Freshman Application Requirements
Application and Essays
You can apply to Stanford by submitting online either the Coalition Application or the Common Application .
Both applications include essay prompts for your personal essay. In addition to the personal essay, we also require the Stanford Questions, which you can access in either application once you add Stanford University to your list of colleges. You must submit the Stanford Questions online through the Coalition or Common Application.
When you apply to Stanford, you apply to the university as a whole, not to a particular major, department or school. We encourage you to indicate prospective majors and career interests in the application, but please know you are not bound by these selections in any way.
Stanford Questions
We ask applicants to answer several short questions (limit 50 words each), and to write a short essay on each of the three topics below.
Short Essay Questions
There is a 100-word minimum and a 250-word maximum for each essay.
- The Stanford community is deeply curious and driven to learn in and out of the classroom. Reflect on an idea or experience that makes you genuinely excited about learning.
- Virtually all of Stanford's undergraduates live on campus. Write a note to your future roommate that reveals something about you or that will help your roommate—and us—get to know you better.
- Tell us about something that is meaningful to you, and why?
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