Application Requirements
Applicants applying from outside Stanford must visit Graduate Admissions before beginning the application process for complete application information and instructions. Please see the Calendar for this year's deadline.
Stanford only offers an MS in Financial Mathematics; for suggestions on pursuing a PhD in related fields at Stanford, check the Frequently Asked Questions.
It is the applicant's responsibility to ensure he or she meets all eligibility requirements before applying.
Students applying from within Stanford (coterminal undergraduates and PhD students who have passed their qualifying exams) should pay special attention to the Graduate Degrees section in the Stanford Bulletin regarding residency and unduplicated units. See How to Apply for application instructions.
Note: Graduate students cannot pursue the FM-MS concurrently with another degree other than a PhD; they must apply through Graduate Admissions as external applicants and confer their degree before beginning the FM-MS.
A completed external application consists of the following:
Application Form
See the section How to Apply for instructions on completing the correct application form. Submit all supporting materials for your application in one envelope whenever possible. This will help ensure that all of your materials arrive by the deadline.
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Application Fee
Visit Graduate Admissions for the current year's application fee, and fee waiver process.
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Statement of Purpose
Be sure to keep a copy for your records. Your statement should be typed, single-spaced and no longer than two pages. It should state why you are interested in pursuing a degree in Financial Mathematics, any current or past employment or internship in the financial industry (which may compensate for a less impressive mathematical background), and what type of employment or studies you plan to pursue upon graduation. If you are applying to Stanford together with another person (siblings, couples, etc) and would not accept admission if both were not admitted, please let us know this as well.
At the end of your statement, highlight your courses that fulfill the prerequisites and provide a one-paragraph summary (or copy of description from course catalog) of each. When doing so, include courses currently taking and those you plan to take prior to starting the program. This may be a separate document that you upload to the online application along with your statement of purpose, or mailed separately to our office.
If you upload your statement with the online application, DO NOT mail a second hard copy of it.
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Resume/CV
You may submit a resume and/or CV. Neither is required, they are optional.
If you upload your resume/CV with the online application, DO NOT mail a second hard copy of it.
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Letters of Recommendation
We require three letters of recommendation. You may include one additional recommendation, if you wish. People who have supervised you in either an academic or employment setting should write your recommendations. If possible, at least one should be from a university professor familiar with your academic work. Your recommendations should directly address your suitability for admission to the Financial Math program. We pay extra attention to the potential for future excellence as indicated in letters of recommendation. The most important factors we look at are: quantitative and analytic strength, communication skills in English, leadership, maturity and focus.
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College and University Transcripts
Send two official copies from all previous colleges or universities attended for one year or more full time. You may have the transcripts mailed directly from the institution to the Financial Math program; or the institution must provide you with your transcripts in sealed envelopes, which you forward --unopened -- to the program. Transcripts that are received opened are unofficial and void. They are not used in the review process.
Students with international academic credentials must meet Stanford's eligibility requirements for graduate study. Visit Graduate Admissions to review the guidelines established. Be sure your U.S. bachelor's degree equivalent will be conferred before your intended program start date.
Concerning study abroad program or transferred courses: if the course work and grades are reflected on the transcript of your home institution, you do not need to submit transcripts from the study abroad/transfer institution.
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Test Scores
GRE
All external applicants are required to take the GRE General Test, unless they possess a PhD. (If your studies are in progress when you apply, you may waive the GRE as long as your PhD will be conferred before your intended start quarter.)
We do not accept any other tests (such as the GMAT) in lieu of the GRE.
There is no minimum GRE score requirement.
If results from more than one test date are submitted, we will consider the higher of the two scores.
Internal applicants are not required to submit new General GRE scores if they have already taken the exam.
Applicants may also submit GRE Mathematics Subject Test results, if they wish. This test is optional but a high score may greatly increase
your chances for admission. If you are taking this test, you may submit results from the December GRE Math Subject test date for consideration.
Stanford Institution code: R4704 (no department code required - leave blank)
GRE website: www.gre.org
TOEFL
Scores are required of all applicants whose first language is not English.
Scores must be submitted from a test taken within the last 24 months prior to the application deadline. (ETS purges scores after 24 months.)
For a list of exceptions, visit Graduate Admissions -- click on International Applicants.
If you wish to verify that you do not have to take the TOEFL, contact Graduate Admissions directly. Departmental staff cannot waive the TOEFL.
The minimum TOEFL requirements are:
250 Computer-Based
600 Paper-Based
100 Internet-Based
Applicants should possess a strong command of English and score well above these minimums in order to be competitive. See the FAQs for the average scores of admitted applicants.
Applications with scores below the minimum will not be reviewed.
The Test of Written English (TWE) portion of the TOEFL is not required.
Stanford Institution code: R4704 (no department code required - leave blank)
TOEFL website: www.toefl.org
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