Ph.D. Admissions

The Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree is intended primarily for students who desire a career in research, advanced development, or teaching. Students in the Ph.D. program obtain a broad education in the core areas of Aeronautics and Astronautics through coursework, while also engaging in intensive research in a specialized area, culminating in a doctoral thesis.

An M.S. degree is not required to apply to the Ph.D. program in Aeronautics and Astronautics. Students with a Bachelor’s degree who ultimately intend to complete a Ph.D. degree are strongly encouraged to apply directly to the Ph.D. program, rather than the M.S. program.

Current Stanford M.S. students interested in adding a Ph.D. program to their academic career should speak with the staff at the Aero/Astro Student Services Office about the necessary paperwork and relevant policies. If you are a current master's student in the Stanford Aeronautics and Astronautics Department, to apply for the Ph.D., you must complete paperwork prior to conferring the M.S. degree.

Application Deadlines

We have one Ph.D. admission cycle. Application deadlines are final. A completed application (including letters of recommendation, transcripts and English Proficiency Test scores) must be uploaded by the deadline. Applications will NOT be accepted after the deadline. A completed application (including letters of recommendation, transcripts and English Proficiency Test scores) must be received by the following date:

Autumn 2026-27: December 2, 2025

Application Requirements

To be eligible for admission to the Ph.D. program, applicants must either:

• hold, or expect to hold before enrollment at Stanford, a bachelor’s degree from a U.S. college or university.
• Applicants from institutions outside the U.S. must hold the equivalent of a U.S. bachelor’s degree from a college or university of recognized standing. See minimum level of study required of international applicants.

Students who meet the above degree requirement with a strong technical background in engineering, physics, or a comparable science program are welcome to apply; a bachelor's degree in aeronautics and astronautics or mechanical engineering is not strictly required.

All students interested in pursuing a Ph.D. in Aeronautics and Astronautics should use the Stanford Graduate Admissions Application. Your application must include all of the materials listed below and be received by Stanford by the application deadline. The fee for online graduate applications is $125.

Required Application Documents

• Online Application
• Application Fee
• Statement of Purpose
• 3 Letters of Recommendation
• Official English Proficiency Test* Scores, if applicable

Application Fee Waiver

If you are considering Stanford graduate programs and need assistance with the application fees, consider applying for a fee waiver.

Statement of Purpose

Your statement of purpose should identify personal and professional goals. It should also discuss your development to date and your intentions relative to graduate study and life beyond Stanford. The Aero/Astro Graduate Admissions Committee reads your statement of purpose with interest because, along with the letters of recommendation, it offers insight into who you are as an individual. Your statement of purpose should not exceed two pages (single-spaced).

Transcripts

Submitting transcripts when you are applying, and after you have been offered admission are two separate steps. When applying: You must upload one scanned version of your transcript(s) in the online application. Please read the Applying section of this website for important information about submitting transcripts. If offered admission: Please see this page for information on submitting final official transcripts.

Letters of Recommendation

Three letters of recommendation are required; one letter must come from an academic source, although at least two are preferred. Recommendations must be submitted online. Please see the "Recommendations" section of the online application for information. Please do not submit letters of recommendation through Interfolio.

English Proficiency Test

Adequate command of spoken and written English is required for admission. Effective for applicants applying for graduate study starting in 2026: You are not required to submit English proficiency test scores if you meet one or more of the following criteria:

• You are a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.
• Your first language is English.
• You earned a U.S. bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral degree, or international equivalent from a university where all instruction was conducted in English.
• You have two or more consecutive years of professional or educational experience in English, in the past 10 years.

If you do not meet any of the criteria listed above, then you are required to submit an official test score from the Test of English as a Foreign Language Internet-Based Test (TOEFL iBT) or the International English Language Testing System Academic Test (IELTS Academic) that meets the university’s minimum score for admission consideration. Stanford accepts only ETS (Educational Testing Service) scores. The Stanford institution code for ETS reporting is 4704. You do not need a department code. English Proficiency Test results must be from an examination taken within the past two years. For more information on English Proficiency Test requirements, please see the Required Exams and Frequently Asked Questions sections on the Graduate Admissions website.

Exemptions are granted to applicants who have earned (or will earn, before enrolling at Stanford) 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. 

Reapplying

Reapplicants must submit new supporting documents and complete the online application as outlined above, in the graduate application checklist. Only prior official test scores can be reactivated.

Application Status

You may view your application status and decision by logging into your status page. Due to the volume of applications we receive, we are not able to confirm with individual applicants when documents have been received. All applicants should monitor the online checklist to track individual documents. It is the applicant's responsibility to monitor the checklist and ensure that all documents are received by the deadline.

Admission Decisions

Completed applications are reviewed by the faculty Admissions Committee throughout the winter. A select group of applicants will be interviewed during the evaluation process. Letters are sent as decisions are made, beginning in March. The selection of graduate students admitted to the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics is based on an individualized, holistic review of each application, including (but not limited to) the applicant’s academic record, the letters of recommendation, the statement of purpose, personal qualities and characteristics, and past accomplishments.

Ph.D. Funding

All SoE Ph.D. students who are in good standing relative to their Ph.D. program requirements will be funded to the department’s Ph.D. standard. In all departments, this is at least equivalent to Stanford’s 20-hour-RA salary plus tuition to cover the department’s required enrollment (summer enrollment requirements vary by department).  Funding can include fellowships, research assistantships, training grants and teaching assistantships. Ph.D. students are encouraged to pursue outside fellowships. Besides the prestige, fellowships give the recipient greater flexibility in determining their own research direction.