A private R1 research university in Stanford, CA, admitting 3.61% of applicants with median graduate earnings of $124,080.
Stanford, California
Stanford University is a private R1 research university in Stanford, California, founded in 1885 and opened in 1891. It enrolls 7,554 undergraduates and 10,721 graduate students across seven schools: Business, Earth, Energy and Environmental Sciences, Education, Engineering, Humanities and Sciences, Law, and Medicine. Computer science accounts for 18.7% of bachelor's degrees awarded, followed by engineering at 16.7%, social sciences at 15.7%, and multidisciplinary programs at 15.7%. Stanford holds a Doctoral University: Very High Research Activity (R1) Carnegie classification and is accredited through the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC).
Official website: stanford.edu
UCD scores every college on four pillars: Outcomes, Value, Affordability, and Selectivity. Within peer group A (four-year selective institutions), Stanford scores 91.71 overall, rated Excellent. Value scores 98.37, the product of an average net price of $13,807 and ten-year median earnings of $124,080: among all universities in the national dataset, Stanford produces one of the strongest returns on actual cost paid. Outcomes (97.70) and Selectivity (99.69) are both near-perfect. Affordability scores 47.50, notably stronger than peer elite universities, driven by Stanford's aggressive aid program for middle-income families. All scores use verified federal data only.
Stanford is among the most selective universities in the world, admitting 3.61% of applicants. Stanford is test-optional; submitting SAT or ACT scores is not required and the choice is not penalized in review. Students who submit scores typically average around 1,553 on the SAT, with the middle 50% scoring between 34 and 35 on the ACT.
Stanford offers Restrictive Early Action (REA), a non-binding early option with a November 1 deadline; students who apply REA may not apply early to other private universities. The Regular Decision deadline is January 2. Decisions are holistic: academic preparation, intellectual vitality, and the way applicants have contributed to their communities all factor into review alongside grades and optional test scores.
Acceptance rate over the last five admission cycles. The trend tells you whether Stanford University is getting harder, easier, or staying about the same.
Stanford's sticker price is $65,910 in tuition plus $21,315 in room and board, bringing the estimated total cost of attendance to approximately $90,000 before aid. In practice, most students pay far less than the sticker price. Families earning under $75,000 per year have no expected contribution: tuition, room, board, and other expenses are fully covered.
For families earning between $30,001 and $48,000, the average net price is essentially zero. For families earning between $75,001 and $110,000, the average net price is $11,092. The overall average net price is $13,807, the lowest of any elite research university in the country. For families earning above $110,000, the net price averages $53,882.
Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.
Application fee: $90 (one-time, due at submission)
Aid is need-based, so net price varies by family income. Here's what each bracket typically pays after grants and scholarships.
Cumulative federal-loan debt across the full borrowing distribution. The 10th and 90th percentiles bracket the typical range; the median sits in the middle.
Median federal-loan debt at graduation broken down by demographic. Each slice's size is proportional to the dollar amount that group typically borrows.
Stanford completes the large majority of the students it enrolls. The six-year graduation rate is 91.92% for full-time, first-time bachelor's-seeking students. The four-year rate is 74.0%, lower than some peer universities, which partly reflects Stanford's quarter system and the number of students who pursue coterminous bachelor's and master's degrees, extending their enrollment by design. First-year retention stands at 97.99%. These figures apply to full-time, first-time bachelor's-seeking students enrolled through federal tracking requirements.
Stanford graduates earn at the top of the national distribution. Median earnings are $102,887 six years after first enrolling and $124,080 at ten years. At the ten-year mark, 92.21% of former students earn more than a typical high school graduate. Only 6.2% of enrolled students take federal loans, one of the lowest rates among research universities.
Median debt at graduation is $12,000, among the lowest of any private research university in the country. Earnings span a wide range by major and career path: engineering and computer science graduates consistently earn above the institutional median, while humanities and education graduates typically earn below it.
Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.
Mean annual earnings 10 years after entry, segmented by demographic. Reveals gaps the headline median can't show.
Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.
Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.
Earnings of grads from the bottom-third of family incomes at entry.
Earnings of grads from the middle-third of family incomes at entry.
Earnings of grads from the top-third of family incomes at entry.
Share of completer-cohort borrowers paying down at least $1 of principal at the 1-, 3-, 5-, and 7-year mark. Climbing rates show graduates settling into careers and managing debt; flat or declining rates are a warning.
Stanford enrolls 7,554 undergraduates on a 8,180-acre campus 35 miles south of San Francisco. Asian students account for 28.73% of undergraduates; white students 22.99%, Hispanic 17.06%, and Black 7.41%. International students represent a significant share of both undergraduate and graduate enrollment. Nineteen percent of undergraduates receive Pell grants, and 30.34% are first-generation college students, a high share for an institution with a 3.61% admit rate.
Stanford's residential system keeps the large majority of undergraduates on campus for all four years, which shapes campus culture significantly. The proximity to Silicon Valley generates a distinctive entrepreneurial environment: Stanford alumni and students have founded hundreds of companies, and startup activity is woven into both curricular and extracurricular life.
Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.
Where students live, learn, and connect at Stanford University. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.
Stanford University offers an extensive catalog of programs: 156 distinct programs across 23 majors. Below are its strongest majors, each with flagship programs and typical earnings. Open a major to explore it in depth, or browse the full program catalog.
Stanford operates at a 5:1 student-to-faculty ratio. 99.17% of instruction is delivered by full-time faculty. Instructional spending per full-time equivalent student is $154,517 per year, the highest of any university in the national dataset. The endowment stands at $37.63 billion, the third largest of any university in the world. Stanford's research enterprise spans 18 interdisciplinary institutes and six National Laboratories connections, giving undergraduates broad access to faculty-led research from the first year.
2,183 instructional faculty across 3 ranks. The rank mix shows how many senior faculty are teaching versus contingent or junior staff, with average salary equated to a 9-month contract.
| Rank | Faculty Count | Share | Avg Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full Professors | 1,314 | 60% | $306,288 |
| Associate Professors | 438 | 20% | $196,582 |
| Assistant Professors | 431 | 20% | $158,932 |
Stanford's strongest data points are its Value score (98.37), average net price ($13,807, the lowest among elite research universities), and Selectivity (99.69). The combination of the lowest average net price in the elite tier and ten-year median earnings of $124,080 produces a return on investment that ranks among the highest in the national dataset. Affordability (47.50) is stronger than peer Ivies, driven by the zero-contribution threshold for families under $75,000.
The challenge is the upper-income bracket: families earning above $110,000 pay an average of $53,882, and the sticker price of $90,000 applies to those who do not apply for aid. Best fit for students at any income level who apply for financial aid; the combination of exceptional aid generosity and top-tier earnings makes Stanford the strongest value proposition among elite private universities by the numbers.
The questions below address what students and families most commonly search about Stanford: how competitive admissions are, whether test scores are required, how the financial aid program works across income levels, and what graduates earn. Stanford's average net price of $13,807 is one of the most important and least widely known facts about the university; the answers below explain why a $90,000 sticker price does not reflect what most admitted students pay.
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