Stanford University Majors (2024)

FAQs

Does Stanford care about intended major? ›

While your intended major might be a relatively small factor in the decision-making process, it's essential to understand that Stanford doesn't strictly admit students by major. When you apply, you indicate your intended major but are not committed to it if you are accepted.

The most popular majors at Stanford University include: Social Sciences; Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services; Engineering; Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies; Mathematics and Statistics; Engineering/Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians; Physical Sciences; Psychology; and Biological and ...

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.

From the perspective of most number of requirements, chemical engineering is the toughest. Stanford requires undergraduates to complete a minimum of 180 units before graduating; the chemical engineering major locks in 135 of those units before even accounting for general education requirements.

GPA Requirements

Stanford University does not have a strict minimum GPA requirement for undergraduate admissions. However, admitted students typically have very high GPAs, ranging from 3.8 to 4.0, with an average GPA of 3.9.

You should also have a 3.95 GPA or higher. If your GPA is lower than this, you need to compensate with a higher SAT/ACT score. For a school as selective as Stanford, you'll also need to impress them with the rest of your application.

Stanford is also the only comprehensive university among the top ranked schools with law, medicine, engineering, education, sustainability/environment, in addition to liberal arts disciplines.

You can complete all secondary major changes in Axess if you have not yet applied to graduate. If you have applied, you must submit a Service Request to have the change done manually.

All incoming undergraduate students, whether freshmen or transfer students, enter Stanford with their majors undeclared.

What kind of students does Stanford look for? ›

Academic excellence serves as a cornerstone of Stanford University's admissions criteria. As one of the world's leading educational institutions, Stanford seeks students who have demonstrated exceptional intellectual abilities and a genuine passion for learning.

Stanford University says that its primary criterion for evaluating applicants is their academic records. The school says that it does not have a cutoff GPA score. However, given that tens of thousands of students apply every year, many applicants apply who have perfect or near-perfect GPAs, and many are not accepted.

Some of the most popular majors at Stanford include Computer Science, Engineering, Biology, Economics, Psychology, and Political Science. However, the best major for you will depend on your personal interests, career goals, and academic strengths.

Is Stanford Harder to Get Into Than Harvard? Being an Ivy League school, most would assume that Harvard is more difficult to get into. However, both schools are quite prestigious and have a very selective admission process. Both schools admit less than 4% of hopeful applicants.

Admissions at UCLA are comparatively easier than Sanford with an acceptance rate of 16% and 5% respectively. Both the universities have different levels of score requirements for instance GMAT score requirements are higher at UCLA while the English language requirements are higher at Stanford University.

Does your major affect admission into a particular college? The simple answer is: no. In the vast majority of cases, your intended major does not affect your chances of being accepted to a certain school. A big part of this is because colleges know many students will change their major sometime during college.

You can declare anytime during your first or second year, but you need to declare during sophom*ore spring if you haven't already. Departments do not usually allow you to declare during the summer.

ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE

Academic excellence serves as a cornerstone of Stanford University's admissions criteria. As one of the world's leading educational institutions, Stanford seeks students who have demonstrated exceptional intellectual abilities and a genuine passion for learning.

The two most important criteria for admission to Stanford are distinguished academic achievement and significant potential to achieve at a high level during the undergraduate years.