National university
#2 Most selective colleges in AmericaStanford University
Stanford, CA · Private nonprofit · 4-year
Your real cost
Average price after aid About $14,000 a year
Median debt at graduation: $12,000 (all students)
Estimate your own price · the college’s net price calculator
Upcoming admissions events
- Community Conversations: The Markaz Resource CenterOctober 21, 2026 · 4:00 PM · VirtualMore about Community Conversations: The Markaz Resource CenterAdd to calendar
- Community Conversations: Black Community Services CenterOctober 21, 2026 · 5:00 PM · VirtualMore about Community Conversations: Black Community Services CenterAdd to calendar
- STARS Application Workshop and College FairOctober 21, 2026 · 6:00 PM · Lander, WYMore about STARS Application Workshop and College FairAdd to calendar
- Community Conversations: Women in STEMOctober 22, 2026 · 3:00 PM · VirtualMore about Community Conversations: Women in STEMAdd to calendar
View all upcoming events · From the college's admissions website.
Rankings
Where this college places on our top lists. Lists are worked out from official data and our own research; places in the top quarter of each list are shown. See every list
In America
- Best colleges for communications and journalism in America#1 of 1,238
- Best colleges for psychology in America#2 of 1,418
- Best colleges for biology and pre-med in America#2 of 1,358
- Best colleges for art and design in America#2 of 1,187
- Best colleges in America#4 of 1,829
- Best colleges for English in America#3 of 1,283
Show 26 more
- Best colleges for history in America#3 of 1,247
- Best colleges for mathematics in America#3 of 1,215
- Best colleges for chemistry in America#3 of 1,162
- Best colleges for political science and pre-law in America#3 of 1,116
- Best test-optional colleges in America#4 of 1,481
- Best colleges for music in America#3 of 1,063
- Colleges that spend the most on teaching in America#2 of 704
- Most selective colleges in America#2 of 683
- Best mid-size colleges in America#2 of 667
- Best colleges for economics in America#3 of 788
- Best colleges for computer science in America#3 of 750
- Best colleges for engineering in America#3 of 749
- Colleges with the biggest discount off the sticker price in America#3 of 690
- Best colleges for NCAA Division I athletes in America#2 of 367
- Lowest net price for middle-income families in America#4 of 682
- Colleges that pay for themselves fastest in America#4 of 598
- Best value colleges in the West in America#1 of 103
- Colleges with the best earnings for the price in America#8 of 681
- Best value colleges in America#8 of 674
- Best colleges under $20,000 a year in America#3 of 197
- Colleges with the lowest student debt in America#20 of 684
- Colleges with the most faculty per student in America#21 of 704
- Colleges with the highest graduation rates in America#56 of 1,829
- Colleges where the most freshmen return in America#29 of 693
- Best colleges in the San Francisco Bay Area area#1 of 18
- Most affordable colleges with strong academics in America#47 of 690
In California
- Best colleges for art and design in California#1 of 75
- Best colleges for psychology in California#1 of 74
- Best colleges for communications and journalism in California#1 of 70
- Best colleges for music in California#1 of 70
- Colleges that spend the most on teaching in California#1 of 64
- Best colleges in California#2 of 128
Show 25 more
- Colleges with the biggest discount off the sticker price in California#1 of 63
- Colleges with the best earnings for the price in California#1 of 62
- Lowest net price for middle-income families in California#1 of 61
- Best value colleges in California#1 of 59
- Best value colleges in the West in California#1 of 59
- Colleges that pay for themselves fastest in California#1 of 54
- Best test-optional colleges in California#2 of 100
- Best mid-size colleges in California#1 of 36
- Best colleges for biology and pre-med in California#2 of 69
- Best colleges for English in California#2 of 68
- Best colleges for history in California#2 of 68
- Best colleges for political science and pre-law in California#2 of 67
- Best colleges for mathematics in California#2 of 65
- Best colleges for chemistry in California#2 of 63
- Most selective colleges in California#2 of 57
- Best colleges for engineering in California#2 of 56
- Best colleges for computer science in California#2 of 54
- Best colleges for economics in California#2 of 54
- Best colleges for NCAA Division I athletes in California#1 of 26
- Colleges with the lowest student debt in California#3 of 61
- Colleges with the highest graduation rates in California#9 of 128
- Colleges with the most faculty per student in California#5 of 64
- Colleges where the most freshmen return in California#6 of 63
- Most affordable colleges with strong academics in California#7 of 63
- Best colleges under $20,000 a year in California#2 of 17
Academic Excellence
Each measure counts for the share shown.
- Graduation rate 35% of scoreThis measure counts for 35% of the Academic Excellence score.92%
- First-year retention 20% of scoreThis measure counts for 20% of the Academic Excellence score.98%
- Entering students' test scores 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.SAT 1,553 · ACT 34.5
- Student-to-faculty ratio 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.6 to 1
- Instructional spending per student 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.$154,517
Bars show points on each measure’s scale. How Academic Excellence is computed.
Source: College Scorecard (College Scorecard, most recent cohorts (data release 06/10/2026))
What families pay, by income
Average paid by families who received aid, by income. Families who get no aid pay the full cost of attendance: $87,833 a year.
| Family income | Price after aid |
|---|---|
| Up to $30,000 | |
| $30,001–$48,000 | |
| $48,001–$75,000 | |
| $75,001–$110,000 | |
| Over $110,000 |
Use the college’s net price calculator for your own estimate.
Cost and value
Federal data: what families pay after aid, what graduates earn, and what they owe.
| Undergraduate students Fall enrollment (IPEDS) | 8,054 |
|---|---|
| Men and women College Scorecard, fall 2023 | Men 48% · Women 52% |
| First-generation students College Scorecard | 30% |
| First-year students from another state IPEDS, fall 2023 | 56% |
| Total students | 18,446 |
| Average net price (per year) After grants and scholarships, for students receiving federal aid | About $14,000 |
| Cost of attendance (per year) | $87,833 |
| Median federal debt at graduation | $12,000 |
| Graduation rate First-time, full-time students finishing within 150% of normal time | 92% |
| Graduation rate for Pell grant recipients College Scorecard, within 6 years | 88% |
| Graduation rate for first-generation students College Scorecard, within 6 years | 90% |
| Borrowers paying down their loans within 3 years College Scorecard, within 3 years | 90% |
| First-year retention | 98% |
| Median earnings 10 years after entry | $124,080 |
| Admission rate | 4% |
| Application fee IPEDS, 2023–24 | $90 |
| Restrictive early action deadline College website, 2026-27 | November 1 |
| Regular decision deadline College website, 2026-27 | January 5 |
| Typical rent HUD fair market rent, FY2026 | About $2,982 a month for a one-bedroom |
| Students receiving Pell grants | 19% |
| Average SAT | 1553 |
|---|---|
| SAT reading & writing | 740–780 |
| SAT math | 770–800 |
| ACT composite | 34–35 |
| Test policy | Considered but not required |
Value: Exceptional · Top 1% (how it’s computed)
Sources: College Scorecard · IPEDS College Navigator · Net price calculator
College Scorecard, most recent cohorts (data release 06/10/2026); IPEDS 2024-25 directory and institutional characteristics; fall 2023 enrollment.
Earnings by major
Median earnings of bachelor’s graduates a few years after finishing, by major (College Scorecard).
| Major | Median earnings |
|---|---|
| Computer science | |
| Cognitive Science | |
| Mechanical engineering | |
| Other engineering | |
| Economics | |
| Science, Technology and Society | |
| International relations | |
| English | |
| Human Biology | |
| Ethnic and gender studies |
Also offered (no earnings published yet): Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering, Anthropology, Applied mathematics, Archeology, Area studies, Biology, Biomedical/Medical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Civil engineering, Classics, Communication studies, East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Electrical engineering, Engineering-Related Fields, Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering, Experimental psychology, Film and video, Fine arts, Geology and earth science, German, History, Liberal arts, Linguistics, Materials Engineering, Mathematics, Music, Other philosophy and religious studies, Philosophy, Physics, Political science, Psychology, Public Policy Analysis, Religious studies, Romance languages, Slavic, Baltic and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Sociology, Sustainability Studies, Systems Science and Theory, Theatre, Urban Studies/Affairs.
What students study most
Share of bachelor’s degrees by field, first majors in 2023–24 (IPEDS).
| Field | Share of degrees |
|---|---|
| Computer and information sciences | |
| Engineering | |
| Interdisciplinary studies | |
| Social sciences | |
| Mathematics and statistics |
Campus life
| School colors | |
|---|---|
| Setting | Suburb |
| Part-time undergraduates | 0% |
| Undergraduates aged 25 and older | 2% |
| On-campus room and board (per year) | $21,315 |
| Sports | NCAA Division I · Atlantic Coast Conference |
| ROTC | Army · Navy · Air Force |
| Study abroad | Offered |
| Students per faculty member | 6 to 1 |
| Undergraduates registered with the disability office | About 29%IPEDS, 2023–24 |
| Faculty who are full-time | 99%College Scorecard, fall 2023 |
| Endowment per student | $2,063,491IPEDS, 2023, per student |
| Nearest airport with airline service | Mineta San Jose International Airport (SJC)About 14 miles away · about 30 minutes by car |
| Town population | 18,662Census, 2020–2024 |
| Nearest city of 250,000 people or more | San JoseAbout 21 miles away · about 35 minutes by car |
| Typical weather | 48°F in January · 68°F in JulyNOAA, 1991–2020, from Palo Alto, CA |
Federal data (IPEDS and College Scorecard), except school colors.
Questions families ask
- What is Stanford University’s Compass Score?
- Exceptional (grade A+). It ranks in the top 1% of rated colleges. The grade comes from outcomes (40%: graduation, retention and earnings), entering students (40%: test scores and selectivity), cost (15%: debt and price after aid) and teaching (5%: class size), all from federal data.
- How much does Stanford University cost after financial aid?
- The average net price is about $14,000 a year for students who receive federal aid, after grants and scholarships. What your family pays depends on income; the college’s net price calculator gives your own estimate.
- How hard is it to get into Stanford University?
- Stanford University admitted 4% of applicants in the most recent federal data.
- How do Stanford University’s graduates do?
- 92% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years; the median earnings of former students ten years after entry are $124,080; the median federal debt at graduation is $12,000.
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About this school’s data
- IPEDS unit ID 243744
- Carnegie classification: Doctoral university (very high research)
- Accreditation: WASC Senior College and University Commission (U.S. Department of Education DAPIP)
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Colleges like this one
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