Stanford recommends that prospective students take a minimum of four years of English, four years of mathematics, three years of laboratory science, three years of the same foreign language and three years of history or social studies. Each year, many more highly qualified students apply than the university has places for in the freshman class of 1,600 or the transfer group of about 100. Financial aid was provided to 70 percent of undergraduate students from a variety of internal and external sources in 1998-99. The application deadline for early decision is Nov. 1, and the application for regular admission is due by Dec. 15. Stanford does not offer interviews as part of the evaluation process, but applicants are welcome to meet admissions staff when they visit campus.
Students also can pursue an individually designed major.
SIS, which includes Freshman Seminars, Sophomore College, and Sophomore Dialogues and Seminars, introduces student to the richness of academic topics, issues and methods of research. SIS is designed to build a strong academic foundation for students in their first two years. Honors Working under the supervision of faculty, undergraduates may join laboratory teams on campus, research a topic through Stanford's extensive library and archive collections, or travel to field sites around the world to complete an independent project. About 25 percent of each graduating class earn departmental honors. Overseas Studies Stanford offers overseas study centers in Berlin, Buenos Aires, Florence, Kyoto, Moscow, Oxford, Paris, Puebla and Santiago.