The Center admits a limited number of Stanford undergraduates to work for a coterminal M.A. degree in East Asian Studies. While the coterminal degree program permits admission to a graduate program as early as the eighth quarter and no later than the end of the eleventh quarter of undergraduate study at Stanford, students must apply to the Center during their junior year and not in their senior year. The Center accepts M.A. applications only once a year and the deadline is thus January 1 of the student's junior year.

Applicants are expected to meet the same general standards as those seeking admission to the M.A. program: they must submit a written statement of purpose; a Stanford transcript; three letters of recommendation, at least two of which should be from members of the department of concentration; and scores from the General Test of the Graduate Record Exam (GRE). In addition, applicants must provide a list of courses they intend to take to fulfill degree requirements. The decision on admission rests with the M.A. Admissions Committee of the Center for East Asian Studies (CEAS). Students must meet all requirements for both B.A. and M.A. degrees. They must complete a total of 45 units after completing the 180 units required for the Bachelor's Degree for a total of 225 units.

Note: Coterms are not eligible for university financial aid, but are eligible to apply for Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowships (FLAS) administered by CEAS.