Coterminal Master's in Latin American Studies

General Admissions Details for Coterminal Applicants

ACADEMIC YEAR 2027-28 CYCLE

Undergraduates at Stanford may apply for admission to the coterminal master's program in Latin American Studies when they have earned a minimum of 120 units toward graduation—including advanced placement and transfer credit—and no later than the quarter prior to the expected completion of their undergraduate degree. Coterminal applicants must have a minimum GPA of 3.5 and meet the pre-entry language requirement. See the How to Apply section on our website for more information.

The application deadline for the 2027–28 academic year is December 1, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. PT. Students interested in applying to the LAS coterm program should use the Coterm Online Application. 

Only coterm applicants can apply for Spring or Autumn matriculation. All other applicants must select Autumn as their intended matriculation quarter.

CLAS takes a holistic approach to evaluating applications for admission, considering all aspects of the application, including the applicant's transcripts, letters of recommendation, academic writing sample, and the experiences and goals conveyed through the statement of purpose and résumé/CV.

Required Applications Materials

  1. Statement of Purpose: The Statement of Purpose should describe succinctly your reasons for applying to the Latin American Studies MA program at Stanford, your preparation for this field of study, research interests, future career plans, and other aspects of your background and interests which may aid the admissions committee in evaluating your aptitude and motivation for graduate study. The maximum recommended length is 500 words double-spaced.
  2. Enriching the Learning Community Statement: Stanford University welcomes graduate applications from individuals with a broad range of experiences, interests, and backgrounds who would contribute to our community of scholars. We invite you to share the lived experiences, demonstrated values, perspectives, and/or activities that shape you as a scholar and would help you to make a distinctive contribution to Stanford University. Your statement should not exceed 500 words in length.
  3. Resumé or curriculum vitae.
  4. Preliminary research abstract: Your preliminary research abstract should summarize your proposed research project in 150 to 250 words, double-spaced. Ensure to state your research question and methodology.
  5. Academic writing sample: Your writing sample should be an academic essay (e.g., a final term paper, a chapter from an undergraduate thesis, undergraduate capstone paper, a paper submitted for publishing, etc.) and the content does not need to be related to Latin America. It may be on any academic topic of your choice written in English. The recommended length is 2,500-3,750 words double-spaced. 
  6. Confirmation of Spanish fluency: Applicants must have a minimum level of Spanish equivalent to B1 (CEFR scale), intermediate high (ACTFL scale), or university third year of study. Students who did not attain a degree in a Spanish-speaking institution must submit a 250-350 word statement (double-spaced) that provides specific examples of their oral and written fluency in Spanish.
  7. Three letters of recommendation: CLAS strongly recommends that at least two of the letters of recommendation be from former or current professors who can speak about your academic strengths. CLAS also recommends that at least one letter from a professor in your major. However, letters from professional contacts will also be considered.  
  8. Transcript(s): You must provide your unofficial Stanford transcript, as well as the unofficial transcript for any post-secondary institution where you were previously enrolled in a degree program. Please visit the Stanford Student Services Coterm Application Process webpage for further details.
  9. Program Proposal: The coterm preliminary program proposal is a list of all Stanford courses you have taken previously or plan to take in the future to fulfill degree requirements for the master’s program.

Stanford does not accept paper supplementary materials. Applicants are expected to upload copies of all their materials to their online application.

GRE Test Scores

The GRE general test scores are optional for this program.

Coterm Course Transfer

Coterminal students may count or transfer coursework taken in the three quarters immediately preceding their first graduate quarter toward their graduate degree, as approved by CLAS.

Neither summer quarter nor terms spent on an approved leave of absence are counted among the three preceding quarters.

Courses cannot be transferred once the undergraduate degree is conferred. All course transfer requests must be submitted to the Student Services Center no later than the Late Application to Graduate Deadline of the intended bachelor’s degree conferral quarter. The Coterminal Course Transfer Form form is used to move courses from one career to another (for example, undergraduate to graduate career). 

For Further Information:

Contact CLAS Academic and Student Services at latinamerica [at] stanford.edu (subject: MA%20application%20inquiry) (latinamerica[at]stanford[dot]edu)

Please do not contact us to inquire about your application status. We will contact you if any part of the application is incomplete. Admissions decisions are sent out between February and March.