Stanford School of Medicine
Neuroscience Institute at Stanford–

Admission Info

Our admissions committee typically selects top students from diverse educational and cultural backgrounds. We base our selection on the student's academic achievements, letters of recommendation attesting to the student's research and academic skills, statement of purpose, and Graduate Record Examination scores. Because of the interdisciplinary nature of the Neurosciences, students are enrolled with backgrounds ranging from computational to biological. 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. We are looking primarily for talented, highly motivated students irrespective of exact disciplinary background. Similarly, research experience is very important, but the exact disciplinary area is not critical.

We are committed to training a diverse group of neuroscientists which arise from a wide range of ethnic, cultural, educational, and socioeconomic backgrounds.  In addition we will provide reasonable accommodations to those with disabilities.  We welcome applications from all qualified individuals.

To apply to our Neurosciences Program, please go to the Graduate Application page to access the electronic admissions application.

For additional information not provided on these pages please contact:

Ross Colvin, Program Administrator
Neurosciences Program
CCSR 4235c
269 Campus Drive
Stanford University School of Medicine
Stanford, CA 94305-5173

TEL:  650.723.9855
FAX:  650.721.1905
EMAIL: larkspur@stanford.edu

Please click here for more information regarding the Graduate Studies in the Biosciences at Stanford.

Note: The deadline for receipt of completed applications is December 4, 2007, for admission in the Autumn, 2008.

Students admitted to the Neurosciences Program are funded by training grants or predoctoral fellowships from NSF or Howard Hughes that provide for stipend, tuition and funds for travel. Stipends are augmented from their NIH levels to be competitive with other neurosciences programs in the country.

Qualified applicants who are neither U.S. citizens nor permanent residents are occasionally accepted into the Program in the rare circumstance that a suitable faculty sponsor can provide a research assistantship for them from grants or other research funds. Historically, such funds have been limited. Given this constraint, foreign applicants are unlikely to be considered for admission unless they have both outstanding academic qualifications and significant neuroscience research experience.

We strongly encourage all eligible students (U.S. citizens and permanent residents) to apply for predoctoral fellowships from the National Science Foundation, Howard Hughes Foundation and the Ford Foundation. Our students have been very competitive for these prestigious fellowships in past years. Application forms for the fellowships can be obtained from:

Fellowship Office
National Research Council
2101 Constitution Ave.
Washington, DC 20418
(202) 334-2872

Note: The deadline for receipt of completed applications for all fellowships is the first week of November.

Institution Links:

Footer Links: