BS | Petitions, Deviations, & Transfer Credits

Overview

In general, students must follow the program sheets in order to graduate. Students who wish to deviate from the program sheet can petition to ask for exceptions or deviations to the CS requirements.

Petitioning Courses

• If you would like to petition any courses that are located on the first page of your program sheet, you will need to fill out the School of Engineering Deviation Petition Form (SoE undergraduate website and handbook). Students will need to get their major advisor & the CS Department to sign their petition.
• If you would like to petition any courses that are located on the second page of your program sheet, you will need to submit your request through our SmartSheet form for consideration. The committee meets two times in the quarter (excluding Summer quarters) and will email (petitions@cs.stanford.edu) you directly after your petition has been reviewed. 
  • Important Note: Take into consideration that petitions should be submitted at least one quarter before you plan on applying to graduate in Axess to ensure that you are well-equipped with a back-up plan. 
  • How to submit a successful petition: 
    • Provide clear arguments why the course you're petitioning is an appropriate alternative to a course you'd otherwise be required to take.
    • If possible, ask the professor teaching the class you're petitioning to email you their support, and include and/or forward that email as part of your petition.

AP/IB Credits

• You can review the Stanford External Test Credit Chart for more information on applicable Math/Science units.
• In order to make sure that you can apply your AP/IB units, make sure that your units are listed on your unofficial transcript, and then send an email to Darlene Lazar (dlazar@stanford.edu) along with your transcript. They can verify that your units can count towards your CS program requirements.

Transferring Credits

• Students seeking transfer credit for any requirements on the front of the program sheet must connect with the School of Engineering.
• Students seeking transfer credit for any requirements on the second page of the program sheet require approval from the CS Department. To request approval, share it with Jerry Cain (jerry@cs.stanford.edu) via email and cc Danielle Gaspar (djgaspar@stanford.edu). Please include the Stanford class for which you are requesting credit, where and when you took the course, the name and number, for how many units you took the course, a syllabus, and a textbook list.
• For assistance with academic and administrative matters beyond the scope of the CS Department, such as enrollment status or transfer credit not showing up on your transcript, file a ticket or stop by the student services center.

Student Services Center