Admissions

Admission of PhD students into Molecular and Cellular Physiology (MCP) occurs through the Biosciences PhD Program. Please review the complete up-to-date information about the application process here. opens in a new tab

• Applications are available online in early September at http://gradadmissions.stanford.edu opens in a new tab.

• Submit application, including transcripts and letters of recommendation by the deadline.To opens in a new tab be eligible for admission to graduate study at Stanford, you must meet the university’s minimum requirements for academic credentials and English proficiency.

Minimum Education Requirements
You must hold, or expect to hold before enrollment at Stanford, a U.S. bachelor’s degree or its international equivalent from a college or university of recognized standing.

For applicants who earned their qualifying degree outside the United States: If you are unsure whether your international degree is considered equivalent to a U.S. bachelor’s degree, we recommend using the degree equivalency tool opens in a new tab offered by World Education Services (WES).

English Proficiency
As a graduate student enrolled at Stanford, you will be expected to read English with ease, understand rapid idiomatic English as used in lectures and group discussions, and express thoughts quickly and clearly in spoken and written English.

Effective for applicants starting graduate study 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 full-time professional or educational experience in English, in the past 10 years.

If you do not meet any of the criteria listed above, then at the time of application you are required to submit an official test score from an approved English proficiency test opens in a new tab.

Only through the "Graduate Authorization Petition" for MSTP/MED students.