Frequently Asked Questions | PhD

We welcome scholars from a range of life experiences, backgrounds, and perspectives. We are looking for applicants who are passionate about chemistry research. We recommend that you describe your research projects/skills/experience and specifically your research interests at Stanford (e.g. specific research projects and names of labs you are interested in).

If you are interested in Stanford Chemistry, we recommend reaching out to faculty members to get a sense of what chemistry research looks like at Stanford.  

To check if application materials are received, lease check the online application portal for updates. Your application status will be updated online periodically as we receive your application materials. If you have submitted your materials, but the status still remains unchanged, you can send an email to chem.admissions [at] stanford.edu (subject: Admissions%20Documents) (chem[dot]admissions[at]stanford[dot]edu). 

Please allow two weeks processing time once your transcripts are sent for your status to be updated. 

All applicants with incomplete applications will receive an email about their missing documents by the end of the second week in January.

The Chemistry Department and the entire University will be closed between December 21st, 3 PM PST and January 3rd. During this time there will be no one available to answer questions regarding your application. We encourage you to apply well before the deadline should any questions arise regarding your application or supporting documents.

Applicants will be notified of the Department's decision as soon as possible after all supporting materials have been received, typically by the end of March, but is subject to change. 

Applicants may be invited to an on-campus Visit Day event. This invitation does not guarantee an offer of admission.

Applicants receiving offers of admission must notify the Department of their decision to accept or decline the offer by April 15.

Applicants may be invited to an on-campus Visit Day event, where they will interview with select faculty members. 

This invitation does not guarantee an offer of admission.

No. You may apply to only one degree program per academic year.

Exceptions:

• Within the Biosciences PhD programs, you may apply for two programs within a single application.
• You may apply concurrently to one program listed on the Explore Graduate Programs page and one or more professional school programs. For example, you can apply concurrently to the PhD program in History, the PhD program at the Graduate School of Business, and the JD program at the Law School.

Yes, you must submit a complete application and pay the application fee. 

We will no longer consider recommendation letters from previous years. We believe that it is to the applicant’s benefit to obtain updated letters of recommendation that reflect significant changes from their previous application.

We do not offer a standalone M.S. program. 

To apply for our Coterminal Master's Program, you must currently be Stanford undergraduate student.

If you have been granted DACA status, do not hold formal citizenship in any country, or are otherwise undocumented, you are eligible to apply for graduate study and matriculate at Stanford University. When prompted for your citizenship on the application, please select “Other” instead of a specific country. 

To explore resources for undocumented and DACAmented students at Stanford, visit the Undocumented at Stanford website.

Since entries are required for both first and last names in order to submit an application, please enter your name as follows:

• Enter a period (.) in the First (Given) name field.
• Enter your given name in the Last (Family) name field.
• Select “Yes” under “Would you like to share a different first name that you go by?” then enter your given name in the Chosen First Name field.

The deadline to receive recommendation letters is the same as the application deadline. 

Yes. You can still submit your application before recommendation letters have been received.

Letters received after the deadline will still be attached to your application and viewable to the admission committee. However, late letters are not guaranteed to be reviewed, as the Chemistry Admissions Committee begins reviewing applications shortly after the deadline.

Yes, you can use the career center or letter service from your university.

Yes, but only after receiving an offer of admission. We will review your application with your uploaded unofficial transcripts. 

Once you accept the offer of admission, you will need to have your official transcripts and degree documents sent to Graduate Admissions. Information can be found on their website, as well as on you application status page.

*We require official documents from all post-secondary institutions where you were enrolled in a degree program for at least one academic year.

If you submit original language records, you must also submit their concomitant official English translations. 

We accept translations issued by the institution or a professional translating service. Translations must be literal and complete versions of the original records.

• English Language Proficiency Tests: TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) or IELTS scores are required for foreign applicants whose first language is not English, do not have a degree from a U.S. institution or university where all instruction is in English, or do not have 2+ consecutive years of professional or educational experience in English. 
  • Minimum TOEFL score for Chemistry Dept: 108 (taken before 1/21/26) / 5.5 (taken on or after 1/21/26)
  • Minimum IELTS score for Chemistry Dept: 8
• All GREs are optional. Applicants may take the general GRE exams in the autumn prior to applying, or earlier. 

*English proficiency test scores (TOEFL/IELTS) are not required for:

• U.S. citizens and permanent residents
• Applicants who self-declare their first language is English
• Applicants who earned a U.S. (or international equivalent of a) bachelor's, master's, or doctoral degree from a university where all instruction was conducted in English
• Applicants with two or more consecutive years of professional or educational experience in English, in the past 10 years

*Applicants who self-report that they meet any of the criteria listed under item #1 above at time of application are not required to submit English proficiency test scores. For those admitted and who accept the offer, Stanford Graduate Admissions will collect further documentation for meeting the English proficiency requirement as part of the academic eligibility review prior to matriculation.  If you are offered admission, the official transcript must be received showing the conferral of the degree from the qualifying institution or TOEFL exam scores will be required to enroll.

For detailed information, see the TOEFL information in Required Exams.

For the TOEFL, the Chemistry Department's minimum is 108 (taken before 1/21/26) / 5.5 (taken on or after 1/21/26). 

For the IELTS, the Chemistry Department's minimum is 8.

*Please note that these are higher than the university's minimums of 90 / 4.5 for the TOEFL and 7 for IELTS.

GRE scores are valid for approximately five years from the date taken. TOEFL scores submitted to Stanford must be from a test taken within the last 24 months. No scores are valid beyond the date ETS will send or resend them to schools. GRE exams are optional.

Yes, applicants who have earned a U.S. bachelor's, master's, or doctoral degree are not required to submit a TOEFL score. You are also not required to submit a TOEFL score if you have an international equivalent of the aforementioned degrees from a university where all instruction was conducted in English. 

For all other applicants, you may request a waiver in the online application if you (will) have a bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral 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 will be asked to provide the following:

• Upload an official statement certifying that your program was taught exclusively in English
• You may also link to your institution’s official website stating the language of instruction

Your waiver request will be routed to Graduate Admissions after you submit your application and pay the application fee. Allow up to 15 business days after submitting your application for a response. This will not delay the receipt of your application by your graduate program.

There are no minimum GPA or GRE scores required for applying to the Chemistry Ph.D. program.

The admissions committee evaluates each applicant’s potential for success based on all materials in the file, recommendation letters, test scores, transcripts, and personal statements. It's best to get letters from referees who have observed your research promise. 

Stanford’s institution code is 4704. There is no department code.

The application fee is $125.

Yes. Fee waivers are processed by the Office of Graduate Admissions, not the Chemistry Department. Please see the Application Fee page for information.

 If you have any questions about fee waivers, please contact gradadmissions [at] stanford.edu (gradadmissions[at]stanford[dot]edu).

Fee waivers can be accessed when you start your online application. There will be an option to open the Fee Waiver Request Form. Select the type of waiver, fill out the Waiver Request Form, and submit it before the November 30, 2026 application deadline. 

Be sure to submit your fee waiver request at least 10 business days (two weeks) before the application deadline to ensure a timely decision.

Please refer to this website for more information regarding Application Fee Waivers.

• Please visit the site for each waiver to determine your eligibility. 
• U.S. citizens, permanent residents, and international applicants are all able to apply for the following waivers:

The Office of Graduate Admissions is responsible for processing your fee waivers. Please contact gradadmissions [at] stanford.edu (gradadmissions[at]stanford[dot]edu) with any questions. 

Be sure to submit your fee waiver request at least 10 business days (two weeks) before the application deadline to ensure a timely decision.

Your fee waiver request will no longer be considered if you decide to submit your application and pay the fee before receiving a decision. We are unable to issue refunds for application fees. 

Be sure to submit your fee waiver request at least 10 business days (two weeks) before the application deadline to ensure a timely decision.

Please visit our Financial Support page for more information regarding PhD program funding.

Refer to Graduate Aid at Stanford for an overview of funding sources available for graduate study.

For interdepartmental fellowships (e.g. Stanford Graduate Fellowship, H&S Dean's Scholar Fellowship, Shoucheng Zhang Fellowship) top applicants will be nominated by the department based on merit. A separate application is not necessary. You will be notified by the department if you are a recipient of any of the aforementioned fellowships.

For the Knight-Hennessy Scholars, you must submit a separate application.