Student Life

Students in front of Larkin West building during New Student Orientation move in.

Housing

As of autumn quarter 2022, 7,246 students live in university-provided undergraduate housing, and 6,769 students live in university-provided graduate housing. Housing is guaranteed for entering undergraduate first-year students for four years. About 98 percent of all eligible undergraduates live in campus housing. The undergraduate housing system includes 80 diverse facilities. The university offers on-campus houses for Greek-letter organizations. About 70 percent of graduate students eligible for housing live in university-provided housing designed for single students, couples and families with children. New graduate students are guaranteed housing their first year at Stanford when they apply by the spring deadline.

Dining

R&DE Stanford Dining, a division of Residential & Dining Enterprises, is a best-in-class dining program serving 18,000 meals a day in 12 dining halls, 41 Row houses, Athletic Dining and Schwab Executive Dining. Stanford Dining also oversees the campus BeWell community gardens and the Stanford Food Pantry. R&DE Stanford Dining has been recognized for its culinary excellence by awards such as the prestigious industry Ivy Award by Restaurants and Institutions for its leadership role.

R&DE Stanford Dining prides itself on providing nutritious, sustainable and delicious food choices to meet the wide variety of dietary needs within our diverse Stanford community. The Eat Well @ Stanford program provides support to students dining with food allergies, religious requirements, medical needs, vegan/vegetarian diets and other nutritional needs.

R&DE Stanford Dining has a long history of award-winning sustainability leadership. Articles on eating well, sustainability, health and safety protocols and meal plan FAQs can be found on the R&DE Stanford Dining website.

Student Organizations

The Office of Student Engagement oversees more than 600 official student organizations at Stanford. On average, over 1,500 events a year are planned by student organizations. There are about 30 recognized religious organizations, and more than 100 committed to the arts. Other types of organizations include ethnic/cultural, community service, social awareness, social, athletic and recreational, and pre-professional/academic. Approximately 20 percent of undergraduate students will be involved in one of our 20 fraternities and sororities recognized on campus. The main student newspaper is the Stanford Daily. The Associated Students of Stanford University (ASSU) is the representative government for both undergraduate and graduate students.

Haas Center for Public Service

The Haas Center for Public Service educates students to be ethical and engaged global citizens through service, scholarship and community partnerships. The center is a home for service on campus and the hub of Cardinal Service, a university-wide effort to make service an essential feature of a Stanford education. Cardinal Service supports students to enroll in more than 180 community-engaged learning Cardinal Courses; pursue more than 400 full-time Cardinal Quarter service fellowships and internships offered locally, nationally and globally with Stanford support; build leadership skills through a sustained Cardinal Commitment; and explore public service careers and ways to integrate service into any career.

Traditions

Big Game sometimes referred to as the Battle of the Bay, is the annual football game against the University of California-Berkeley Golden Bears.
Fountain hopping involves touring Stanford’s campus fountains and hanging out in them.
The Wack y W alk occurs during the first part of Commencement, when undergraduates forgo a more traditional entrance and instead stride, often in costume, into Stanford Stadium.