what does stanford mean by course requirement

by Prof. Torey Gutmann V 10 min read

With a GPA of 3.96, Stanford requires you to be at the top of your class. You'll need nearly straight A's in all your classes to compete with other applicants. Furthermore, you should be taking hard classes - AP or IB courses - to show that college-level academics is a breeze.

Full Answer

What classes does Stanford require?

  • Must be given by a fully accredited institution of higher education
  • Must be at least 50 contact hours (interactive class time)
  • Must include an oral proficiency component
  • Must complete a first-year, college-level textbook
  • Must be approved by the Language Center through the transfer credit approval (or pre-approval) process

What are the requirements for getting into Stanford?

  • English: four years, with significant emphasis on writing and literature.
  • Mathematics: four years of any rigorous mathematics incorporating a solid grounding in fundamental skills (algebra, geometry, trigonometry). ...
  • History/Social Studies: three or more years, with courses that include the writing of essays.

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What GPA is required to get into Stanford?

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  • Do you have any outstanding projects which has been noticed at good and published in great journals ?
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What are the Stanford entrance requirements?

Requirements and Recommendations

  • Bachelor's Degree. Applicants must have a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited academic institution in the United States or Canada* or a graduate degree from the United States** by July ...
  • CASPer. All applicants are required to take the Computer-Based Assessment for Sampling Personal Characteristics (CASPer).
  • GRE, MCAT, or PA-CAT. ...

Does Stanford have course requirements?

For that reason, we do not have a set of required courses for admission to Stanford.

What is Stanford admission requirements?

For admission to Stanford University, you need to have a GPA of 3.96. If you have a lower GPA in the school average, which is below 3.96, you require a higher ACT or a higher SAT score to compensate and get admission to Stanford University.

What are high school requirements for Stanford?

Students must take an equivalent of 20 full-year courses, or 200 units comprising the following:English. 4 years / 40 units.Mathematics. 4 years / 40 units.Natural Sciences. 3 years / 30 units, including at least 2 years of laboratory science.Social Sciences. ... Languages. ... Additional Coursework.

Does Stanford require courses and grades?

College Curriculum Recommendations Your college transcript should reflect that you have taken a rigorous and balanced curriculum. There are no required courses for admission to Stanford.

Is Stanford or Harvard harder to get into?

if you're worried about admissions, they're both difficult to get into, but Stanford is actually more selective than Harvard is (by a small margin).

Can an average student get into Stanford?

Stanford admissions basics Average GPA: 3.95. Average SAT: 1510. Average ACT: 33. Acceptance rate: 3.67 percent.

Does Stanford look at 9th grade?

Stanford and the University of California system are perfect examples of appropriately evaluating prospective students. They do not count freshman grades at all in admissions decisions, and instead recalculate applicants' grade-point averages without them.

What type of students does Stanford look for?

The primary criterion for admission to Stanford is academic excellence. We look for your preparation and potential to succeed. 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.

Can I get into Stanford with a 3.0 GPA?

Stanford University is a holistic institution with no GPA or standardized course requirements. But the estimated average high-school required GPA is around 4.18. The chances are 3.75, plus, good; 3.5-3.75, average plus; 3.25-3.5 average minus; 3-3.24, possible; and below 3, low.

Does getting an interview for Stanford mean anything?

Interviews can show that you're serious about attending upon admittance, and they give you a chance to demonstrate your knowledge about the university and learn even more about Stanford.

How difficult is it to get into Stanford?

Stanford University is one of the most difficult colleges to get into, with an acceptance rate of only 4%. It is consistently ranked in US News' top 10—often top five—universities.

Can you get into Stanford without an interview?

Please do not worry if you are not contacted, as your application will be considered complete without an interview. It may be that we do not have enough volunteers in your area to interview each applicant. Applications are not pre-screened for interview eligibility.

Choosing COLLEGE courses

All students are required to fulfill a first-year Civic, Liberal, and Global Education (COLLEGE) requirement. This can be done in four different ways, all of which are intended to be welcoming and accessible to frosh.

Choosing PWR Courses

All Stanford students must fulfill a writing requirement in their first and second years. In addition, students will also take a Writing in the Major course for their declared major before graduation.

Choosing Language Courses

Stanford requires that all students have at least the equivalent of one year’s proficiency in a foreign language to graduate.

Choosing Ways Courses

The Ways of Thinking/Ways of Doing are Stanford’s unique "breadth" requirement. Stanford students must complete 11 courses across 8 broad Ways areas.

Frosh-Friendly Courses

Frosh-Friendly Courses allow students to explore a field of study early in their Stanford careers, generally with minimal or no prerequisites.

Courses for your General Education Requirements (GERs)

Learn how to select courses for your COLLEGE, writing, foreign language, and Ways requirements.

Your Questions Answered

For more advice on choosing your courses, check out the Advising Student Handbook, and particularly the following pages:

Additional Resources for Choosing Courses

Unsure how to navigate among all your course choices? This video presentation by your Academic Advisors will help you get started!

Bachelor's Degree

Applicants must have a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited academic institution in the United States or Canada* or a graduate degree from the United States** by July 15 of the year of matriculation. No specific discipline or major is required.

CASPer

All applicants are required to take the Computer-Based Assessment for Sampling Personal Characteristics (CASPer). CASPer is an online test that assesses non-cognitive skills and interpersonal characteristics we believe are important for successful students and graduates of our program. Applicants should go to TakeAltus.com to create an account.

GRE, MCAT, or PA-CAT

Completion of the GRE, MCAT, or PA-CAT is not required in order for applications to be eligible for review.

Letters of Recommendation

A minimum of three (3) letters of recommendation is recommended with a maximum of five (5) letters allowed through the CASPA application. Letters of recommendation from a physician assistant, a physician, and a person who can speak to the applicant's academic potential, such as a science professor or academic advisor, are strongly preferred.

Essays

Applicants are invited to submit two (2) essays through the CASPA application. The first essay is the general CASPA personal statement (limited to 5,000 characters) that asks the applicant to describe why they want to be a physician assistant.

What is the language requirement for Stanford?

Stanford undergraduate students are required to complete one year of college-level study or the equivalent in a foreign language.

How many units are required to take a language course at Stanford?

Students may fulfill the requirement in any one of the following ways: Completing the first-year language course sequence ( 4-5 units per course) at Stanford or the equivalent at another recognized postsecondary institution, subject to current University transfer credit policies.

How many contact hours are required for a language center?

Must be at least 50 contact hours (interactive class time) Must include an oral proficiency component. Must complete a first-year, college-level textbook. Must be approved by the Language Center through the transfer credit approval (or pre-approval) process.

Undergraduate Education

Stanford Undergrad is your guide to undergraduate academics and opportunities run by the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education.

Majors

Explore the more than 69 major fields of undergraduate study at Stanford.

Undergraduate Facts & Figures

Approximately 7,000 undergraduate students attend Stanford. Learn more about the undergraduate program and student body.

Office of the Vice Provost for Graduate Education

The VPGE office works collaboratively across the University to ensure that every graduate student has the best possible education.

Graduate Facts & Figures

Today, 9,390 students are pursuing 14 distinct postbaccalaureate degrees in nearly 200 graduate programs in all seven of Stanford’s schools. Learn more about graduate studies at Stanford.

What is Stanford University looking for in admissions?

Stanford University admissions staff is looking for students who have a drive and passion for intellectual development. They want to make sure that your growth didn’t peak in high school, and that you’ll be willing to continue putting in the effort to expand your horizons.

What are the most important factors for admission to Stanford University?

As a result, one of the most important factors admissions officers consider is your academic performance . While perfect scores, high GPAs, and straight As are awesome achievements for which to aim, Stanford will also be looking for potential and preparation.

Is academic performance enough to get into top tier universities?

There’s an unfortunate misconception that many applicants have. Namely, that academic performance alone is enough to get into top-tier universities. And, perhaps even more worrisome, is the popular idea that what happens outside of the classroom doesn’t really matter.

What are the requirements for Stanford?

Every school requires an application with the bare essentials - high school transcript and GPA, application form, and other core information. Many schools, as explained above, also require SAT and ACT scores, as well as letters of recommendation, application essays, and interviews. We'll cover the exact requirements of Stanford here.

What is the average GPA for Stanford?

Average GPA: 3.96. The average GPA at Stanford is 3.96. (Most schools use a weighted GPA out of 4.0, though some report an unweighted GPA. With a GPA of 3.96 , Stanford requires you to be at the top of your class. You'll need nearly straight A's in all your classes to compete with other applicants.

What is the acceptance rate for Stanford?

The acceptance rate at Stanford is 4.3%. For every 100 applicants, only 4 are admitted. This means the school is extremely selective. Meeting their GPA requirements and SAT/ACT requirements is very important to getting past their first round of filters and proving your academic preparation.

What are the requirements for a college application?

Every school requires an application with the bare essentials - high school transcript and GPA, application form, and other core information. Many schools, as explained above, also require SAT and ACT scores, as well as letters of recommendation, application essays, and interviews.

Does Stanford require you to send SAT scores?

Stanford has the Score Choice policy of "All Scores.". This means that Stanford requires you to send all SAT scores you've ever taken to their office.

Do colleges superscore the ACT?

By and large, most colleges do not superscore the ACT. (Superscore means that the school takes your best section scores from all the test dates you submit, and then combines them into the best possible composite score). Thus, most schools will just take your highest ACT score from a single sitting.

Does Stanford have an Act requirement?

Even though Stanford likely says they have no minimum ACT requirement, if you apply with a 32 or below, you'll have a very hard time getting in, unless you have something else very impressive in your application. There are so many applicants scoring 34 and above that a 32 will look academically weak.

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Recommended High School Curriculum

  • We respect the responsibility that high schools, principals and teachers have in the development of courses and curricula for their students. For that reason, we do not have a set of required courses for admission to Stanford. We have found, though, that a curriculum emphasizing depth and breadth across the core academic subjects is the best prepar...
See more on admission.stanford.edu

Choosing Courses

  • We recommend you pursue a reasonably challenging curriculum, choosing courses from among the most demanding available at your school. We ask you to exercise good judgment and to consult with your counselor, teachers and parents as you construct a curriculum that is right for you. Our hope is that your curriculum will inspire you to develop your intellectual interests, not su…
See more on admission.stanford.edu

Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and A-Levels

  • Students currently enrolled in AP courses are not required to submit AP scores as part of our admission process. However, we welcome the self-reporting of these scores as additional information to your application. Students currently enrolled in an IB Diploma program outside the U.S. are required to send us their predicted IB marks (including TOK/essay bonus points). Stude…
See more on admission.stanford.edu