Admission

When it is decided by a faculty member and a sponsoring department that an applicant is a good fit for a proposed postdoctoral traineeship, a formal offer letter is sent to the scholar from the faculty sponsor. This letter should contain the following information:

name of the faculty sponsor with whom the scholar will be training
the expected start and end dates of the fellowship
a detailing of the source, level, and duration of funding
outline of duties and/or objectives expected from the scholar
health insurance/benefits information
registration information, including explanation of status as a non-matriculated student
details regarding vacation, sick leave, maternity leave, and travel reimbursement policy

The scholar should sign a copy of the letter acknowledging agreement to the terms of the letter and return it to the faculty sponsor, retaining a copy for his/her own files.

In addition, before starting the fellowship, the scholar is required to fill out an Information Sheet for Postdoctoral Fellows supplied by the faculty sponsor. Usually this form is provided with the offer letter and should be returned at the same time.

In order to establish that the scholar has indeed received a terminal degree prior to working at Stanford, he/she will be required to submit a copy of the diploma or transcript (with translation into English if in a foreign language) showing final doctoral degree conferral. If the final degree has not yet been formally conferred, but all the requirements have been met, a statement of completion of studies from the scholar's home institution (Registrar's Office or Dean of Graduate Studies) is requested for conditional admission for one quarter. This statement should indicate the date on which all requirements were completed and the expected degree conferral date. Please note that degrees must be formally conferred by the end of the first quarter the scholar is at Stanford, or the scholar will be forced to withdraw from the position.

Please note M.D. or Ph.D. graduates of Stanford University are required to submit a copy of their diploma or letter of completion.

Please be aware that Stanford University has policies regarding the admittance of scholars for training.  The policies are listed in the Research Policy Handbook 9.4.  Scholars are allowed to train at Stanford for up to four years, but may not exceed a total of five research years from all (cumulative) appointments.   Senior researchers are expected to be brought to Stanford as Research Associates rather than postdoctoral scholars if training exceeds five years.  Any exceptions are requested by the faculty sponsor to the Associate Dean for Postdoctoral Affairs.