Undergraduate · Stanford
Stanford says it has no preference for a specific curriculum and names A-level and the IB alongside AP, and it asks for academic results and predictions where an international curriculum is followed. It also requires the ACT or SAT, two teacher recommendations and a School Report from a school official, and it says it does not partner or work with paid agents. For a UK-curriculum student the practical question is how to document the preparation Stanford asks for. Stanford's pages carry no entry-year label, so everything here is evidence for the previous cycle, not a confirmed 2028 requirement.
Official information · read 31 October 2026, no entry-year label
Taken from Stanford Undergraduate Admission's International Applicants page and its Transcript, School Report and Recommendations page, read on 31 October 2026. The pages carry no entry-year label, so for a 2028-entry application every statement below is evidence for the previous cycle and may change; check Stanford's pages for the 2028-entry details.
Stanford says it does not have a preference for a specific curriculum (A-Level, IB, AP, National, etc.). There is no need to convert marks into an American GPA, and no courses or minimum scores are required to secure admission.
For students following an international curriculum such as A-Level or the IB Diploma outside the U.S., academic results and predictions are required if available, sent directly by a school official or testing agency.
For international applicants, the ACT or SAT is required. English proficiency exams are not required, though you may self-report one.
Letters of recommendation from two academic teachers are required, and your counsellor or another school official submits the School Report and a counsellor recommendation.
Stanford says its admission office does not partner or work with paid agents or credentialing services and expects students to complete their application materials without them.
Official sources
Read on 31 October 2026 on Stanford Undergraduate Admission's International Applicants and Transcript, School Report and Recommendations pages, which describes 2027 entry. The pages carry no entry-year label. Stanford's Standardized Testing, Academic Preparation, Requirements and Deadlines, essay and arts-portfolio pages, deadlines, test-policy details and financial aid were not read and are not stated.
Your curriculum
Stanford says its admission staff specialise in reading applications from around the world, are familiar with different education systems and consider your application in the context of the resources available to you. There is no need to convert marks into an American GPA. It does not set courses or minimum scores, but recommends completing the coursework needed to apply to a bachelor's programme in your home country or country of study, and you must hold a secondary school diploma, or your country's equivalent, by the time you enrol. For students on an international curriculum, academic results and predictions are required if available.
What your school sends
Stanford requires an official transcript, a School Report from a counsellor or another school administrator, a counsellor recommendation and letters from two academic teachers. All official transcripts and results must be sent directly from a school official or testing agency, and Stanford will not accept transcripts from applicants. The School Report tells Stanford about your academic strengths in the context of the programmes available in your school, and a published school profile on its own does not fulfil it. If your school has no guidance counsellor, another school official such as a principal or teacher may submit the counsellor letter. Teacher recommendations must be translated into English by someone other than you.
Testing
For international applicants, Stanford says the ACT or SAT is required. Nothing on the pages read says that A-level or IB results substitute for either test, so a UK-curriculum student should plan for a standardised test alongside predicted results. Stanford does not require English proficiency exams, though you may self-report one. Stanford's Standardized Testing page, which was not read for this guide, holds the detailed policy and any changes, so check it for your year.
Recommendations
Stanford requires letters from two academic teachers. It recommends teachers in English, mathematics, science, world language or history and social studies, usually from grade 11 or 12, and says letters from classroom teachers are strongly preferred. For a UK-curriculum student, that usually means choosing from your Year 12 and Year 13 teachers, or the IB teachers who know your Higher Level work. You may invite one additional recommender if they can offer new insights.
A note on agents
Stanford says its admission office does not partner or work with paid agents or credentialing services, and that it expects all students to complete their application materials without the use of such services. That statement matters for a family choosing support. Avandy is an independent adviser: it has no partnership with Stanford, it does not submit materials on a student's behalf, and it does not write, edit or rewrite any essay or recommendation. Its support is limited to understanding Stanford's requirements and planning the applicant's own work.
A decision framework
This is Avandy's own framework, not Stanford's.
Your school supplies the transcript, report and predictions. Ask early who will do it and how.
Think about whom you would ask, and how they could describe your Higher Level or A level work.
The ACT or SAT sits beside A-levels or the IB. Plan the timetable honestly.
Planning for 2028 entry
Stanford's pages carry no entry-year label, so nothing on them is confirmed for 2028 entry. Use them to understand the structure of the application, then check Stanford's own pages for the 2028-entry details.
These are the best guide to what to prepare. Stanford has not confirmed them for 2028 entry.
This guide has not read them. Check Stanford for the values that apply to your application year.
Tell your school which documents Stanford needs, choose your two teachers, plan the ACT or SAT, and read Stanford's Standardized Testing page.
Support
Avandy provides independent academic and admissions support. It is not affiliated with Stanford University or any of its colleges or departments. Preparation sits within the Avandy Trinity Advisory Model: a Strategic Admissions Consultant, a PhD-level Academic Mentor and a Subject-specific Tutor, working to the actual requirements of each course. Support here is limited to understanding the requirements and planning the applicant's own work; Avandy does not write or edit essays or recommendations, does not submit any materials and has no partnership with Stanford. No outcome is promised.
Questions
Stanford says it has no preference for a specific curriculum (A-Level, IB, AP, National, etc.) and asks for academic results and predictions where an international curriculum is followed.
For international applicants, Stanford says the ACT or SAT is required. The pages read do not say that A-level or IB results replace it.
No. Stanford says there is no need to have your marks converted into an American GPA.
Your school or testing agency. Stanford says official transcripts and results must be sent directly and that it will not accept transcripts from applicants.
No. Stanford says its admission office does not partner or work with paid agents or credentialing services.
No. They are Stanford's wording with no entry-year label. Check Stanford's pages again when Stanford publishes its 2028-entry requirements.
Students and families
Tell us about the student's curriculum, their curriculum, their school's reporting and the US universities on the list, the universities on the list, and the intended year of entry. A senior adviser will review the academic profile before recommending how to prepare.
