Information About EPGY and EPGY Courses

If you are interested in using EPGY course software in a school environment, please visit the EPGY for Schools section elsewhere on this site.

For an description of general EPGY policies, please see the EPGY Information Guide elsewhere on this site.

• Computer Requirements
• Virtual Classroom
• Course Credit
• Qualifying for EPGY
• Student Commitment

Computer Requirements

The EPGY course software runs under Windows. The recommended system has

• Windows XP/2000
• a 200MHz Pentium or better PC with at least 64 MB RAM,
• 40MB of free hard drive space,
• a 32-bit sound card and CD-ROM drive,
• speakers or headphones

You must be able to access the internet with a browser, and you must be able to send and receive email attachments. >Though not required, we do recommend broadband Internet access via Cable or DSL.

If you have a Macintosh computer running OS X, please see EPGY Macintosh information.

Virtual Classroom

Most of the writing courses meet weekly in the EPGY Virtual Classroom. Other EPGY students who want to work more intensively with an instructor, one-on-one, or in a small group, are also encouraged to enroll in the EPGY Virtual Classroom. Students connect via the internet, using voice and shared whiteboard conferencing software to create a real-time interactive version of the EPGY lecture environment. The virtual classroom gives students a robust electronic forum in which they can interact with instructors and other students. Top

Course Credit

Students admitted to EPGY may enroll formally in the Stanford Continuing Studies Program (CSP) and receive credit from CSP for each course completed. Students who want to receive credit from their own elementary, middle, or high schools should talk to their school officials before enrolling in EPGY. Students who take courses beyond the advanced placement level and matriculate as undergraduates at Stanford may use these credits towards their bachelor's degrees. Students who attend other universities will have to transfer the credit from CSP. Top

Qualifying for EPGY

To qualify for EPGY, students must provide evidence of their intellectual ability. In order to demonstrate this, students normally submit the results of a nationally recognized standardized test such as the SAT. Students 13 and younger applying for the mathematics courses may also register to take the EPGY Mathematical Aptitude Test to qualify for admission. Top

Student Commitment

The amount of time students should spend working on the computer each week depends on the level of the course and the ability of the student. Students in the K-7 mathematics sequence should spend at least 3 days per week working 20-minute sessions on the computer. Students in the secondary-school-level courses and above should spend between 5 and 10 hours per week working on course material, depending on the course. Students who are participating in weekly virtual classroom sessions will need to set aside a regular time each week for class meetings. Writing students should expect to spend at least 2 to 7 hours per week on their reading and writing assignments in addition to attending their weekly virtual classroom sessions. Top