Stanford
Office of the Vice Provost for Graduate Education

For Directors of Graduate Admissions

New School of Engineering students meet at the President's Reception during New Graduate Student Orientation.

For Faculty Directors of Graduate Admissions

Thank you for your continued dedication to graduate education at Stanford and your adaptability as you continue to support our faculty and students in this admission season. Below, please find important information and resources to support the success of your admissions cycle.

Thank you again for your dedication to ensuring that our students have the best possible educational experiences.
 
Best wishes for a successful admissions season.

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Graduate Admissions: Information and Resources from VPGE
 
1. 2023-24 Minimum Assistantship and VPGE-Administered Fellowship Stipend Level
 
The 2023-24 minimum assistantship (research) rate is set at $50,616 annually, $12,654 per quarter. The 2023-24 stipend for VPGE-administered fellowships is set at $52,920 annually, $13,230 per quarter.

2. Creating a More Diverse and Inclusive Community of Graduate Students
 
In October 2020, the provost announced the rollout of the IDEAL Graduate Recruitment Faculty & Administrator Portal. This portal is designed to empower degree programs’ local ownership and leadership in advancing the IDEAL charge to improve diversity broadly-defined in graduate education. It provides:

  • A curated set of promising practices from throughout the Stanford community, including strategies to improve admissions and persuade admits to attend Stanford

  • Data dashboards showing historical enrollment and admissions data to support long-term planning

  • A set of planning tools to improve future recruitment processes

3. Conveying Stanford’s Distinctive University Resources and Opportunities

Offer letters and other communications with admits provide key opportunities to help students understand how the degree program will support them and whether Stanford University is a place where they can envisage their success. 

To help you make the best use of these opportunities, here are some key attributes of the Stanford community that you can convey in your communications:

Here are some VPGE resources you can use for recruitment communications: 

  • Offer letters: the IDEAL Portal includes a module with tips for constructing clear and persuasive offer letters, particularly for students from diverse backgrounds.

  • Why Stanford flyer: highlights our distinctive resources for advancing diversity, interdisciplinary learning, and academic innovation at Stanford, as well as resources for professional development (view online).

  • VPGE brochure: informs prospective students about resources and opportunities that enhance their graduate studies (view online).

  • Grad Gateway: provides prospective students with information for their transition to Stanford (view online).

  • VPGE Website: prospective students will also find an abundance of information on the VPGE website.

4. Graduate Recruitment and Diversity Day (GRAD Diversity Day)
 
GRAD Day is an opportunity for prospective students from diverse backgrounds who have applied to Stanford to visit campus and experience the Stanford community. This year, GRAD Day will be held in-person on March 10 and March 11, and virtually (“GRAD Day+”) on March 17. Participating schools are Doerr School of Sustainability; Engineering; Humanities and Sciences; Graduate School of Education; and Graduate School of Business. Contact graddiversity@stanford.edu or your school’s diversity officer.
 
5. Graduate Student Fellowships for New Admits 

6. Graduate Student Funding Opportunities for Current Students 

By Student Application

By Nomination from School Dean’s Office - Information about the nomination process will be shared with school staff on February 10, 2023.

7. Professional Development Programs for Graduate Students

The VPGE office partners with schools, degree programs, and many other units on campus to offer workshops and experiences for students to build their academic and professional skills.