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Stanford University

Stanford, California · Private, a large suburb · 7,554 undergraduates

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Is it hard to get into Stanford?

The middle half of admitted students scored in these ranges: a quarter scored lower, a quarter higher. Fall 2024 admissions, from the College Scorecard.

Acceptance rate
3.6%
53,733 applied
SAT, middle half
1510 to 1580
Reading plus math, out of 1600
ACT, middle half
34 to 35
Composite, out of 36
Test scores this year
Required
81% of admitted students enrolled
What they look at
  • High school GPARequired
  • Class rankConsidered
  • Courses takenRequired
  • College-prep programConsidered
  • RecommendationsRequired
  • EssayRequired
  • PortfolioConsidered

How much does Stanford cost?

Sticker prices and what students actually paid after grants, by family income. A year means tuition, fees, room, board, books and other costs.

Tuition and fees
$68,544
A full year, sticker price
$92,892
Living on campus
Average price after grants
$12,307
Students who got federal aid

What a year cost, by family income

Family incomeAverage paid after grants
Under $30,000$1,067
$30,001 to $48,000Not published
$48,001 to $75,000Not published
$75,001 to $110,000$6,603
Over $110,000$47,575
Room and board on campus
$22,167 a year
Books and supplies
$840 a year
The school's own grants
55% of full-time first-years get one, averaging $61,082

Tuition over the years

Tuition and fees for a year, as reported to the federal government.

$0K$20K$40K$60K$80K201220142016201820202022Stanford

How much do Stanford students borrow?

Federal student loans only, for students who borrowed.

Typical debt at graduation
$10,750
About $122 a month over ten years
Students who borrow
6.6%
Get a Pell Grant
21.9%
Federal grant for lower-income families
Over 25 when they start
1.7%

What do Stanford graduates earn?

Typical yearly pay of everyone who started here with federal aid, whatever they studied and whether or not they finished.

Six years after starting
$112,810
Ten years after starting
$125,340
Middle half: $75,321 to $211,094
Best-paid program, five years out
$236,767
Computer Science
Lowest-paid program, five years out
$61,100
Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies

Do Stanford students finish?

Of the students who started full time, first time.

Back for second year
98.2%
Graduate in six years
91.6%
The four-year figure is for a later, smaller group, so it is not shown
After eight years
95% graduated
1% transferred, 1% still enrolled

Who goes to Stanford?

Women
51.6%
First in their family at college
30.3%
Part-time
0%
Students per teacher
6
Background
White 23%, Hispanic 17%, Black 7%, Asian 29%, Two or more 10%, International 13%
Housing
Campus housing, 14,415 beds

What do Stanford graduates earn, by program?

Every bachelor's program the school awards, with what its graduates earn and owe. The government hides pay for small programs, so some rows have no figure.

Computer science

ProgramGraduatesPay, one year outPay, five years outDebt
Computer Science634$157,763$236,767$12,000

Engineering

ProgramGraduatesPay, one year outPay, five years outDebt
Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering26HiddenHiddenHidden
Biomedical/Medical Engineering81HiddenHiddenHidden
Chemical Engineering21HiddenHiddenHidden
Civil Engineering12HiddenHiddenHidden
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering70Hidden$173,254Hidden
Energy Systems Engineering2HiddenHiddenHidden
Engineering-Related Fields115$110,280$139,695Hidden
Engineering, Other206$72,063$112,875Hidden
Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering11HiddenHiddenHidden
Materials Engineering24HiddenHiddenHidden
Mechanical Engineering112Hidden$120,449Hidden

Life sciences

ProgramGraduatesPay, one year outPay, five years outDebt
Biology, General135Hidden$91,568Hidden

Math and physical sciences

ProgramGraduatesPay, one year outPay, five years outDebt
Applied Mathematics66HiddenHiddenHidden
Chemistry32HiddenHiddenHidden
Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences69HiddenHiddenHidden
Mathematics124HiddenHiddenHidden
Physics64HiddenHiddenHidden

Social sciences

ProgramGraduatesPay, one year outPay, five years outDebt
Anthropology16HiddenHiddenHidden
Archeology5HiddenHiddenHidden
Area Studies25HiddenHiddenHidden
Communication and Media Studies33HiddenHiddenHidden
Economics229$108,498$151,201Hidden
Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies56$48,283$61,100Hidden
International Relations and National Security Studies123HiddenHiddenHidden
Political Science and Government160$47,352$92,243$10,917
Psychology, General0Hidden$88,953Hidden
Public Policy Analysis31HiddenHiddenHidden
Research and Experimental Psychology136$40,983HiddenHidden
Sociology33HiddenHiddenHidden
Urban Studies/Affairs19HiddenHiddenHidden

Arts and humanities

ProgramGraduatesPay, one year outPay, five years outDebt
Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics19HiddenHiddenHidden
East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics0HiddenHiddenHidden
English Language and Literature, General86Hidden$87,626Hidden
Germanic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics3HiddenHiddenHidden
History46HiddenHiddenHidden
Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services42HiddenHiddenHidden
Philosophy44HiddenHiddenHidden
Philosophy and Religious Studies, Other3HiddenHiddenHidden
Religion/Religious Studies3HiddenHiddenHidden
Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics12HiddenHiddenHidden
Slavic, Baltic and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics1HiddenHiddenHidden

Fine and performing arts

ProgramGraduatesPay, one year outPay, five years outDebt
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft15HiddenHiddenHidden
Film/Video and Photographic Arts19HiddenHiddenHidden
Fine and Studio Arts33HiddenHiddenHidden
Music18HiddenHiddenHidden

General arts and science (major chosen later)

ProgramGraduatesPay, one year outPay, five years outDebt
Cognitive Science185$105,925$147,775$8,420
Data Science4HiddenHiddenHidden
Human Biology273$52,843$94,849$12,000
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities0HiddenHiddenHidden
Science, Technology and Society67$85,484$105,630Hidden
Systems Science and Theory14HiddenHiddenHidden

Compare Stanford with other universities

Side by side: acceptance rates, scores, costs and pay.

Where these numbers come from

College Scorecard release 10152026, Most Recent Cohorts files, fetched 2026-10-20. Test policy: the school's page (opens in a new tab). Tuition history, housing and the school's own grants: the federal IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) survey.

How every figure in this part of the site is sourced, and the check of every link.

Careerhelp is not affiliated with Stanford University. Figures describe past students; check the school's own pages before you apply.

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