Ready to learn everything you need to know about the Stanford graduate school acceptance rate, and STEM masters degrees at Stanford University’s School of Engineering? You're in the right place!
If you’re looking for a top engineering programme in sunny California, you’re definitely going to have Stanford on your shortlist. Founded in 1885, this private university is dedicated to research and academics while embracing its picturesque surrounds and west coast lifestyle.
Consistently ranked in the top five for graduate engineering, Stanford offers students a lot - services, facilities, location and freedom to pursue challenging directions, as their 83 Nobel laureates can attest to.
Stanford University fast facts
Private university
University enrollment: 16,424
Countries represented: 47
Living alumni: 220,000+
Graduate students: 7965
Engineering grad students: 3478
International engineering grad students: 44.4%
Engineering masters students: 1737
Stanford graduate programs acceptance rate: 5-6%
Most represented countries in engineering: China, India, Canada, South Korea, France
Where is Stanford University?
City: Stanford, California (CA)
City population: 13,809, with a metropolitan population of 4,727,357
Region: West
Climate: warm-summer Mediterranean climate type: winters are cool but not usually cold (Jan avg: 10°C/50°F); summers are warm and dry (Jul avg: 19.4°C/67°F)
Nearest airport: San Francisco International Airport (SFO/) and San Jose Airport (SJC)
Time zone: PST from November-March (GMT-8); PDT from March to November (GMT-7)
Stanford University courses: What can you study at the Stanford School of Engineering?
The Stanford University ranking is currently sitting in the 2nd spot on the U.S. News & World Report’s Engineering Grad School rankings. So you can bet some of the top engineering departments can be found at this Californian university.
The following are options for MS in Stanford University in various disciplines:
| Department | Rank | Degrees |
|---|---|---|
| Department | Rank 3 | Degrees MS in Aeronautics and Astronautics |
| Department | Rank 4 | Degrees MS in Bioengineering |
| Department | Rank 2 | Degrees MS in Chemical Engineering |
| Department | Rank 2 | Degrees MS in Civil and Environmental Engineering |
| Department | Rank n/a | Degrees MS in Computer Science |
| Department | Rank 1 | Degrees MS in Electrical Engineering |
| Department Management Science and Engineering Interested in Management Science and Engineering at Stanford? | Rank n/a | Degrees MS in Management Science and Engineering |
| Department | Rank 2 | Degrees MS in Materials Science and Engineering |
| Department | Rank 2 | Degrees MS in Mechanical Engineering |
| Department Institute for Computational and Mathematical Engineering Interested in Computational and Mathematical Engineering at Stanford? | Rank n/a | Degrees MS in Computational and Mathematical Engineering |
Stanford engineering job placement
While Stanford School of Engineering makes it easy for their grad students to find jobs, they make it just as easy for employers and recruiters to find their students.
This is seen in the very clear instructions to companies and the number of ways they provide to connect with students.
There are specific job portals in addition to the general ones. There are specific career fairs in addition to campus-wide recruitment activities. Essentially, it all boils down to how much you’re willing to put into finding the best career for you after graduating.
And, if you have any questions about the best way to approach or communicate with potential American employers, Stanford University’s career services department is there for you too.
While the School of Engineering doesn’t publish employment reports laden with inspiring numbers, you can bet that their grads are highly sought after on the American west coast (and across the country) and that they’re among the highest paid in the world.
MS engineering grads also have access to special recruitment portals and career fairs which you can tap into at any point, which can be very tempting if you’re looking for a permanent employer following on after your OPT visa permission.
What's it like to live at Stanford University?
Living is easy at Stanford University as an international student. Over half of grad students live in on-campus accommodation, and, as long as you apply before the deadline, you can be one of them.
There are a variety of residence options, from studios to shared apartments and Stanford is happy to match you with roommates. The key is to get your preferences submitted in early as housing works on a lottery system. If you like your first housing assignment, you can apply to renew it for your second year; if not, you can re-enter the lottery.
There are eight dining halls to choose from and meal plans are sold as “blocks” to grad students. Meals are all-you-can eat and they cater for a variety of dietary needs. You can order meal plans online or in person and, overall, this is one of the most flexible meal plans for grad students at American universities.
Getting around campus is also easy. Many students opt for bicycle transport as the weather is almost always agreeable to this mode of transport. But there’s also a sophisticated carpooling system and a campus bus service.
There are plenty of options for exercise and socialising on campus. And, of course, San Francisco is just about on your doorstep.
How to get into Stanford Engineering
Stanford graduate school acceptance rate
The acceptance rate at Stanford graduate school is about 5.2% and is one of the lowest acceptance rates among the top-ranked universities. Before applying, you should be absolutely certain which department and degree you want to obtain as the school’s policy only allows for application to one graduate programme per academic year.
So, how hard is it to get into Stanford grad school?
Though there are many commonalities between the requirements for each engineering department, there is some variation, especially with regard to application deadlines. Be sure to suss out the specifics beyond the general to avoid being ruled out on a technicality.
And, if you already hold (or will hold) an MS degree, they’ll direct your application to their Ph.D. programme.
Stanford University Admissions
Stanford makes it clear that they focus on two points when determining admits - your previous academic achievement and your potential contributions to technology, business, or society. This isn’t to say that your GRE score isn’t important or that you will definitely get a spot because you were top of the class in your undergrad. But, it should make you think long and hard about how you would address these points in your Statement of Purpose essay, especially if your undergrad marks weren’t as good as they could have been.
While preparing your essay, you may also want to consider these scores and how they might affect your application:
- Average GRE scores: 160 verbal, 167 quantitative, 4.3 analytical writing
How to get admission to Stanford University?
These are the details you need:
Fall admission deadline: varies by department
Application fee: $125
Resume: required
SOP essay: required
Recommendations: 3, completed online
GRE test: required
GPA: no min specified
Language test: required for all non-native English speakers; some waivers allowed for undergrad study English; TOEFL is the accepted test
Min TOEFL score: 87 iBT, 575 pBT
Stanford University Engineering fees: cost of attendance (for 2020/21 year*)
Tuition: $57,861
Campus housing: $20,180
Food: $8,340
Personal: $8,560
Local transportation: $1,840
Books/supplies: $1,300
Campus health service fee: $928
Cardinal Care health insurance: $5,928
Total CoA for 1 year: $104,937
*These costs cover a full 12 months rather than an academic year which spans 9 months.
TIP: If you’re hoping to live off campus, your budget will definitely increase. Stanford estimates that off-campus housing runs 10-40% more than their on-campus options. Plus, you’ll need to do a lot of your own legwork to secure a place.
Stanford University Scholarships for international students
Stanford University does offer very limited financial aid to international students, however, the majority of their need-based scholarships are granted at the undergraduate level.
That said, there are other opportunities you might be able to take advantage of, such as the roughly 1700 teaching and research assistantship positions. These are quite competitive though and you’ll need to act fast and express your interest as early as possible.
More exciting might be the Knight-Hennessy Scholars programme which provides up to 100 incoming grad students with a full-ride scholarship. The deadline to apply for this programme is separate (and earlier) than departmental dates - and, as you can imagine, comes with strict criteria for selected students that stand out from the crowd.
And, you should never ignore the scholarships that might be awarded through independent channels.
Prodigy Finance international student loans for Stanford University
Prodigy Finance offers loans for international masters students at the Stanford School of Engineering at Stanford University.
Students from supported countries pursuing masters programmes that can be completed in less than 2 years are eligible to apply.
- Maximum loan amount: up to 100% of the school-provided cost of attendance (tuition plus living expenses)
- Minimum loan amount: $15,000
- Typical interest rates: 7 - 8.5% (fixed) over the 3-month US Libor base rate (variable)
- All loans disbursed directly to the university according to due dates
Prodigy Finance also supports loans for Stanford University students pursuing masters degrees in these schools:
Ready to transform your future with a MS degree from Stanford?
Prodigy Finance provides loans to international masters students pursuing their masters degrees at the School of Engineering at Stanford University.
If you want to go ahead and know the difference between master of science and master of engineering, how to obtain the I 20 form, the advantage of variable interest rates on loans, or if you want to know what and where to study, try our Study Centre which is filled with expert opinions on a range of topics.
For any other information about Prodigy Finance, or our student loan process, feel free to browse through our site, or register for a webinar to have your questions answered by one of our team.