Coterminal Program

Coterm Application Fee:  Effective Autumn quarter 2013-14, a $125 coterm application fee will be assessed for each Application to Coterminal Master's Program. The Provost approved the fee for coterm applications submitted on September 23, 2013 and after.

Please note that the Coterm program is for current Stanford students only. Procedures for applying are different from our regular Masters admissions process. Coterm applications are now submitted online for the CS program. To go directly to the CS online coterm application, click here. 

Qualifying for Coterminal Status:

  • All Applicants must have earned 120 units toward graduation (UTG) as shown on the undergraduate unofficial transcript. This includes allowable Advanced Placement (AP) and transfer credit.
  • Applications must be submitted no later than the quarter prior to the expected completion of your undergraduate degree. In general, applications would have to be filed in Winter Quarter prior to the Spring Quarter graduation.
  • Applications must be submitted by the deadline for each quarter.
  • Coterminal students cannot defer admission. Students must start the quarter for which they apply.

Please note the deadlines  for Coterm Applicants.

The application to apply to the coterm program can be found here. Your supporting documents (university/registrar coterm forms, statement of purpose, resume, official copy of your GRE test scores, and unofficial transcripts) must be uploaded into our online system. You must also send 2 hard copies of your official transcript to our office (via mail or the new online request system). Also note that the Computer Science Department requires 3 letters of recommendation.

You do have the ability to save your application and return to complete it at a later date by hitting the "save" button. After you have completed the application please hit the "submit" button. You will not be able to make changes to your application after you have pressed the "submit" button. Please be sure to "submit" your application by 11:59 PST the day of the deadline. No late submissions will be accepted.

THE FOLLOWING SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS/MATERIALS MUST BE RECEIVED BY THE DEADLINE:

  1. Completed CS Coterm Application Form submitted online at https://sunetid.cs.stanford.edu/webdb/coterm.

    • University/registrar application forms must be uploaded into the online application. They can be downloaded here.

  2. Statement of Purpose uploaded into the online application.

    • Instead of turning in a preliminary program proposal, the department requests that you write about general coursework that you are planning on taking as part of your coterm program within the body of your Statement of Purpose. You can download the Statement of Purpose form here.

  3. Three letters of recommendation (we recommend that at least 2 of these letters be from academic sources, preferably from CS faculty). These must be received by the application and should be dropped off at our office or sent as pdf's to admissions@cs.stanford.edu with subject line of "Coterm LOR for XXX". If the recommendation is sent via email without the cover form, please have your recommenders, include the rank (top 1-2%, top 5%, etc.) and the recommendation ("strongly recommended", "recommended with reservations", etc.) somewhere within the text.

    • Note: our requirement differs from the University requirement of 2 letters.

  4. 2 sets of current hard-copy Stanford transcripts dropped off to the office, or if electronic, emailed directly to admissions@cs.stanford.edu (preferred), as well as transcripts from any classes taken outside of Stanford.

    • GPA calculation: Maximum GPA at Stanford for most students is 4.3. It is best to use the GPA that is reflected in Axess as of the application deadline.

  5. All Applicants are required to take the General GRE test. All applicants must provide GRE scores from an examination taken within the last 5 years of the application deadline. You must upload the electronic or   hard copy of your ETS score report in addition to having your score reported directly to the University by ETS.

It will not be possible to answer inquiries regarding the status of any application. We will contact you if any component of your application is missing.If you have questions or concerns, please send an e-mail to admissions@cs.stanford.edu.