How to Apply
Admissions Information for All Applicants
The online application for AY 2024-25 will open early October 2023.
The GRE general test scores are optional. Please see below for more information regarding application materials.
Application Deadline for Academic Year 2024-25 is December 1, 2023 at 11:59pm PST. Applicant must submit the Online MA application including a 500 word double-spaced statement of purpose, resumé or CV, 2,500 - 3,750 words double-spaced academic writing sample in English, transcripts, and information of the 3 references that will be providing letters of recommendation.
- December 8, 2023: Deadline for CLAS to receive supplemental materials such as unofficial transcripts, GRE (optional) and/or TOEFL scores, and letters of recommendation.
- December 8, 2023: Deadline for FLAS Fellowship Graduate Application 2024-25. More information available here.
Frequently Asked Questions? Click here
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 each year in March.
Stanford University accepts only online applications to graduate programs. If you are not a current Stanford undergraduate student, please visit the Graduate Admissions website to access the online application. Current Stanford undergrads only: access the Coterm Online Application here. The deadline for coterm applications is December 1, 2023
Applicants must meet the University admission requirements, have a working knowledge of Spanish or Portuguese at the university third-year level, and have experience working, living, or studying in Latin America or Iberia prior to admission.
CLAS takes a broad approach to evaluating applications for admission. As important as grades are the applicant's essay, letters of recommendation, and the experiences and goals conveyed through the statement of purpose and curriculum vitae. The Center for Latin American Studies 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 Center for Latin American Studies 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.
Knight-Hennessy Scholars
Join dozens of Stanford School of Humanities and Sciences students who receive up to three years of funding and valuable leadership skills 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 multidisciplinary and multicultural cohort, participate in up to three years of leadership programming, and receive full funding for up to three years of your graduate 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.
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.
Required Applications Materials
- Statement of Purpose: No more than 500 words double-spaced. 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.
- Resumé or curriculum vitae
- Academic writing sample in English: 2,500 - 3,750 words double-spaced. The sample should be an academic essay (i.e. 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. The writing sample must be in English. Applicants who no longer have access to materials from their undergraduate career, will need to write one that meets the application requirement.
- Three letters of recommendation. CLAS strongly recommends that at least two of the letters of recommendation be from professors who can speak about your academic strengths.
- Official transcript - one copy (co-term applicants should submit unofficial a Stanford transcript). NOTE: Unofficial transcript copies can be scanned and submitted with the application as a placeholder. Once official transcripts are received, they will be matched to your application. Please visit the Graduate Admissions Transcripts webpage for further details.
The GRE general test scores are optional.
Stanford does not accept paper supplementary materials. Applicants are expected to upload scanned copies of all their materials, including unofficial copies of transcripts, to their online application (click here for more details).
GRE & TOEFL Test Scores
- The GRE general test scores are optional.
- Applicants who completed their undergraduate degrees in a non-English speaking environment must submit TOEFL scores as stipulated by Stanford Graduate Admissions.