Non-U.S. Citizens

For purposes of admissions and financial aid, U.S. permanent residents are considered similar to U.S. citizens.

International applicants are welcome to apply as long as they meet our eligibility requirements. 

Applicants must have a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited academic institution in the United States or Canada* or a graduate degree from the United States** by July 1 of the year of matriculation. No specific discipline or major is required. 

Applicants with non-U.S. or non-Canadian degrees, including international medical degrees, are ineligible to apply unless they also hold a qualifying degree listed above. We do not accept WES equivalencies in place of degree requirements. We do not provide waivers or exceptions for applicants without a qualifying degree. 

*Three-year bachelor's degree from Quebec or a four-year bachelor's degree from other provinces. 

**Applicants with a graduate degree from a regionally accredited U.S. academic institution must also have an equivalent undergraduate degree (see required minimum level of study) from a recognized academic institution outside the U.S. in order to be eligible to apply. 

In order to register as a student, Stanford University requires that all international students must obtain and maintain an appropriate visa status for their stay in the U.S. Prior to certification of an I-20 document, an international student must prove sufficient funds to meet one year of expenses while studying. Without written evidence of having financial support for one year, an international student will not be granted a student visa.

For more information, please refer to the current section of the Stanford Bulletin on visas. Please also visit the Bechtel International Center for more information.

Applicants are considered for admission to the Stanford MSPA program without regard to their country of origin. Eligible applicants include U.S. citizens, permanent U.S. residents holding a valid visa, applicants who have been granted Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services at the time of application, undocumented applicants, and international applicants. For more information visit Undocumented at Stanford.

In order to practice in California or any other state, physician assistant graduates must pass the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination (PANCE) and apply for state licensure. Criteria for eligibility to sit for the PANCE board examination and/or to qualify for state licensure are set by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) board and each state. DACA students are currently eligible to apply for and obtain a license to practice as a physician assistant in California; however, this varies by state. Prospective PA students should consult the requirements of the licensing authority in any state in which they contemplate practicing to determine the qualifications for licensure. Information concerning licensure in California can be found at https://www.pab.ca.gov. Information about other states can be found at https://www.nccpa.net/state-licensing-boards.