Stanford University

What Stanford University Is

Stanford University was founded in 1891 by Leland and Jane Stanford in memory of their son, on the San Francisco Peninsula in California. It is ranked 2nd in the world by the QS World University Rankings 2025 and 3rd by Times Higher Education.

Stanford is a private research university whose academic culture has been shaped profoundly by its proximity to Silicon Valley: Stanford faculty and alumni have founded or co-founded companies including Google, Hewlett-Packard, Netflix, Instagram, and Snapchat, among many others.

The university is organised across seven schools: the School of Engineering, the School of Humanities and Sciences, the Graduate School of Business (GSB), Stanford Law School, the School of Medicine, the School of Education, and the Doerr School of Sustainability. There is no separate undergraduate college: all undergraduates are enrolled in the university itself and may study across all schools.

Stanford’s endowment was US$37.6 billion as of August 2024, per Stanford Facts, making it the third largest university endowment in the United States after Harvard and Yale. This endowment funds extensive research infrastructure and a substantial financial aid programme. The university enrolled 7,554 undergraduates and 9,915 graduate students in Autumn 2024.

For Indian and international students, Stanford is most relevant as a destination for undergraduate study in computer science and engineering, for the Stanford GSB MBA, and for doctoral programmes in engineering and CS.

Stanford attracts a globally diverse student body; international students represent approximately 14% of undergraduates, per Stanford Facts.

Who It’s For

Stanford undergraduate admission is among the most competitive in the world. For the Class of 2028, Stanford received 57,326 applications and admitted approximately 2,067 students — an acceptance rate of 3.6%, a historic low, per Stanford News. The yield rate (admitted students who enroll) was 82%.

Unlike some peer institutions that favour a narrow academic focus, Stanford’s admissions process looks for students who demonstrate exceptional depth in at least one area (an “intellectual vitality” and a “spike” in some demonstrable way) while also showing genuine engagement across multiple domains. The Stanford application includes a supplement with five short essays, distinct from the Common Application personal statement.

Graduate and professional schools are separately competitive. The Stanford GSB MBA has one of the lowest acceptance rates of any MBA programme globally (approximately 7–8%), per published Stanford GSB admissions data. Stanford Law is the most selective law school in the United States by LSAT median score (173–174).

Programs Offered

Undergraduate

Stanford offers a bachelor’s degree (BS or AB) through 65+ majors across the seven schools. Undergraduates begin with distribution requirements covering Thinking Matters (introductory inquiry courses), Introduction to the Humanities, and breadth requirements across six domains. Major declaration typically happens in the second year.

The most competitive and sought-after majors include:

• Computer Science: Stanford’s CS programme is among the most cited in the world. The department is integrated with the Stanford Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (SAIL), the Stanford NLP Group, and the Computer Science department’s industrial affiliates programme, which brings technology companies into direct contact with students and faculty. See also: MSc Data Science.

• Economics: Stanford economics is rigorous and quantitatively oriented, covering micro and macroeconomics, econometrics, and applied fields including development, industrial organisation, and finance. See also: MA Economics.

• Mathematics: The Department of Mathematics offers both pure and applied mathematics tracks. Many Stanford mathematics students pursue the coterminal (BS/MS) route that allows the master’s degree to be completed alongside the undergraduate degree in five years. See also: MSc Mathematics.

• Symbolic Systems: A distinctive interdisciplinary major combining computer science, linguistics, philosophy, and psychology, focused on the nature of mind and intelligent systems.

• Political Science: Stanford’s political science programme has significant strength in American politics, comparative politics, and international relations. See also: MA Political Science.

• Biology and Bioengineering: Stanford’s proximity to a major medical school and to biotech companies in the Bay Area makes biological science a particular strength.

The coterminal (coterm) programme is a notable feature: undergraduates can begin a master’s degree at Stanford while completing the bachelor’s, graduating with both degrees in five years. This is particularly popular in engineering and computer science.

Graduate School of Business (Stanford GSB)

The Stanford MBA is a two-year full-time programme. Unlike HBS, Stanford GSB combines case teaching with lectures, project work, and experiential learning; the programme has a strongly entrepreneurial culture.

Admissions accept the GMAT or GRE. The typical admitted student has approximately five to six years of work experience. See also: MBA.

The GSB also offers the MSx programme (Master of Science in Management for Experienced Leaders), a one-year programme for executives with significant leadership experience.

Graduate School of Engineering and Other Graduate Programmes

Stanford’s graduate programmes in computer science, electrical engineering, and statistics appear consistently in global subject rankings. Most doctoral students are funded through research assistantships or fellowships.

The MS in Computer Science is popular with international students; it is self-funded (tuition approximately US$21,180–22,562 per quarter in 2025–26, per the Stanford Bulletin). The GRE is widely used for engineering graduate admissions, though requirements vary by department.

For data science, the Department of Statistics offers an MS in Statistics with data science tracks. See also: MSc Data Science.

Stanford Law School

Stanford Law is a JD programme (three years). It accepts the LSAT and, from 2016, also the GRE. Stanford’s LLM and other advanced law degrees are separately administered. The school has particular strength in law and technology, environmental law, and corporate law.

Campus and Infrastructure

Stanford’s main campus is 8,180 acres in Stanford, California, on the San Francisco Peninsula between San Jose and San Francisco — the largest contiguous university campus in the United States. The campus is defined by its Spanish Mission–influenced architecture, palm-lined paths, and the iconic Memorial Church at the center of the Main Quad.

Housing: Stanford guarantees on-campus housing for all four undergraduate years and for many graduate students in their first one or two years. Graduate residences are spread across the campus. The housing guarantee is a significant benefit given high rental costs in the surrounding area (Palo Alto has some of the most expensive real estate in the world).

Research infrastructure: Stanford hosts the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (a Department of Energy facility), the Stanford Linear Accelerator, the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource, and major research centres in AI, medicine, energy, environment, and the humanities. The Stanford Research Park, adjacent to the campus, is home to hundreds of technology companies.

Libraries: The Stanford University Libraries system operates 20 libraries with over 10 million print and digital volumes. Green Library is the main research library.

Athletics: Stanford competes in NCAA Division I sports across 36 varsity sports. The university has been one of the most consistently decorated in collegiate athletics history.

The Silicon Valley ecosystem: The practical implication of Stanford’s location is real for students pursuing careers in technology, venture capital, or entrepreneurship. Access to internships, networking events, and startup incubators (including the Stanford StartX programme) is integrated into the campus experience in a way that differs from East Coast peers.

Cost of living: The Palo Alto area is expensive even by US standards. Stanford’s required campus housing for undergraduates moderates this somewhat, but graduate students living off-campus face rental costs typically starting at US$2,500–4,000 per month for a one-bedroom apartment.

Financial Aid

Stanford’s financial aid programme is need-based and highly generous. In 2025–26, the full undergraduate tuition rate is US$67,731 per year, per Stanford News. Standard room and board charges total US$22,167 in 2025–26.

However, Stanford’s aid policy means most families pay substantially less:

• Families with annual incomes below US$100,000 (and typical assets) pay no tuition, room, or board.
• Families with incomes below US$150,000 pay no tuition contribution at all.
• Approximately one-third of undergraduate families pay nothing toward tuition.

Quarterly tuition for 2025–26 is US$22,577 per quarter for full-time undergraduates, per the Stanford Bulletin. Total annual tuition (three quarters) is US$67,731.

International students are eligible for the same need-based aid as domestic students. Stanford meets 100% of demonstrated financial need for all admitted students, regardless of citizenship.

GSB MBA students typically finance their degrees through loans; the programme does offer some fellowship support. MS and doctoral students in most engineering programmes receive full funding.

Things to Verify Before Applying

The Stanford supplement is required: Stanford requires applicants to complete the Stanford-specific supplement in addition to the Common Application. The supplement includes five short essay prompts that differ each cycle. These questions are taken seriously by the admissions committee. Answering them generically is a noted mistake in applications.

Restrictive Early Action at Stanford: Stanford’s early round is Restrictive Early Action (REA), similar to Harvard. REA applicants cannot simultaneously apply Early Decision to other private universities, though they can apply to public university early programmes. The REA deadline is October 15; Regular Decision is January 2. Decisions are released in mid-December (REA) and late March (RD).

The SAT or ACT is required: Stanford reinstated its testing requirement for the Class of 2030 and beyond. The SAT or ACT is required for first-year applicants. Stanford does not specify a minimum score; the admitted class profile for the Class of 2028 reflects very high score distributions, with median SAT scores typically around 1570.

The coterm programme requires academic planning: If considering the coterminal degree, the programme must be applied for during the undergraduate years. It is not guaranteed; departments have separate admission criteria for the coterm path.

Stanford GSB admits very few people: The GSB MBA acceptance rate is approximately 7–8%. Average GMAT score for admitted students has historically been around 733–740, with GRE averages of V163/Q163. Average work experience is around five to six years. The GSB does not publish a standard profile, preferring holistic assessment.

Graduate programme funding varies significantly: Engineering doctoral students are typically funded. Stanford Law and GSB students are typically not funded and take on substantial debt. MS students in engineering and science may or may not be funded depending on department and research availability.

Where to Go Next on This Site

• SAT/ACT — for undergraduate admissions test requirements
• GRE — for graduate admissions requirements
• GMAT — for Stanford GSB MBA admissions
• MBA — comparing Stanford GSB MBA with peer programmes
• MSc Data Science — data science graduate options
• MA Economics — postgraduate economics programmes
• MA Political Science — graduate political science options

Sources Used

• Stanford Facts
• Stanford Undergraduate Admission — First-Year Applicants
• Stanford News — 2025-26 Tuition Rates
• Stanford Bulletin — Tuition and Fees
• Stanford GSB MBA Admissions
• Stanford Class of 2028 Enrollment Data
• QS World University Rankings 2025