Admissions

The Stanford Neurosciences Program is committed to training a diverse group of neuroscientists who come from a wide range of ethnic, cultural, educational, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Qualified applicants who are neither U.S. citizens nor permanent residents are eligible for admission. 

Students are admitted into the program each year from a variety of disciplines. There is no one “right” way into the Neurosciences Program and no one “composite” student. Because of the interdisciplinary nature of the Neurosciences, students are enrolled with backgrounds ranging from computational to biological; the program selects talented and highly motivated students with evidence of creativity and scientific rigor, regardless of exact disciplinary background. 

Students are selected from diverse backgrounds based on a variety of factors, including academic achievements, letters of recommendation attesting to research and academic skills, and statement of purpose. The admissions committee works very hard to holistically evaluate each applicant. 

There is no minimum GPA requirement and GRE scores are not considered. 

We do not publicly share information about the average scores of applicants or matriculated students.

The program does not have specific course requirements or recommendations to be considered for admission. However, students from traditional biology backgrounds are expected to show strong achievement in molecular and cellular biology, biochemistry and neuroscience. Students from more quantitative backgrounds should demonstrate considerable competence in mathematics (calculus, differential equations, linear algebra), physics, probability theory, and statistics. Students from psychology backgrounds should be well versed in cognitive science, experimental psychology, neuroscience and statistics. Advice on how to choose between neuroscience and psychology programs is offered here by one of our faculty members.

Research experience is very important, but the exact disciplinary area is not critical. 

Publications are not required for admission.

You do not need an advanced degree (M.A., M.S.) to apply. 

We generally receive several hundred applications each admissions cycle. All applications are reviewed after the final deadline. However, it is important not to wait until the last minute to submit your application and certainly it is important to give your letter writers plenty of advance notice of the deadline.

GRE

• GRE scores are no longer considered in the Neurosciences program admissions process.
  
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Letters of Recommendation 

• Three letters of recommendation are required, but you may have up to four letters submitted on your behalf.   As part of the online application, you will be required to register the names and contact information, including e-mail addresses, of your recommenders. Recommenders will then receive an e-mail with directions on how to proceed. All recommendations must be submitted using the online application system as recommenders are required to respond to specific evaluation questions on the recommendation form. Letters of recommendation cannot be submitted via Interfolio, mailed, emailed, or faxed.
• Please be sure that you ask for a recommendation from at least one individual who can address your potential for original and creative research. In most cases, that individual would be the person guiding your most recent research activities. It is very important that you contact your recommenders before submitting their information in the online application. You must choose whether or not to waive your right to see a recommendation. It may be that a recommender will not submit a recommendation if you have not waived the right to see it. This should be discussed in advance. Your choice will be transmitted to the recommender in the instructional email they will receive.
• For more information please see the Biosciences Admissions page.  

Transcripts

Applicants may upload unofficial transcripts to the online application form. Official transcripts are only required of admitted applicants who accept the offer of admission. More details on this can be found on the following Graduate Admissions web page. Please do not send, or have any official transcripts sent, to our office.

Interviews

• Invitations to attend our Interview Session are extended in early- to mid-January.
• Our office does not have the resources to inform applicants as to why they were not invited to interview. Similarly, we are not able to assess your qualifications as an applicant.  
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Acceptances

• 8-15 students are generally accepted each year.
• Generally, applicants being offered admission into the program receive an offer soon after interview session. However, with a rolling admissions process, offers of admission may be extended at any time before April 15.
• Individuals may reapply if not admitted in a given year. 
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Applicants who are neither U.S. citizens nor permanent residents are eligible to apply. Stanford offers a limited number of fellowships to outstanding admitted students, and international applicants may be nominated for these fellowships.

Please see the Graduate Admissions "Required Exams" web page for information regarding TOEFL requirements and COVID-19 TOEFL Test accommodations. 

Recordings

Click here to view the recording of our webinar on October 3, 2022.

Click here to access the recording of our Virtual Information Session on October 4, 2021.

Q&A

Here are the Questions and Answers from the 2021 webinar that were not answered live:

Are summer rotations possible? Yes! through the ADVANCE Summer Institute.

Do we state who we want to work with on the application? There is a place to list faculty that you are interested in. The program will do their best to match stated faculty members of interest with interviewees during recruitment week.

Is it possible to join a faculty member’s lab who is not part of the training faculty listed on the website? / I want to apply to Neuroscience PhD but the PI of interest is associated with Bioinformatics and Biophysics. Can he still take me as a graduate student in his lab? Yes! People admitted to any Biosciences Home Program can work with any Bioscinces faculty. Consider which Home Program might make the most sense for you. For more information, see: https://biosciences.stanford.edu/prospective-students/program-overview/

How do you tell if you're ready for a PhD program rather than a postbac or Master's program? If you have some experience and are pretty certain that you want to get a PhD in Neuroscience, you don't have much to lose by applying. If you don't have enough experience to know whether you want to be a neuroscientist or do a PhD, it can be really useful to do a postbac. 

How did you know that a PhD was the best step for you? I knew I wanted to be a faculty member, and a PhD is not only required for that but also provides some training that is useful. For you, I would think about how a PhD would help you get where you want to go in your career.

How helpful is it to live near campus in terms of student relationships, research, and access to faculty? During your first year, living near campus is definitely advantageous because you will be attending classes on campus, be rotating in labs, and there will be a ton of social events going on. However, as your class requirements diminish and if you are doing more computational research, it’s easier to live further away from campus. But it’s definitely what you make of it and what you want your Stanford experience to be like.

How many students do you normally take that are coming from industry/extensive work experience? Students in this program come from many backgrounds. One of the most common pathways is working as a post-bacc or lab tech for 2-3 years after gradaution, but there are certainly people who come directly from undergrad, as well as people who have worked in industry for several (5+) years. No single pathway is “correct”!

According to the graduate housing website, single graduate housing is available to those who are 25 years of age or older. Does this mean that students under the age of 25 would not qualify for any on campus housing? The age limit is only for undergraduates who wish to live in grad housing. ALL grad students, regardless of age, are eligible for on campus grad housing. As a first-year grad student student, you have top priority and will have a guaranteed spot for on campus housing if you fill out the housing application by the deadline (usually May).

Is there a clinical component to this program? No. If you are interested in clinical work, consider an MD or joint MD-PhD program.

What is the structure of the prelim exam? For the students: did you feel well prepared for them? The qualifying exam consists of a written proposal (in the style of an NRSA), and an oral presentation in front of a qualifying exam committee of your choice. More senior students in the program hold a “How to Qualify Panel,” to help answer questions, and generally students give practice talks to their peers / labs / etc. to help them prepare. Generally, I would say that students feel that the preparation process really helped them think through their project / develop it further!

Will the COVID impacts the funding for the number of PhD students? No, the funding model has not changed due to any COVID impacts.

What is some funding options and resources for DACA (undocumented) students? We definitely would like to support you! You can email the Office of Graduate Education and Undocumented at Stanford for more information. 

Does the Stanford Neuroscience Program have any kind of community outreach program? Specifically, I'm wondering if there is any effort to engage with local middle/high school students and assist them with preparation for college and demystifying research and a career in academia. Yes, there are several opportunities (not limited to the Neurosciences program, but within the wider Stanford Biosciences community). One that is very neuroscience-specific is Brain Day for local middle-school students, and other programs to share their science/research with local seniors.

How often do labs have students from multiple bioscience disciplines? Is there collaboration across the disciplines aside from classes you can take? I would say it’s very common! Personally, my lab has graduate students from Neuroscience, Stem Cell, Genetics, and Chemistry programs.

Is finding funding for a 5th year of research difficult or does the program help with writing for grants or other ways of helping to secure funding? There are several offices, groups, and courses available to help students write grants (e.g., Grant Writing Academy, SBSA peer mentorship for NSF, NIH NRSA writing course, peer-led workshops), and our students are successful at being funded. PIs are responsible for funding their students in their 5th+ year if the student does not have an individual fellowship. 

Join dozens of Stanford Medicine students who gain valuable leadership skills in a multidisciplinary, multicultural community as Knight-Hennessy Scholars (KHS).

KHS admits up to 100 select applicants each year from across Stanford’s seven graduate schools, and delivers engaging experiences that prepare them to be visionary, courageous, and collaborative leaders ready to address complex global challenges. As a scholar, you join a distinguished cohort, participate in up to three years of leadership programming, and receive full funding for up to three years of your PhD studies at Stanford.

Candidates of any country may apply. KHS applicants must have earned their first undergraduate degree within the last seven years, and must apply to both a Stanford graduate program and to KHS. Stanford PhD students may also apply to KHS during their first year of PhD enrollment.

If you aspire to be a leader in your field, we invite you to apply. The KHS application deadline is October 12, 2022. Learn more about KHS admission.