumstances that helped us evaluate their application in context.

Once you’re finished, you’ll be brought to a “Review” page. This will tell you if any information within your application is missing or entered incorrectly so you can make updates.

Once ready, click the "Finalize Application and Pay" button, where you will be directed to a page to pay the nonrefundable application fee.

Space in the high school program is limited; last year we reached a waitlist during the Regular Decision round. If you receive an offer of admission from Summer Session, we recommend that you submit the required documentation as early as possible in order to secure your spot and avoid being waitlisted.

In addition to accepting the offer, you will need to provide the following to secure your spot in the program:

• Acknowledgement that you may waive Cardinal Care coverage
• Medical information and proof of insurance
• Signed Assumption of Risk form
• Emergency contact information (and Local Contact if you will be a commuter)
• Acknowledgement of access to OAE services
• Non-refundable Program Fee payment

International students will also need to provide:

• Copy of passport valid through the November following Summer Session

You can work on your application at your own pace. Any information you've entered will be saved, provided you've clicked the "Continue" button at the bottom of the page. If you need to exit the application, simply close your browser. You'll be able to edit your application information until you submit it for review.

We look forward to learning about you through your application to Stanford. The primary criterion for admission to Stanford Summer Session is academic excellence. We seek evidence of your preparation and potential to succeed in your academic record. Your college transcript should reflect that you have taken a rigorous curriculum. There are no required courses for admission to Stanford Summer Session, but if you have attended college for more than one year, we expect that you have begun to focus on a potential major area of study. In addition to academic excellence, we want to see intellectual curiosity. We want to see your commitment, dedication and genuine interest in expanding your intellectual horizons through the courses that you’ve taken. We want to see the kind of curiosity and enthusiasm for learning that will allow you to spark lively discussions both in and out of the classroom.

As we review each application, we also pay careful attention to unique circumstances, which can be described in the optional additional information section. We take into account your school and the curriculum that is available. By focusing on your achievements in context, we evaluate how you have excelled in your school environment and how you have taken advantage of what is available to you in your school and community.

Create an account by registering on the application page. We'll send you a verification email to confirm your email address. After you've successfully verified your account, use the red “Start a New Application” button to begin your application.

Submit your transcripts.

As part of the admissions process, please enter information and share your transcripts from post-secondary institutions you are attending or have attended in the past — whether or not you received a degree from the school. Start with your current or most recent school, and work backward from there.

Your transcript(s) should show your full name and the name of the college or university. If you are currently attending college or university, your transcript should include the most recently completed academic term. Transcripts do not need to be official.

If you’re an international student, please explain the grading scale and note that transcripts must be in English.

Applicants whose native language is not English must submit iBT TOEFL, IELTS: Academic, Cambridge Exam, Duolingo, TOEIC, or PTEA scores. Scores with the applicant's name must be uploaded within the application. Please see the International Students page for details on the language waiver.

If you wish to provide additional information about your transcript, special circumstances, or qualifications not included in the application, you will be given a space to do so. Successful applicants have used this space to explain an inconsistency in their grades, a gap in their schooling, or other circumstances that helped us evaluate their application in context.

Once you’re finished, you’ll be brought to a “Review” page. This will tell you if any information within your application is missing or entered incorrectly so you can make updates.

Once ready, click the "Finalize Application and Pay" button, where you will be directed to a page to pay the nonrefundable application fee.

If you receive an offer of admission from Summer Session, we recommend that you submit the required documentation as early as possible. 

In addition to accepting the offer, you will need to provide the following to secure your spot in the program:

• Acknowledgement that you may waive Cardinal Care coverage
• Emergency contact information 
• Acknowledgement of access to OAE services
• Non-refundable Program Fee payment

International students requiring a Stanford issued I-20 will also need to provide

• Copy of passport valid through the November following Summer Session