stanford statistics phd acceptance rate

PhD Admissions Requirements and Procedures

Requirements.

Thank you for your interest in applying to the doctoral program offered by the Department of Statistics.

PhD in Statistics Program Summary

Contact: stat-admissions-PhD [at] lists.stanford.edu ( stat-admissions-PhD[at]lists[dot]stanford[dot]edu )

All graduate applications are reviewed at the department level. Please read the following information and the Admissions FAQ page carefully. We have made extensive and ongoing efforts to provide detailed, thorough and relevant information regarding the application process and hope that it will provide answers to your questions.

APPLICATION DEADLINE - Wednesday, December 4, 2024 (11:59PM PST)

The deadline for all PhD applications to be submitted online for the Department of Statistics for matriculation in Autumn Quarter 2025 is Wednesday, December 4, 2024 . We do not matriculate students in any other quarter. The online application fee is $125 for all applicants, both domestic and international. Visit Stanford Grad Admissions for details regarding their Application Fee Waiver .

Self-reported (unofficial) test scores that could not be included with the online application should be emailed to stat-admissions-PhD [at] lists.stanford.edu (stat-admissions-PhD[at]lists[dot]stanford[dot]edu) and must be received by the above deadline.

Recommenders must submit online recommendation letters by the above deadline.

IMPORTANT: Effective May 2024, the GRE Math Subject Test is optional. Applicants to our program are still required to take the GRE General Test.

Applicants who do not have a bachelor's degree from a university based in the US should review the information for international student eligibility to apply to graduate school at Stanford and Official Transcripts & Degree Conferral Documents . The applicant should be sure that the bachelor's degree or equivalent will be conferred before the intended program start date.

Offers of admission cannot be made without receipt of official test scores for required tests.

What do I need to submit?

Applicants can access the online application and all accompanying information beginning in mid-September. If you encounter any problems while completing or submitting the application, please contact the support team by clicking Request Application Support in the Instructions section of the application. Since the Stanford application software is not Stanford-based, we are unable to help with technical issues.

Explain the nature of your interest in one specific program in the department and reasons for wanting to study at Stanford. In the first sentence of your statement of purpose, indicate the name of the specific program to which you are applying. Include details about your preparation for this field of study, your future career plans, and any other aspects of your background and interests which may aid the admissions committee in evaluating your aptitude and motivation for graduate study. Your statement should be typed, single-spaced, and no longer than two pages, ensuring that your full name and the program to which you are applying is on each page. If you are applying to Stanford together with another person (siblings, couples, etc.) and would not accept admission if both were not admitted, please let us know. Note that once your application has been submitted, we cannot accept any revised statements of purpose, résumés or transcripts.

Do not upload academic papers, theses, or dissertations as part of your statement of purpose. These items are not required. If you wish to submit them, please do so separately by uploading them in either the Experience section of the application (if applicable) or the Additional Information section. We do not accept materials submitted via email or mail.

List every post-secondary institution where you were enrolled — or are currently enrolled — in an undergraduate or graduate degree program. Your list must include the institution where you earned your bachelor’s degree or its international equivalent as defined in Stanford’s minimum education requirements for graduate study.

For each institution you list, upload your transcript. The transcripts you upload as part of your application are considered unofficial and will suffice for the review process.

If you are offered admission to Stanford AND accept the offer, you will be required to submit official transcripts/degree conferral documents. Instructions are provided on the status page immediately after accepting the offer. Y ou may also be required to submit a WES evaluation as verification of your academic credentials. For more information, refer to Official Transcripts & Degree Conferral Documents .

If you have participated in a study abroad program or transferred courses to your home institution, and the individual courses and grades are reflected on the transcript of the home institution, you do not need to submit separate transcripts for the study abroad/transfer institution.

Multiple page uploads are allowed for all transcripts. Do not send official copies of transcripts (print or e-transcripts) to the department during the application process. They are not required as part of the application and will not be uploaded to your application or acknowledged.

See the Graduate Admissions transcripts web page for additional guidance on transcripts.

GPA/Converting International GPA

GPAs of at least 3.5 are strongly recommended.

Applicants must include GPAs for all current and completed degree programs. If the applicant's school does not use any scoring system or only provides grades at the end of the degree program, please note this in the second free text field of the Academic History section of the application.

Applicants whose school's scoring system does not use the 4.0 scale should enter the original GPA and GPA scale (e.g., a scale of 1-30 or 1-100) as it appears on your transcript. Do NOT convert your GPA to a 4.0 scale if it is reported on a different scale.

IMPORTANT: Please note that it can take 2-3 weeks for your official test scores to arrive from ETS. In addition, the department cannot see or access these scores until approximately two weeks after you have submitted your online application. Finally, the test score status in your checklist (viewable after submission of the application) may take an additional 10 business days to change to " official ". Applications will be considered complete with unofficial scores, although no offers of admission can be made without receipt of official scores.

GRE General Test ( gre.org ): Applicants are required to take the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test administered by the Educational Testing Service (ETS). Applicants who already hold a PhD degree from an accredited institution may request a waiver for the general test (see below).

Applicants must be able to provide at least self-reported (unofficial) test scores for the verbal and quantitative sections of the GRE general test by the Statistics Department's PhD application deadline. All official score reports must be sent electronically by ETS to Stanford University. Our institution code number for ETS reporting is 4704. No department number is required. Test scores may be no older than five years, dating back from the Statistics Department's PhD application deadline. The GMAT is not accepted as a substitute for the GRE.

Applications will be processed using the self-reported (unofficial) test scores. If you submit your online application before you have taken the test, you may add the scores later, as long as it is still prior to the Statistics Department's PhD application deadline. Offers of admission are contingent on receipt of the official scores.

While we have not established any particular GRE score necessary for admission, the average General GRE percentile scores of recently admitted applicants are Verbal 92%, Quantitative 94% and Analytical Writing 83%. If you submit results from more than one eligible test date, the highest score from each section will be considered.

If you have already earned a PhD degree, or your PhD studies are in progress when you apply and your degree will be conferred prior to your intended start quarter, you may request a GRE General Test waiver by emailing stat-admissions-PhD [at] lists.stanford.edu (stat-admissions-PhD[at]lists[dot]stanford[dot]edu) with the following information and attaching an unofficial copy of your PhD transcript: full name, institution attended, degree earned, and degree conferral date. Use the subject heading "GRE General Test Waiver Request".

OPTIONAL GRE Math Subject Test : Effective May 2024, the GRE Math Subject Test administered by the Educational Testing Service (ETS) is optional. If submitted as part of the application, GRE Math Subject Test scores will be considered by the admissions committee. Applicants submitting GRE Math Subject Test scores are still required to submit GRE General Test scores. 

All official score reports must be sent electronically by ETS to Stanford University. Our institution code number for ETS reporting is 4704. No department number is required. Test scores may be no older than five years, dating back from the Statistics Department's PhD application deadline. 

GRE Math Subject Test schedule

IMPORTANT: Please note that it can take 2 to 3 weeks for your official test scores to arrive from ETS. In addition, the department cannot see or access these scores until approximately two weeks after you have submitted your online application. Finally, the test score status in your checklist (viewable after submission of the application) may take an additional 10 business days to change 'official'. Applications will be considered complete with unofficial scores, although no offers of admission can be made without official scores.

Adequate command of spoken and written English is required for admission. Applicants whose first language is not English must submit an official test score from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). Stanford accepts only ETS (Educational Testing Service) scores. Our institution code number for ETS reporting is 4704. No department number is required. Test scores may be no older than 24 months, dating back from the Statistics Department's PhD application deadline. Scores expire after 24 months and will not be available from ETS.

We accept the TOEFL iBT Home Edition and TOEFL iBT Paper Edition if you are unable to take the traditional TOEFL iBT test in a test center. If you take the Home Edition or Paper Edition, you may be required to complete additional English placement testing prior to enrollment. We do not accept TOEFL Essentials scores or any other English proficiency test (e.g., IELTS, PTE).

Exemptions are granted to applicants who have earned (or will earn, before enrolling at Stanford) a U.S. bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree from a regionally-accredited college or university in the United States (territories and possessions excluded), or an equivalent degree from an English-language university in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, Singapore, and the United Kingdom.

You may request a waiver if you (will) have an equivalent degree from a recognized institution in a country other than Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, Singapore, and the United Kingdom in which English was the language of instruction. You must submit a Stanford application before submitting a TOEFL waiver request form. Note that U.S. citizenship does not automatically exempt an applicant from taking the TOEFL if the applicant’s first language is not English.

A minimum TOEFL score of 100 on the Internet based test (iBT) is required by Stanford University for all PhD applicants. However, please note that the Graduate Admission's Required Exams webpage also states that incoming students who score below 109 on the TOEFL will likely be required to complete additional English placement testing prior to enrollment. Evidence of adequate English proficiency must be submitted before enrollment is approved by Graduate Admissions. The average TOEFL score of PhD applicants admitted to the statistics department is 112. The Test of Written English (TWE) portion of the TOEFL is not required. Stanford accepts MyBest scores but does not currently accept TOEFL Essentials test scores.

Applications will be processed using the self-reported (unofficial) test scores. If you submit your online application before you have taken the test, you may add the score later, as long as it is still prior to the Statistics Department's PhD application deadline. iBT test-takers should be able to access their scores online approximately 10 days after the test date. We recommend that you take the test no later than one month prior to the Statistics Department's PhD application deadline application deadline. Offers of admission are contingent on receipt of the official scores.

Three letters of recommendation are required. Letters of recommendation are managed via an online recommendation system, which is part of the online application. Applicants will be required to register the contact information of their recommenders who will then receive an email with directions on how to proceed. Recommendations must be submitted by the Statistics Department's PhD application deadline.

We do not accept emailed or paper recommendations, or letters sent by Interfolio, which is not compatible with the online system. Please ask your recommenders to submit their letters directly using the online application system. However, we do accept letters submitted by your university's letter service. If this applies to you, you will still need to enter information for each recommender in the online application, including email addresses which will automatically generate the email to each recommender requesting a letter. It is your responsibility to contact them to let them know to disregard this email and to use the university's letter service. Please use stat-admissions-phd [at] lists.stanford.edu (stat-admissions-PhD[at]lists[dot]stanford[dot]edu) when routing through the letter service.

Your letters should be written by those who have supervised you in either an academic or employment setting. If possible, at least one should be from a university professor familiar with your academic work. Your recommendations should directly address your suitability for admission to the Statistics department. We pay extra attention to the potential for future excellence, as indicated in letters of recommendation. The most important factors we look at are quantitative and analytic strength, communication skills in English, leadership, maturity, and focus.

Note: If you have any concerns that one of your recommenders will not be able to submit their letter by the deadline, you may want to consider requesting letters from a total of four recommenders. This will increase the likelihood that three letters will be submitted by the deadline and that your application will be marked as complete.

Applicants must upload a resume/CV into the Experience section of the application. Applicants may also upload additional papers such as samples of your academic or published works in this section. Any additional papers will be retained as part of your application, though there is no guarantee that they will be reviewed by the admissions committee. 

Applicants who indicate that they would like to be considered for the master’s program in the Program Selection section of the online application must confirm this by submitting an email request to stat-admissions-PhD [at] lists.stanford.edu (stat-admissions-PhD[at]lists[dot]stanford[dot]edu) within three business days of receiving the PhD admissions decision notification. Note that it is not guaranteed that the MS Admissions Committee will accept your application for review. You will be notified via email whether your request has been approved.

Notification of Received Application Materials

Please refer to your application checklist on the Graduate Application Status page of your online application to determine whether any materials have yet to be received.

Financial aid

Please note that requesting financial aid on the application form will not affect your chances of being admitted to the Statistics PhD program. Prospective students should review the estimated expenses associated with graduate study at Stanford.

Financial support

All students accepted to the Ph.D. program are guaranteed five years of 12-month funding through spring quarter of the fifth year, which includes tuition, Stanford’s Cardinal Care individual health insurance , and a salary or stipend. Financial support is typically provided through teaching and research assistantship salary and tuition allowance.

Students are strongly encouraged to apply for outside scholarships, fellowships, and other forms of financial support. Students with outside support enable the department to stretch its own resources. The department will supplement outside awards to the level set for departmental support. More information about financial support.

For more information

For more information, please review the Stanford Graduate Admissions web site. If you still have questions after carefully reviewing this page and our FAQ page, please contact us at stat-admissions-PhD [at] lists.stanford.edu (subject: Admissions%3A%20LAST%20NAME%2C%20First%20Name) (stat-admissions-PhD[at]lists[dot]stanford[dot]edu) ; type "Admissions: LAST NAME, First Name" in the subject line of your message, specifying your last and first names. We receive a large number of requests for information, and therefore appreciate your understanding if there are delays in receiving a response.

Good luck! We look forward to receiving your application.

Doctoral Enrollment & Demographics

Use this page to explore the enrollment numbers and demographics for the research doctoral degree programs currently offered at Stanford. While the most common doctoral degree across the university is the PhD, the JSD in Law and the DMA in Musical Arts are also included here. The MD and JD are considered professional degrees and are not included. All data presented in this dashboard are sourced from the official university student census taken annually in late October. More detailed  definitions  of the terms and counts used here can be found below the dashboard. Additional demographic information about other Stanford populations can be found in the  IDEAL dashboard .

More information is available about  doctoral program admissions , as well as  doctoral degree conferrals, time-to-degree, and graduation rates . Note that local variation in policy and practice regarding admission, matriculation, and degree conferral may affect the departmental and school-level metrics below.

Methodology & Definitions

The enrollment counts presented here are derived from the student enrollment snapshot that is captured in late October every year, at the beginning of the fourth week of the autumn quarter. Only students who are active and enrolled as of the census date are counted. Students on an approved leave of absence are not included. This dashboard specifically uses the "School Headcount", which counts graduate students in their highest degree plan(s) in each school within the university. Students who are enrolled in more than one PhD program (a small number annually) will be counted in each program, so the "All Doctoral Programs" total may not match university totals published elsewhere (which are usually unduplicated counts).

Demographics

Race/ethnicity groupings.

The "Underrepresented Minority" category includes all US citizens and permanent residents who have self-identified as American Indian/Alaska Native, Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino, and/or Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander. This category will include individuals with multiple affiliations if at least one of their affiliations is one of these groups. If a student is not a US citizen or permanent resident, and is known to be a citizen of another country, they are reported in the "International" category regardless of their race/ethnicity. The "Unknown" category includes US citizens and permanent residents who have unknown race/ethnicity as well as any student with unknown citizenship.

Currently, only data on binary sex are available.

Visit the  Graduate Admissions website  for more information about pursuing graduate study at Stanford.

The data are available for download in Google Drive .

• Data Source(s): PeopleSoft Campus Solutions, Institutional Research & Decision Support

Stanford University is committed to providing an online environment that is accessible to everyone, including individuals with disabilities. If you cannot access this content or use any features on this site, please contact  [email protected]  to obtain alternate formats.

You may submit feedback on this dashboard through the  feedback form .