Frequently Asked Questions

Ideally, students will begin the program with a strong and up-to-date foundation in human genetics and counseling. This is often obtained through coursework representing these disciplines, as well as the social and life sciences that contribute to the genetic counseling field (e.g. biology, biochemistry, psychology, statistics, etc). However, applicants may also gain some of this important exposure through other academic or professional experiences.

Competitive applicants will also be able to demonstrate a clear and insightful understanding of the genetic counseling profession and, ideally, will have had an opportunity to shadow or work with genetic counselors in the field. However, we recognize that it can be very difficult to arrange such experiences, in which case applicants are encouraged to meet or speak with local genetic counselors, attend online or in-person genetic counseling seminars, courses, summer camps, journal clubs, or workshops, and watch the NSGC’s Master Genetic Counselor Series. Other ways to enhance one’s preparation for the genetic counseling field include:

• Counseling experience (often including training and supervision) in a peer counseling setting, a crisis or suicide hotline, a domestic violence shelter or hotline, a text hotline, or a pregnancy counseling center
• Teaching and/or tutoring experience
• Research experience
• Experience in medical settings and/or with individuals with disabilities

We received over 200 applications last cycle. We typically invite ~60 applicants to participate in short phone interviews with one of our directors, after which 40-50 are invited to interview with our full committee in-person or by video. For the class of 2024, we accepted 15 students. Bios of our accepted students are available on the website. We estimate that >90% of those candidates who were interviewed by our program received at least one offer from a genetic counseling program, and we encourage all applicants to apply to at least 4-6 programs to maximize their chances of receiving an offer from a program they would be interested in attending. 

Many of our students have part-time jobs at some point during their training. The focus, duration, and time commitment vary, and we encourage students who are interested in part-time work to discuss their goals and priorities with their academic advisor in advance.

Information on academic credential requirements, visas, and English proficiency requirements for international applicants can be found here.

No, we do not currently have any additional brochure materials - we post all our program information on the website, both to ensure it’s up-to-date, and also to be more “green” and limit our paper consumption. 

We do not offer information sessions, nor do we have the facilities to offer all interested applicants a personal visit. Our program directors will host webinars for prospective applicants in late summer-fall to provide an overview of the training program and admissions process followed by a Q&A session. We will post a recording of one of these sessions on our website for applicants who are unable to attend.

If you have specific questions about your background and potential application, please use our webform to contact us. In some situations, we will be able to answer your questions by email, and in other situations, we may need to set up a brief phone call to discuss your application questions. If you want to explore the Stanford campus, you may do so on your own, or take one of the guided tours, although they are generally focused on “main campus” and undergraduate studies. We've also linked to a few virtual campus tours HERE.

Current students: Please use our webform to connect with our current students.

Alumni: If you would like to contact one our our alumni, please use NSGC's directory and enter your search terms (e.g. location, specialty, name)

We would strongly recommend you review the website for the National Society of Genetic Counselors (nsgc.org) and several GC program websites to gain information about the profession and application process. If you still have questions after that, we encourage you to contact practicing genetic counselors in your area. While it is becoming more challenging to shadow in clinic, many genetic counselors will meet with you or talk by phone to discuss the profession and their “typical day” and some can arrange for short internships. The NSGC website also has videos of ‘master counselor’ genetic counseling sessions so you can learn more about the profession.

While GPA can be a helpful measure of academic abilities, we acknowledge that many applicants have additional strengths that influence how we review your application. With that in mind, many applicants still want to have a general sense of how they compare to our applicant pool.

If you feel that your transcripts don't represent your true academic abilities, then you may want to consider taking graduate-level coursework to strengthen your application. In these cases, applicants often ask what additional coursework we would recommend. Our advice is to choose courses or programs that pique your interests and align with your professional goals, as these have the highest chance of being enjoyable, confirming your career choice, and complementing your application.

Applicants who completed their undergraduate education many years ago may benefit from refresher courses or new experiences, specifically in genetics, since this material has changed so dramatically in recent years.

GRE scores are not included or reviewed as part of our admissions process.

TOEFL scores are required of all applicants whose first language is not English. We strongly suggest that applicants take the TOEFL by the first week in December in order for their scores to be reviewed.

Exemptions are granted to applicants who have earned a U.S. bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree from a college or university accredited by a regional accrediting association in the United States, or the international equivalent degree from a university of recognized standing in a country in which all instruction is provided in English. Therefore, applicants with degrees from the U.S., Australia, Canada (except Quebec), New Zealand, Singapore, and the United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales) are exempt from taking the TOEFL and do not need to submit the TOEFL exemption request form. 

If English is not your first language and your degree is/will be from an institution in a country other than one of those listed above and in which English was the only language of instruction, then you must either submit the TOEFL waiver request form or submit TOEFL scores. Exemption to the TOEFL requirement does not apply if the courses were completed in a country where English is spoken but not all courses were provided in English. You may request a TOEFL waiver in the online application.

Being a U.S. citizen does not automatically exempt an applicant from taking the TOEFL; if the applicant’s first language is not English, the applicant must meet the exemption rules above or submit TOEFL scores.

Stanford does not accept IELTS scores.

It can take the university admissions system ~2 weeks to register your TOEFL scores after you submit your application online. If you haven’t yet submitted your online application, your scores may be in the university system but not yet paired with your application, and we will be unable to tell until that time. Once you submit your application, you will be able to track the status of your materials by logging into your application account. Please make sure you submit the scores to 4704.

The university posts graduate applications online by late September or early October.  This website is a good resource in preparing to apply.

“Human Genetics and Genetic Counseling” in the Department of Genetics

If you're unable to select 'Human Genetics' in the program selection field, the online graduate application hasn't been published yet. Please try again in late September or early October.

As you will see from our admissions page, you are required to attach a word document of a CV or resume, supplemental essay, and a personal statement that detail your specific experiences of interest – these should be attached as part of the online application, and should NOT be sent in hard copy. Beyond this, we prefer that you do not attach any further supplementary material unless it is of core importance, such as explaining an issue that will be important for us to know in evaluating your application (e.g. a personal issue that interrupted schooling, etc). Please do NOT attach full copies of papers or of your work in courses. Please do NOT attach additional personal statements beyond the one required in the online application.

We will only accept and review 3 letters of reference.

We suggest you have at least one academic reference, and that your references are persons able to speak about the different aspects of academic background, interpersonal relationships and genetic counseling experience that are represented in your application. 

We are unable to accept letters of recommendation submitted via Interfolio, as recommenders are required to respond to specific evaluation questions in addition to uploading a letter. Please ask your recommenders to submit their letters directly using the online application system. Keep in mind that letters written specifically for your Stanford graduate program tend to be stronger than letters written for general use purposes.

Please limit your personal statement to 1000 words. We prefer double spaced submissions.

We do not do a “rolling admissions” process, but rather we review all applications in December and January, conduct phone interviews in late January or early February and invite candidates to final interviews in March and April. Please review our Admissions Timeline for additional information.

We encourage you to check your online application status around early to mid-February for notifications, and please keep your email address up to date, as most correspondence will be sent out by email.  

• You received a GRE Fee Reduction Waiver
• You are a member of one of these diversity programs, you may apply for the Diversity Program Participation Waiver
  

You will submit an entirely new online application, including letters of reference, transcripts, CV, personal statement, and supplemental essay. You will also be required to pay the application fee (unless you are eligible for a fee waiver).

As long as your TOEFL scores remain valid for the admissions cycle in which you wish to reapply, you do not need to have them re-sent by ETS. Please do self-report these scores in your online application. If your scores are no longer valid, you need to retake the exam.

We are happy to provide feedback or answer specific questions on strengthening your application, but respectfully request that all inquiries are sent through our webform after June 15th.

Generally, we recommend that you include information on growth or changes that occurred since your initial application that have further informed your perspective and/or preparedness. Determine if different recommenders can provide more insightful and thorough perspective.

The feasibility of an external rotation during the academic year will depend on whether your city/cities of interest are home to another genetic counseling training program and/or how many ABGC board-certified genetic counselors are available and interested in supervising a student during that time. Some students may also be interested in completing a rotation abroad, which is philosophically and institutionally feasible, but can be logistically more challenging. As with all other rotations, we will also consider your academic and clinical needs and progress when determining whether an external rotation would be possible. We are happy to answer more specific questions during interviews and upon admission. 

For the past three cohorts, our alumni accomplishments include:
* 85% first-time board pass rate
* 100% job placement
* 0% attrition rate

Our graduates are working in a variety of professional settings, including clinical, industry, research, lab, education, advocacy, public health, and public policy positions. Click HERE for more information on the landscape of jobs available to genetic counselors.