Undergraduate Admission and Financial Aid
Students who derive pleasure from learning for its own sake thrive at Stanford. We look for distinctive students who exhibit energy, curiosity and a love of learning in their classes and lives. Academic excellence is the primary criterion for admission, and the most important credential is the transcript. Stanford recommends that prospective students take a minimum of four years of English, four years of mathematics, three years of laboratory science, three years of the same foreign language and three years of history or social studies. We seek outstanding students who have selected a rigorous academic program and achieved distinction in a range of courses.
With many more highly qualified applicants than places available, we also take into consideration personal qualities—we want to know how students have taken advantage of available resources and their promise for contributing to the campus community and the world beyond Stanford. To this end, the admission committee carefully and thoroughly reads and evaluates all parts of each application paying close attention to individual strengths and exceptional abilities.
Stanford is committed to a need-blind admission policy for U.S. citizens and permanent residents—admitting qualified students without regard to their ability to pay—and to providing a comprehensive financial aid program for all admitted students who have computed need as determined by the university and who meet other requisite conditions for financial aid. In recent years, financial assistance has been provided to nearly 80 percent of undergraduate students from a variety of internal and external sources.
The application deadline for Stanford’s Restrictive Early Action process is Nov. 1, and the application deadline for the Regular Decision process is Jan. 1. For more information about application policies and procedures, visit admission.stanford.edu or call the Office of Undergraduate Admission at (650) 723-2091.
The Undergraduate Program
The objective of Stanford University, Jane and Leland Stanford wrote in their Founding Grant in 1885, is "to qualify its students for personal success, and direct usefulness in life; And its purposes, to promote the public welfare by exercising an influence in behalf of humanity and civilization, teaching the blessings of liberty regulated by law, and inculcating love and reverence for the great principles of government as derived from the inalienable rights of man to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."
With an approximate 5.9 to 1 student-to-faculty ratio, Stanford emphasizes close interaction with faculty. Stanford offers three undergraduate degrees – Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), Bachelor of Sciences (B.S.), and Bachelor of Arts and Sciences (B.A.S.) – each designed to achieve balance between depth of knowledge acquired through specialization and breadth of knowledge gained through exploration. Undergraduates complete at least 180 units, including requirements for the major, writing and rhetoric requirements, one year of a foreign language and courses in the following areas:
- Introduction to the Humanities: One course each quarter of the freshman year
- Disciplinary Breadth: Five courses required, at least one in engineering and applied sciences, humanities, mathematics, natural sciences and social sciences
- Education for Citizenship: Two courses in at least two of the following subject areas—ethical reasoning, the global community, American cultures and gender studies
Of the seven schools at Stanford, three award undergraduate degrees: Humanities and Sciences, Earth Sciences and Engineering. Students who wish to pursue in depth more than one field may double major—that is, complete the requirements for majors in two fields—or minor in a second field. Students also can pursue an individually designed major. Visit http://ual.stanford.edu/.
Major Fields of Undergraduate Study
- African and African American Studies
- American Studies
- Anthropology
- Archaeology
- Art
- Art History
- Film and Media Studies
- Studio Art
- Biology
- Chemistry
- Chinese
- Classics
- Ancient History
- Classical Studies
- Greek and Latin
- Communication
- Comparative Literature
- Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity
- Asian American Studies
- Chicano Studies
- Native American Studies
- Drama
- Earth Sciences
- Earth Systems
- Energy Resource Engineering
- Geological & Environmental Sciences
- Geophysics
- East Asian Studies
- Economics
- Engineering
- Aeronautics and Astronautics
- Architectural Design
- Atmosphere/Energy
- Bioengineering
- Biomechanical
- Biomedical Computation
- Chemical
- Civil
- Computer Science
- Computer Systems Engineering
- Electrical
- Engineering Physics
- Environmental
- Management Science and Engineering
- Materials Science
- Mechanical
- Product Design
- English
- Feminist Studies
- French
- German Studies
- History
- Human Biology
- Iberian and Latin American Cultures
- International Relations
- Italian
- Japanese
- Linguistics
- Mathematical & Computational Science
- Mathematics
- Music
- Philosophy
- Physics
- Political Science
- Psychology
- Public Policy
- Religious Studies
- Science, Technology and Society
- Slavic Languages and Literatures
- Sociology
- Symbolic Systems
- Urban Studies
- Individually designed majors
Introductory Seminars
Stanford's academic program prioritizes engaging students in serious critical inquiry from their first days on campus, working closely with faculty members. Among the programs designed to provide mentoring relationships are freshman seminars and sophomore seminars and dialogues, which are taught by some of the university's most renowned faculty members. More than 2,300 students enroll in about 200 seminars annually. Other special programs include Sophomore College and Freshman-Sophomore College at Sterling Quad.
Undergraduate Research Programs
Stanford believes learning is enhanced by participation in research. The Office of Undergraduate Advising and Research offers advising, grants and programs to aid undergraduate participation in the production of new knowledge. Grants are awarded to faculty and departments to support student involvement in faculty members’ research and to students themselves to support independent research projects under faculty mentorship. The Symposia of Undergraduate Research and Public Service provide opportunities for about 200 undergraduates to present scholarly work to Stanford faculty, students and alumni. In 2010-11, $4.5 million was allocated for grant programs benefiting more than 900 projects.
Honors
Collaborating with faculty, undergraduates work in laboratories, do research through Stanford's extensive library and archive collections, or travel to sites worldwide to complete independent projects. The resulting honors thesis is recognized by conferring the degree "with Honors." About 25 percent of the members of each graduating class earn departmental honors. About 100 students annually participate in Bing Honors College.
Academic Services
Stanford offers academic services to students, including the Hume Writing Center, the Stanford Language Center, Undergraduate Advising and Research and the Center for Teaching and Learning. The Schwab Learning Center serves students with learning differences. The Career Development offers support for life after college.
Bing Overseas Studies
Stanford offers study opportunities in Australia, Barcelona, Beijing, Berlin Cape Town, Florence, Kyoto, Madrid, Moscow, Oxford, Paris and Santiago. Students may enroll for one or more quarters at most centers and participate in internships, research projects and public service. Seven hundred forty-nine students, or about 44 percent of the average class year, studied abroad with Stanford in 2010-11. Also offered are Overseas Seminars, which are three-week academic courses in locations around the world during the summer. Past seminars have been offered in Bhutan. Qatar and Vietnam.
Other Off-Campus Study Opportunities
The Bing Stanford in Washington Program enables undergraduates to work and study through courses and internships in a residential program in the nation's capital. The Hopkins Marine Station allows students to live in Pacific Grove while studying marine biology. Students also can take advantage of exchange programs with Dartmouth College, Howard University, Morehouse College and Spelman College.
| Freshman applicants | 34,348 | |
| Freshman admits | 2,437 | |
| Admit rate | 7.1% | |
| Freshmen entering | 1,707 | |
| Male | 52% | |
| Female | 48% | |
| High schools represented | ||
| Public | 57.6% | |
| Private | 31.9% | |
| Home school | 0.3% | |
| International | 10.2% | |
| Geographic Diversity | ||
|---|---|---|
| States represented | 50 | |
| Largest state represented | California (39.3%) | |
| Countries represented | 52 | |
| Academic Achievement | ||
| Top 10 percent of class* | 92% | |
| Top 20 percent of class* | 97% | |
| SAT Critical Reading 700-800 | 62% | |
| SAT Math 700-800 | 72% | |
| SAT Writing 700-800 | 70% | |
| *where reported | ||
| Ethnic Diversity | ||
| African American | 10.5% | |
| Asian | 22.4% | |
| International | 8.4% | |
| Mexican/Chicano | 8.6% | |
| Native American | 3.3% | |
| Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander | 1.5% | |
| Other Hispanic | 6.7% | |
| White | 30.7% | |
| Declined to State / Other | 8.0% | |
| 6,927 matriculated | ||
| Majors by School (Percentages are rounded) | ||
|---|---|---|
| School of Humanities and Sciences | 2,309 | (33%) |
| School of Engineering | 983 | (14%) |
| School of Earth Sciences | 106 | (2%) |
| Undeclared | 3,529 | (51%) |
| Geographic Origin | ||
| California | 2,713 | (39%) |
| Other U.S. | 3,688 | (53%) |
| Foreign (89 countries) | 526 | (8%) |
| Asia | 289 | (55%) |
| The Americas | 80 | (15%) |
| Europe | 88 | (17%) |
| Africa | 37 | (7%) |
| Middle East and North Africa | 24 | (5%) |
| Pacific Basin | 6 | (1%) |
| Sex | ||
| Women | 3,342 | (48%) |
| Men | 3,585 | (52%) |
| Race/Ethnicity | ||
| African American | 704 | (10%) |
| American Indian or Alaska Native | 179 | (3%) |
| Asian American or Pacific Islander | 1,486 | (21%) |
| White | 2,605 | (38%) |
| International | 526 | (8%) |
| Mexican American | 529 | (8%) |
| Other Hispanic | 427 | (6%) |
| Unidentified | 564 | (7%) |
| Undergraduate degrees awarded in 2011: 1,670 | ||
| Graduation Rates (percentage of students receiving undergraduate degrees within five years of initial enrollment at Stanford) |
||
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 89.2% | |
| 1997 | 90.0% | |
| 1998 | 92.5% | |
| 1999 | 90.1% | |
| 2000 | 92.5% | |
| 2001 | 92.3% | |
| 2002 | 92.1% | |
| 2003 | 92.1% | |
| 2004 | 92.2% | |
| 2005 | 92.0% | |
| 2006 | 92.0% | |
| Courses Enrolling Undergraduates Fall 2011 | ||
| Class Size | Number of courses | Percentage of courses |
| 2-9 | 572 | 36% |
| 10-19 | 509 | 32% |
| 20-29 | 147 | 9% |
| 30-39 | 89 | 6% |
| 40-49 | 62 | 4% |
| 50-99 | 111 | 7% |
| 100+ | 78 | 5% |
| Total | 1,568 | |
| Majors Granting Highest Number of Undergraduate Degrees in 2010-11 | ||
| 1. Biology or Human Biology 2. Economics 3. International Relations 4. Engineering 5. Computer Science |
||
| Financial Aid 2010-11 | ||
| Total students receiving assistance: | 5,442 | |
| Total students enrolled (4 qtrs): | 6,889 | |
| Percent of students receiving any form of financial assistance from internal and external sources: | 79% | |
| Percent of students receiving need-based scholarship from Stanford: | 49% | |
| Percent of students receiving Pell Grants | 17% | |
| Scholarship Aid | $158,475,492 |
|
| Long-Term Loans | $6,957,175 | |
| Term-Time Jobs | $5,853,188 | |
| Total | $171,285,855 | |
| Sources of Scholarship Aid 2010-11 | ||
| Stanford General Funds | $35,314,813 | |
| Current Gifts-Nonathletic | $16,804,937 | |
| Endowment Income-Nonathletic | $66,546,894 | |
| Trademark Income | $274,894 | |
| Athletic Awards | $17,381,074 | |
| Department Awards | $676,031 | |
| Federal Pell Grants | $5,115,908 | |
| Federal Supplemental Grants | $1,113,698 | |
| Other Federal Grants | $1,351,441 | |
| State Grants | $3,810,608 | |
| Other External Awards | $10,085,194 | |
| Total | $158,475,492 | |
| Student Budget 2011-12 | ||
| Tuition | $40,050 | |
| Required Fees: Vaden Health Center (applied only to students living on campus) | $519 | |
| Room and Board | $12,291 | |
| Books (estimated) | $1,500 | |
| Personal (estimated) | $2,400 | |
| Total | $56,760 | |
| The average per student cumulative undergraduate indebtedness for students earning undergraduate degrees between July 1, 2010 and June 30, 2011 and receiving financial aid: | $16,458 | |
| Percent of graduates with debt: | 28% | |
| Stanford Student Awards | ||
| Rhodes Scholars | 107 | |
| Marshall Award Winners | 86 | |
| Truman Scholars | 60 | |
