Stanford Continuing Studies

Stanford Continuing Studies is the easiest way for an ordinary adult to take a class from Stanford. There is no application and no entrance exam. You pick a course, pay and show up, whether that means a classroom on campus on a Tuesday night or a Zoom session from your kitchen table. The fall 2026 catalog ran from Euripidean tragedy and a portrait of Lenin to AI strategy, memoir writing and photography.

The program says more than 17,000 lifelong learners take its courses each year. This guide explains who can enroll, how the formats differ, what it costs, how registration and refunds work and what is coming up for winter 2027. All policies come from the Continuing Studies website, which you should check before you register.

Who can enroll

The only requirement is a high school diploma or its equivalent. You do not need to be a Stanford student, alumnus or employee. Continuing Studies says there are no prerequisites beyond curiosity and a willingness to take part.

• International students can take online courses from anywhere. Visitors in the United States on a tourist visa may also take on-campus courses. Continuing Studies does not sponsor visas and a student visa is not needed.
• Students are not matriculated. You do not become a Stanford student, cannot live on campus and do not get Stanford health insurance.
• Want regular Stanford courses? Open enrollment in regular undergraduate and graduate classes is only available in the summer through Stanford Summer Session, a separate program.

What you can study

Courses fall into four broad areas: Liberal Arts and Sciences, Creative Writing, Wellness and Health, plus Professional and Personal Development. Within those, the catalog is sorted by department. A sample of what is listed:

• Humanities: history, classics, literature, philosophy, religious studies, art history and film studies
• Sciences and social sciences: science, medicine, psychology, economics and international studies
• Creative writing: novel, short story, poetry, memoir and creative nonfiction, publishing
• Business and technology: entrepreneurship, finance and investing, leadership, product management, AI and machine learning
• Studio arts: drawing and painting, photography, audio, video and film
• Wellness: mindfulness, nutrition, life design and physical health
• Other: languages, music, food and drink and a distinguished faculty lecture series

The schedule is planned one quarter at a time, so the same course will not necessarily return. Stanford faculty and researchers teach many of the courses.

Online, on campus or hybrid

On-campus students learn their classroom one week before the course starts, through their student account. Classes are spread across campus buildings, so check the location and parking before the first night. Our Stanford parking and transit guide explains evening parking.

What it costs

Every course page lists its own tuition, which depends on length and class size. Beyond tuition:

• Registration fee: $35, charged once per quarter, not per course. It is waived if your total tuition and event fees for the quarter are under $100.
• Materials fees: Some courses add them, listed on the course page.
• Books: Not included. The Stanford Bookstore stocks Continuing Studies texts in a dedicated section on its lower level, usually two weeks before the quarter, but you can buy elsewhere.
• Payment: Credit card (Visa, Mastercard or American Express) or STAP funds for eligible Stanford employees. Checks are no longer accepted.

Discounts

You can use one discount per registration and it applies to tuition only, not to fees or courses under $100. Published discounts include 20 percent for students over 65 and 20 percent for K-12 teachers and staff or college teaching faculty. Members of the Stanford Alumni Association or the GSB alumni association get 15 percent. Eligible Stanford and Stanford Health Care employees get 20 percent. Older adults can find more local options in our guide to resources for older adults.

How registration works

1. Browse the catalog online when courses for the quarter appear.
2. Create a student account if you are new.
3. Add courses to your cart and check out. Registration is entirely online.
4. Choose a grade option during registration: letter grade, credit or no credit, or no grade requested.
5. Watch your email for course details, Canvas access and, for campus classes, your room.

You can enroll any time before a course begins and in most cases even after the first session. Popular courses fill well before the start date, so register early if the course page shows an enrollment limit. If a course is full, join the wait list from the course page. Continuing Studies contacts wait-listed students in the order they signed up, by email, so check daily as the start date nears.

Auditing is not allowed. You must be registered and paid before attending any class. The refund policy works as a trial: in multi-session courses you can attend the first class and still drop for a full tuition refund by the deadline.

Refunds and cancellations

Some courses have their own deadlines, shown on the course page. Drop online in your student account or by email. The $35 registration fee, materials fees and tuition under $100 are not refunded. If Continuing Studies cancels a course, you get everything back, including the registration fee unless you are enrolled in other courses that quarter.

The calendar for 2026 to 2027

Courses run in all four quarters. According to the program's academic calendar:

Some courses start later or end earlier within a quarter. Late-starting fall courses were still open in late October 2026.

Credit, grades and transcripts

Courses carry Continuing Studies units, generally one unit for every 10 hours of instruction. They cannot be applied to a Stanford degree and other schools decide for themselves whether to accept them. Only courses taken for a letter grade or credit appear on an official transcript, so pick one of those if an employer needs proof. The first five transcripts are free. Courses under 10 hours carry no units, but the instructor can give a statement of participation.

Certificates, a master's degree and free events

• Writing certificates: The Novel Writing Certificate and Memoir Writing Certificate each consist of six online courses over two years, with admission by application. Applications for fall 2026 have closed and the next cycle opens in spring 2027.
• Master of Liberal Arts: A separate part-time, evening master's degree through the School of Humanities and Sciences, with applications from September through January. Continuing Studies recommends some of its courses as preparation.
• Free public programs: Continuing Studies hosts free or low-cost readings, lectures and symposia. This fall's free Reimagining Democracy speaker series runs weekly from October 7 to November 11 and the calendar lists a talk with journalist Alexis Madrigal on November 12 and an Another Look book discussion on Tobias Wolff's Old School on November 17.

Frequently asked questions