Instructions and Information

The certification process for law schools, FIPC, State Boards of Law Examiners, medical/veterinary school, etc., is a two-step process at Stanford.

1. Step 1: The Dean of Students has designated the Office of Community Standards to handle the first step, i.e., to respond to questions about disciplinary records; see contact information following below.
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2. Step 2: Beginning Autumn Quarter 2009-10, the Office of the University Registrar no longer answers questions related to academic standing. The Student Services Center has been designated (by the Registrar's Office) to provide an official student enrollment certification and cover letter explaining this policy. These two above mentioned documents will be included and sent with each dean certification form. Should there be noticeable gaps in enrollment on the student's enrollment certification the institution will be asked to follow up directly with the student for a further explanation.

• Certification processing may require 10 business days.
• Each certification form should be accompanied by a stamped, pre-addressed envelope to each individual entity.
  • After processing, the forms are mailed directly to the entity, not to students.
  • Please include your Stanford ID number, a phone number and/or an e-mail address where you can be reached, if necessary.
  • For faster delivery by the U.S. Postal Service, the recipient entity’s address should be typed rather than handwritten, and should include the 9-digit ZIP code.
• You should submit your forms to the Office of Community Standards at least one month before recipient entity’s deadline. Please remember that the university is closed the last two weeks of December.
  • We will accept forms submitted after that time, and will do our best to process them in a timely manner, but we cannot assure you that we can meet the requisite deadlines of the entities to which you are applying. Priority will be given to those students who timely submit, and in the order received.
• Certification forms should be sent or delivered to:

  ATTN: Dean's Certification Official
  
  Office of Community Standards
  
  Stanford University
  
  Tresidder Memorial Union, Suite 9
  
  459 Lagunita Dr.
  Stanford, CA 94305-3010

FAQ

Q: Do I need to meet with the Dean of Students or any other university administrator in order to get my certification form processed?

A: No, there is no need to meet with the Dean or any other administrator.

Q: What other forms/materials do I need to submit with the certification form?
A: In addition to the stamped, pre-addressed envelope to the school/entity, you may wish to enclose a stamped, self-addressed postcard that Stanford can return to you after your forms have been processed and sent to the requested recipients, and a stamped, self-addressed postcard for each entity to mail to you to confirm receipt of your certification form.

Q: Will Stanford accept a faxed or emailed certification form?

A: Yes. Stanford requires a signature on all faxed certification requests or forms emailed as attachments

Q: Will Stanford fax the forms to the school for me?

A: No. Most institutions will not accept faxed or emailed copies of certification forms for the same reason Stanford does not accept them.

Q: How will my forms be mailed to the institutions?

A: You may include a stamped, pre-addressed regular business-sized envelope for each form to be sent via the U.S. Postal Service. If using UPS, FedEx, DHL, USPS Express or Priority Mail services, please include correct postage or a pre-paid air-bill. NOTE: Stanford does not accept USPS Certified Mail, and does not pay for postage.

Q: Is there a certification form processing fee?

A: No, Stanford does not charge for processing certification forms.

Q: If I have a disciplinary and/or academic probation record at Stanford, what happens after the Office of Community Standards and/or Registrar’s Office checks the affirmative boxes on the certification forms?
A: For any affirmative responses to disciplinary questions, the Office of Community Standards must provide a letter of explanation to accompany the form. Beginning Autumn Quarter 2009-10, the Student Services Center (acting on behalf of the Registrar’s Office) will provide a copy of your official enrollment certification along with a cover letter explaining our policy in regards to academic standing questions. The Registrar’s Office does not respond to academic standing questions rather, we provide an official Stanford enrollment certification as proof of your enrollment. If the institution you are sending your Dean’s certification to has questions about gaps in your enrollment, they should contact you directly for further explanation. All of this is explained in detail in the cover letter that Stanford attaches to your dean certification form.

Q: Will I have any input into the information regarding my academic standing record?
A: The Registrar’s Office does not respond to academic standing questions on dean’s certification forms. Instead, we provide an official Stanford certification as proof of your enrollment. If the institution you are sending your dean’s certification to has questions about gaps in your enrollment, they are instructed to contact you directly for further explanation. All of this is explained in detail in the cover letter that Stanford attaches to your dean certification form. It is your prerogative, as the student, to inform the third party about the reasoning behind any gaps in your enrollment. The Registrar’s Office is unable to confirm or refute the veracity of such statements.

Q: If no Dean’s Certification Form is provided by the school/entity to which I am applying, but some type of disciplinary clearance is required, what should I do?
A: Send a request for a clearance letter to the Office of Community Standards. Be sure to include with your request a stamped, pre-addressed envelope to the school/entity requiring the clearance, the instructions and/or a copy of the request from the school/entity, its name, and your contact information.

Q: Does Stanford provide a student’s GPA and class rank to other schools?
A: No. Under no circumstances will a student’s GPA be released to third parties/with the certification forms.Stanford calculates a GPA for internal academic standing purposes only. Class rank is not calculated for any purpose.

Q: The institution/entity to which I am applying claims that it did not receive my certification form. What should I do?
A: As noted above, you may wish to include a stamped, self-addressed postcard for each school/entity to return to you confirming receipt. Remember that often there are significant delays in admissions office processing of forms. You should contact each individual school/entity to verify that they have (or have not) received your forms before contacting Stanford again. It is very important that you allow sufficient time for processing AND mailing. Neither the Office of Community Standards nor the Registrar’s Office will be responsible for delays or misdirection in mailing caused by the U.S. Postal Service or other mailing services.

Q: If I want to check the status of my certification forms, whom do I contact?
A: Please allow 30 business days after submitting your request for certification before contacting Stanford. The Office of Community Standards telephone number is (650) 725-2485. The Student Services Center telephone number is (650) 723-7772 or 866-993-7772 (toll free). Please provide your name, telephone number and/or email address when making inquiries.