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PhD Admissions

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Overview

The Computer Science Department PhD program is a top-ranked research-oriented program, typically completed in 5-6 years. There are very few course requirements and the emphasis is on preparation for a career in Computer Science research. 

Eligibility

To be eligible for admission in a Stanford graduate program, applicants must meet:

  • Degree level. Applicants must hold, or expect to hold before enrollment at Stanford, a Bachelor's degree from a U.S. college or University accredited by a regional accrediting association.
    • Applicants from institutions outside of the United States must hold the equivalent of a United States Bachelor's degree from a college or University of recognized good standing. See detailed information by region on Stanford Graduate Admissions website. 
  • Area of undergraduate study. While we do not require a specific undergraduate coursework, it is important that applicants have strong quantitative and analytical skills; a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science is not required.


Any questions about the admissions eligibility should be directed to admissions@cs.stanford.edu.

Department of Computer Science

Application Checklist

An completed online application must be submitted by the CS Department application deadline and can be found here.

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Department of Computer Science

Application Deadlines

The online application can be found here and we will only one admissions cycle for the PhD program per respective academic term.

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