stanford anthropology phd application

Graduate Admissions

Application.

Stanford’s  Online Application , information about requirements and instructions for applying are available through the  Grad Admissions website . The application opens each year in Fall quarter. 

The online application is due by the following deadlines:

PhD: Tuesday, January 9, 2024

Masters: Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Knight Hennessy: No later than December 1, 2023 (per Knight Hennessy program ) 

Coterminal Masters (internal Stanford students only): end of second week of Winter quarter,  Friday, January 19, 2024

Knight Hennessy:  No later than December 1, 2023

GRE scores will not be required in the 2023-24 admission round.

Please DO NOT mail paper transcripts at this time. E-transcripts are accepted.

Transcripts

• Please wait to mail official paper  transcripts  until we request them.
• Official e-transcripts can be sent directly by the school or clearinghouse to  philosophy [at] stanford.edu (philosophy[at]stanford[dot]edu)
• Please upload an unofficial transcript from each school you attended for a year or more with the application.
• NOTE: An official transcript is one that is received directly from the issuing institution (or CollegeNET CertiFile Service (CHESICC/Educational Perspectives) that bears the seal/signature representing its validity. To be considered official, paper transcripts must be sealed and unopened.
• Transcript information at  https://gradadmissions.stanford.edu/applying/starting-your-application/required-application-documents/transcripts-academic-records-0

Writing Sample 

• Should be a recent writing sample on a philosophical topic
• We recommend you send an example of your  best work
• needs to be uploaded into the application
• Typically samples are around 20 pages or less
• If submitting a thesis or document longer than 20 pages, please include a note pointing to most important passages
• Secondary samples are allowed, please mark which sample is primary if including more than one

Letters of Recommendation 

• Please have your recommenders submit their  confidential  letter via the online application.
• Letters from recommenders are due by the deadline. Please have them in as soon as possible.
• The application requires a minimum of 3 recommendations.
• If a recommender is unable to submit their letter via the online application, please let us know. We can accept email letters directly from professors. 
• For emailed letters from professors, the applicant must also send us a note saying they waive the right to see the recommendation.
• Please check the grad admissions website for the latest updates about required tests: 
• https://gradadmissions.stanford.edu/applying/starting-your-application/required-exams
• Grad admissions requires the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) for most applicants whose first language is not English. This includes US citizens as well as international students.
• Applicants who have received a Bachelors or higher degree from a U.S. school are usually exempted from the TOEFL.
• For test criteria, please see the international section of the  Grad Admissions  webpage.  TEST INFORMATION

GRE scores will not be required by Philosophy in the 2023-2024 admission round.

• The GRE general test has been required in the past for Philosophy applications.  If submitting them, GRE scores must be from within the last 5 years.

Check the status of your application (e.g., letters of recommendation received, official ETS scores, etc.,) by logging into your application account Activity Log.

Knight-Hennessy Scholars cultivates and supports a highly-engaged, multidisciplinary and multicultural community of graduate students from across Stanford University, and delivers a diverse collection of educational experiences, preparing graduates to address complex challenges facing the world. Each year, Knight-Hennessy Scholars selects up to 100 students who are newly enrolling in a graduate degree program in any of Stanford’s seven schools. Knight-Hennessy Scholars participate in an experiential leadership development program and receive funding for up to three years of graduate study at Stanford. Candidates of any country may apply. Candidates must submit two applications to be considered; one to Knight-Hennessy Scholars by early October and one to the graduate degree program by its deadline. Visit  https://knight-hennessy.stanford.edu/  to learn more. 

• Apply at  https://knight-hennessy.stanford.edu/
• The KH application deadline is October 11, 2023, 1:00pm Pacific Time.
• For more information on the Knight-Hennessy Scholars please see:  https://knight-hennessy.stanford.edu/
• Applicants also need to apply separately to the department where they wish to study. 
• The deadline for the application to the Philosophy department for consideration for the KH program is December 1, 2023.

Please do not mail paper transcripts at this time. We will request official transcripts at a later stage.

PHILOSOPHY DEPARTMENT Building 90 450 Jane Stanford Way STANFORD, CA 94305-2155 USA

• Email:  philosophy [at] stanford.edu (philosophy[at]stanford[dot]edu)  
• Phone to list for mailing address if needed: (650) 723-2547 (for fastest response, please email)
• For problems with the application website , please check the online help in the website.

For application fee waivers, apply through:

• Application Fee Waivers

For exam waivers, or general questons, please contact the Central University Grad Admissions office:

• https://gradadmissions.stanford.edu/about#contact

For other questions, please contact the  Philosophy Graduate Administrator 

• Email:  philosophy [at] stanford.edu (philosophy[at]stanford[dot]edu)
• Phone: (650) 723-2548 (for fastest response, please email)

For a helpful  guide on getting into grad school  from the School of Humanities and Sciences, please check:

• https://humsci.stanford.edu/prospective-students/guide-getting-grad-school

The Department of Philosophy welcomes graduate applications from individuals with a broad range of life experiences, perspectives, and backgrounds who would contribute to our community of scholars. Review of applications is holistic and individualized, considering each applicant’s academic record and accomplishments, letters of recommendation, and admissions essays in order to understand how an applicant’s life experiences have shaped their past and potential contributions to their field.

The Philosophy Department recognizes that the Supreme Court issued a ruling in June 2023 about the consideration of certain types of demographic information as part of an admission review. All applications submitted during upcoming application cycles will be reviewed in conformance with that decision.

Welcome to Graduate Admissions

Learn about university-wide admission requirements and processes for MA, MS, PhD, and other non-professional graduate programs.

Your Starting Point for Graduate Study at Stanford

Browse this website to learn about university-wide requirements and processes for admission to MA, MS, PhD, and other non-professional graduate programs in the following Stanford schools:

Graduate School of Education | School of Engineering | School of Humanities & Sciences | School of Medicine | Doerr School of Sustainability

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Applying to a Professional School?

The professional schools have separate admissions offices and applications. Visit their websites below for information about applying to their graduate programs.

• Graduate School of Business: MBA | MSx | PhD
• School of Law: JD | Advanced Degrees
• School of Medicine: MD | MS in Physician Assistant Studies

Why Stanford?

Consider joining Stanford’s globally diverse graduate community of 9,300 students.

• Watch Playlist: The Stanford Grad Experience and Advice to Prospective Students
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• Explore Campus Resources
• Pursue Leadership Development and Funding with Knight-Hennessy Scholars

Graduate Admissions

Thank you for your interest in Stanford Classics!  For admission into the graduate program you should have a strong background in Classics or a related field. Depending on your particular interests, this might include Comparative Literature, History, Political Science, Archaeology, Anthropology or Philosophy. 

Above all, the Department of Classics welcomes graduate applications from individuals with a broad range of life experiences, perspectives, and backgrounds who would contribute to our community of scholars. Review of applications is holistic and individualized, considering each applicant’s academic record and accomplishments, letters of recommendation, and admissions essays in order to understand how an applicant’s life experiences have shaped their past and potential contributions to their field.

The Department of Classics recognizes that the Supreme Court issued a ruling in June 2023 about the consideration of certain types of demographic information as part of an admission review. All applications submitted during upcoming application cycles will be reviewed in conformance with that decision.

Admission Deadline

Deadline for Autumn 2024 admission:  Tuesday, December 05, 2023.*

Please note our Master of Arts degree is available to current Stanford students only. Our external M.A. degree has been discontinued.

*All applicants are encouraged to apply to the  Knight-Hennessy Scholars  program. The KHS application deadline is October 11, 2023. Learn more about  KHS admission .

The selection of PhD students admitted to the Department of Classics 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. Admissions decisions will be communicated in March.

Application Requirements Checklist

 Completed online through the  University Graduate Admissions website

For information on eligibility for fee waivers please refer to  Graduate Application Fee Waiver

Reasons for applying, preparation, specific study and research interests, future career plans, and any other information about yourself as a scholar and future faculty.

Three letters of recommendation are required from faculty members or others who are qualified to evaluate academic work and teaching potential. Recommenders submit their letters through the online system by the application deadline.

Unofficial transcripts from all universities and colleges you have attended for one year or more must be uploaded to the online application.  Graduate Admissions  only requires admitted applicants who accept the offer of admission to submit official transcripts that show degree conferral. Please do not send or have sent any official transcripts to us at this time.

An academic paper in your field of interest, 15-25 pages in length.

Academic resume of your qualifications.  Included in this C.V. should be a list of your language qualifications.  Ancient languages should be demonstrated by a list of works read in the original.  Modern languages may be indicated using the labels "Beginner", "Intermediate", "Advanced" and "Fluent", along with the number of years studied.

 Required for all international applicants (whose primary language is not English) sent via ETS.  Not required if your most recent academic program is in an institution where English is the primary language of scholarship and instruction.  Please check the  Exam Requirements for International Applicants  to confirm applicability.

Inquiries about the admissions process and the application can be sent to classics [at] stanford.edu (classics[at]stanford[dot]edu) . You may also check our  F.A.Q.  for common answers.

Start Application

Knight-hennessy scholars.

Join dozens of  Stanford School of Humanities and Sciences students  who gain valuable leadership skills in a multidisciplinary, multicultural community as  Knight-Hennessy Scholars  (KHS). KHS admits up to 100 select applicants each year from across Stanford’s seven graduate schools, and delivers engaging experiences that prepare them to be visionary, courageous, and collaborative leaders ready to address complex global challenges. As a scholar, you join a distinguished cohort, participate in up to three years of leadership programming, and receive full funding for up to three years of your studies at Stanford. Candidates of any country may apply. KHS applicants must have earned their first undergraduate degree within the last seven years, and must apply to both a Stanford graduate program and to KHS. Stanford PhD students may also apply to KHS during their first year of PhD enrollment. If you aspire to be a leader in your field, we invite you to apply. The KHS application deadline is October 11, 2023.   Learn more about  KHS admission .  

Have Questions Along the Way?

Contact the team at  classics [at] stanford.edu (classics[at]stanford[dot]edu)  

Anthropology

Salma Elkhaoudi

Bilal Nadeem

Elliott Reichardt

Mahder Takele Teshome

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Admissions & Aid

• Admissions Home
• Application Requirements
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Application requirements for all doctoral programs (phd).

All of our doctoral programs are designed to develop outstanding educational researchers who have a deep understanding of the scientific, practical and policy issues they study. All require full-time study, and we promise five years of full-time financial support for every student we admit. Our doctoral programs are small, typically ranging from about 25 to 35 new students a year. The small size of our doctoral cohorts creates big educational advantages for students: the classes are almost always small, students receive individualized attention from their advisors, and they have many opportunities to develop close collegial relationships with fellow students.

It is extremely important to demonstrate in your statement of purpose that your interests converge closely with the current research of faculty who work in the program to which you are applying. Other doctoral applicants will certainly do this, and if you don't, you will forfeit an important competitive advantage to them. 

If you wish to contact faculty, please read our Which Degree Which Program article, by Professor Eamonn Callan, which outlines the appropriate process for contacting faculty with whom you share research interests. 

• Program website:  Degrees and Programs/PhD
• Length of Program:  5 years (average length)
• Tuition: fellowship/assistantship salary and tuition guaranteed for first five years of the program (autumn, winter and spring quarters) for all students, including international students. Funding includes two summers.

Application Requirements:

Application form.

Complete and submit Stanford's graduate online application .

Application Fee

The application fee is $125 , is non-refundable, and must be received by the application deadline.

Application Fee Waivers

Stanford offers three types of application fee waivers for which GSE applicants may apply and be considered:

• GRE Fee Reduction Certificate-Based Waiver
• Diversity Program Participation-Based Waiver
• School-Based Waiver

Please visit the Stanford Graduate Diversity website for instructions, deadlines, and the fee waiver application form.

Statement of Purpose

A Statement of Purpose is required. Your statement should be typed, single-spaced and should be between one to two pages . Describe succinctly your reasons for applying to the proposed program, your preparation for this field of study, and why our program is a good fit for you, your future career plans, and other aspects of your background as well as interests which may aid the admissions committee in evaluating your aptitude and motivation for graduate study. You may indicate potential faculty mentors as part of your study and research interests. Be sure to keep a copy for your records. What's a Good Statement of Purpose?

A resume or CV  is required of all applicants, depending on which document is most appropriate for your background. There is no page limit for resumes or CVs, though we typically see resumes of one page in length. Please upload your resume or CV in the online application.

Three (3) Letters of Recommendation

Applicants are required to submit three letters of recommendation . In the online application, you will be asked to identify your recommenders and their email addresses. Please notify your recommenders that they will receive an email prompt to submit their recommendation online. You can submit your request for letters of recommendation through the system without submitting the entire online application.  Stanford GSE only accepts online recommendations through the application system ; Stanford GSE cannot accept mailed, emailed or faxed recommendations.

Recommendations should be written by people who have supervised you in an academic, employment, or community service setting. We very strongly recommend that at least one of these letters be from a university professor familiar with your academic work. Your recommendations should directly address your suitability for admission to a graduate program at Stanford GSE.

It is the applicant's responsibility to ensure that all three letters of recommendation are submitted through the system by the application deadline , so please work closely with your recommenders to remind them of the deadline.

College and University Transcripts

Transcripts are required from every college and university you have attended for at least one academic year as a full-time student. When submitting your online application, transcripts should be uploaded to the application as a scanned copy or PDF ; this is sufficient for the application review process. Please refrain from sending a secured PDF/transcript with a digital signature as our system cannot upload these properly. The best way to ensure we receive an upload-able document is for you to print out the secured transcript, scan it, and upload the scanned copy (not to exceed 10MB) as a PDF. 

If you earned a degree at the institution from which you are submitting a transcript, please ensure that the degree conferral date and the degree conferred is clearly visible on the document. If you are currently enrolled in a degree program and will not have earned the respective degree by the time of submitting your GSE application, you should submit your most recent in-progress transcript from your institution.

Only if admitted will we contact you with instructions on sending two copies of your official transcripts to our office. We cannot accept mailed, emailed or faxed copies of your transcripts during the application process. Please note: the instructions for sending transcripts on the online application and on the general Stanford Graduate Admissions Office website differ from this Stanford GSE requirement.

Concerning course work completed in a study abroad program

If the coursework and grades are reflected on the transcript of your home institution, you do not need to submit original transcripts from the study abroad institution.

Concerning foreign institutions

If your institution provides a transcript in a language other than English, we require that you submit a translation of the transcript that is either provided by the institution or a certified translator. Translations must be literal and complete versions of the original records.

If your transcript does not include your degree conferral date and the degree conferred , please submit a scanned copy of your diploma, a conferral statement, or a conferral document in addition to your transcript . If you are currently enrolled in a degree program and will not have earned the respective degree by the time of submitting your GSE application, you should submit your most recent in-progress transcript from your institution.

Stanford University requires the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) from all applicants whose native language is not English. The GSE requires a minimum TOEFL score of 250 for the computer-based test, 600 for the paper-based test or 100 for the internet-based test in order to be considered for admission. The Test of Written English (TWE) portion of the TOEFL is not required. Applicants who have completed a four-year bachelor's degree or a two-year master's program (or its equivalent) in the U.S. or at an institution where English is the main language of instruction are not required to take the TOEFL. For more information on TOEFL requirements, please refer to the Required Exams  page on the main Stanford Graduate Admissions website. You may register for the TOEFL test directly at the ETS website .

TOEFL Dates and Deadlines

PhD applicants who are required to take the TOEFL should plan to take the internet-based TOEFL test and have official TOEFL scores sent electronically to Stanford at institution code 4704 (department code does not matter) no later than November 1 . This will give your official TOEFL scores time to be sent from ETS and be received by our system in time for the December 1 deadline. PhD applicants to Knight-Hennessy Scholars should plan to take the internet-based TOEFL test no later than October 16 so your scores can be received by our system in time for the November 16 KHS GSE deadline. Please note that the TOEFL may be taken no earlier than 18 months prior to the application deadline.

Does Stanford accept tests other than TOEFL?

No. We accept only TOEFL scores; we do not accept IELTS or other test scores.

Contact Information

Admissions:  [email protected]  

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Undergraduate Program

Mission of the department of anthropology (undergraduate).

The courses offered by the Department of Anthropology are designed to: provide undergraduates with instruction in anthropology; provide undergraduate majors in Anthropology with a program of work leading to the bachelor's degree; and prepare graduate candidates for advanced degrees in Anthropology.

Learning Outcomes (Undergraduate)

The department expects undergraduate majors in the degree program to be able to demonstrate the following learning outcomes. These learning outcomes are used in evaluating students and the department's undergraduate program. Students are expected to demonstrate:

Develop confidence and expertise in oral and written communication and persuasive argumentation

Identify and engage analytical, conceptual, and real-world problems and make appropriate inferences

Understand and critically evaluate core knowledge within Anthropology and allied disciplines

Learn the methods and significance of ethnography as a research approach and method

Appreciate the relevance of anthropological research to social, political, and economic debates

For more information, see  Anthropology Stanford Bulletin .

Program Contacts

Duana Fullwiley

Doctoral Admissions

Use this page to explore admissions data for Stanford's research doctoral programs. While the most common doctoral degree across the university is the PhD, the JSD in Law and the DMA in Musical Arts are also included here. The MD and JD are considered to be professional degrees and are not included. Note that any year referenced in this dashboard refers to the academic year in which the applicant was intending to enroll. For example, an application submitted in September 2018 for the 2019-20 academic year would be counted under 2019-20. These data are limited to new, external applicants only. If you are interested in the Biosciences programs in the School of Medicine, please read the important note below the dashboard.

More information is available about  doctoral program enrollment and demographics , as well as  doctoral degree conferrals, time-to-degree, and graduation rates . Note that local variation in policy and practice regarding admission, matriculation, and degree conferral may affect the departmental and school-level metrics below.

Methodology & Definitions

Application counts.

Applicant counts are based on the number of applications to doctoral programs from new applicants only. Current students who are transferring into a doctoral program from another graduate program at Stanford without submitting a new application are not included. If an application was transferred between programs during the admission process, the application is counted under the final program for which it was considered, not the original program.

Application Years

Applications and offers of admission are counted in the year in which the applicant was intending to enroll. The year in this case encompasses the summer quarter through the following spring, so the 2018-2019 application year would include students who intended to matriculate in Summer 2018 through Spring 2019. If an applicant was admitted and decided to defer their enrollment, that application and offer of admission are counted in the later, deferred year instead of the original year. The majority of new doctoral students matriculate in either autumn or summer. As these dashboards are updated annually in the autumn, the data for the most recent year will not include applicants or admits for winter or spring.

Admit Rates

The admit rate is calculated by dividing the number of offers of admission by the total number of applications received.

An Important Note about Stanford Biosciences

Prospective students may only apply to a single doctoral program at a time, with the exception of the  14 programs in Stanford Biosciences . Beginning with the 2022-23 application period, prospective students in Biosciences are permitted to select up to two programs for consideration as part of their application. (Prior to the 2022-23 application cycle, students were able to and would commonly select up to three programs for consideration.) A successful applicant will only be offered admission to one of these programs, which may result in an artificially low admit rate for some of these programs.  These programs include:

• Biochemistry
• Biomedical Informatics
• Cancer Biology
• Chemical and Systems Biology
• Developmental Biology
• Microbiology and Immunology
• Molecular and Cellular Physiology
• Neurosciences
• Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine
• Structural Biology

Visit the  Graduate Admissions website  for more information about pursuing graduate study at Stanford.

The data are available for download in Google Drive .

• Data Source(s): PeopleSoft Campus Solutions, Institutional Research & Decision Support

Stanford University is committed to providing an online environment that is accessible to everyone, including individuals with disabilities. If you cannot access this content or use any features on this site, please contact  [email protected]  to obtain alternate formats.

You may submit feedback on this dashboard through the  feedback form .

Graduate Program

Graduate students accepted into the archaeology program participate in the activities at the Archaeology Center. Through cutting-edge research carried out in its research laboratories, collections-based scholarship through the Stanford University Archaeology Collection, weekly workshops and lectures with distinguished scholars, the Archaeology Center provides a forum for interaction amongst faculty and students from many parts of the University and gives students opportunities to engage in multi- and interdisciplinary research in archaeology, heritage, and related fields.

Our faculty and lecturers are affiliated with the following Departments and Programs: Anthropology, Classics, East Asian Languages and Cultures, Center for Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity, Earth Systems Science, Stanford Heritage Services, History, Art & Art History, and Biology.

Available Graduate Programs with Archaeology Concentration

Ph.D. degrees with a concentration in Archaeology are awarded by the following departments:

• Anthropology,
• Classics, and
• East Asian Languages and Cultures.  

Steps to Help with Applying for a Program

• Anthropology  |  Archaeology Track
• Classics  |  Classical Archaeology
• East Asian Languages & Cultures

Admission requirements for these departments vary greatly. Thus, early planning is advisable to guarantee completion of graduate school requirements, and all admissions inquiries should be directed to the individual department.

Graduate Program Questions Contact the following:

• Anthropology: Student Services Manager
• Classics: Director of Graduate Studies

Prospective students should apply for admission to the department that best suits their interests, indicating on the application their interest in the archaeology track. Applicants should also contact Archaeology faculty members with whom they are interested in working. 

Archaeology Faculty and Lecturers

Students interested in pursuing a graduate degree in Archaeology at Stanford will need to apply through our affiliated departments.

• Anthropology
• Classics 
• East Asian Languages and Cultures

Already a Ph.D. Candidate at Stanford? Want to pursue a Ph.D. Minor in Archaeology? See Ph.D. Minor for more information.

ANTHR-PMN - Anthropology (PhD Minor)

Program overview, phd minor in anthropology.

Graduate Degrees  describes university requirements for the PhD minor.

To request the PhD minor in Anthropology:

Identify a PhD minor advisor from the Department of Anthropology tenure-line faculty. Submit the Department of Anthropology, Ph.D. Minor Request form detailing the proposed PhD minor program request.

Submit a university application (via Axess eForms) for PhD minor, outlining a program of study approved by the major and minor departments. This form is submitted at the time of admission to candidacy. The Department of Anthropology requires an ANTHRO faculty advisor for the PhD minor who can serve as a University Oral Examination committee member.