The Stanford Campus

The Stanford campus is located on 8,180 acres in the center of the San Francisco Peninsula. Stanford land features 49 miles of roads, two separate water systems, three dams, two open water reservoirs for irrigation and three closed potable water reservoirs, 88 miles of water mains, and a post office. Stanford’s Central Energy Facility utilizes heat recovery and thermal storage to maximize efficiency in the university’s heating and cooling systems. Take a virtual tour or a self-guided walking tour.

The Stanford campus is located in seven different governmental jurisdictions:

4,017 acres in unincorporated Santa Clara
2,700 acres in unincorporated San Mateo County
1,161 acres in Palo Alto
114 acres in Woodside
111 acres in Menlo Park
76 acres in Portola Valley
1 acre in Los Altos Hills
8,180 total acres

The Campus Features Roughly

630
buildings that incorporate about 17.9 million square feet

43,000
trees, 25 fountains, and over 1,000 different species of plants

140+
retail stores in the 70-acre Stanford Shopping Center

150
companies in the 700-acre Stanford Research Park

1,194
owner-occupied housing units for faculty

2,145
rental units for faculty and staff

As of January 2022.

Redwood City

Stanford’s 35-acre Redwood City campus opened in 2019 and is home to over 2,000 Stanford staff. A center of excellence for critical areas that support the university’s mission of research and education, Stanford Redwood City is located a mile from downtown and five miles from Stanford’s campus. Facilities include the Cardinal Cafe, Recreation and Wellness Center and Pine Cone Children’s Center.

Getting Around

There are over 13,000 bikes on the campus on a normal weekday, and Stanford is the only university awarded three consecutive Platinum Bicycle Friendly University designations (2011-2015, 2015-2019 and 2019-2023). Frosh may not bring cars to campus, but the free Marguerite shuttle includes 49 buses in an 18-route system, including 41 electric buses. Stanford offers free transit for eligible affiliates on Caltrain, VTA, AC Transit, Dumbarton Express and SamTrans; 100% vanpool subsidies; discounted car sharing with the largest university Zipcar fleet in the United States (over 70 vehicles at 30 locations); one-on-one commute consultations; a virtual parking permit system; and commute planning. Visit the Stanford Transportation website.

Campus Safety

The Stanford University Department of Public Safety (SUDPS) provides law enforcement, security, safety, crime prevention and emergency services on campus 24 hours a day. Comprising sworn officers, non-sworn officers and support staff, SUDPS personnel endeavor to provide high-quality public safety services with an emphasis on service. Sworn officers are reserve Deputy Sheriffs with the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office. SUDPS produces the Stanford Safety, Security and Fire Report in compliance with the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act. View the 2022 report.

More information about the department and ways to stay safe while living, working and visiting at the Stanford Campus is available by calling the SUDPS office at 650-723-9633. The department is located at 233 Bonair Siding. Some campus departments and facilities contract additional security services that are provided by private security companies not affiliated with SUDPS.

Sustainable Stanford

Stanford’s innovative Central Energy Facility, the main component of the Stanford Energy System Innovations project that transformed the university’s energy supply from a 100% fossil fuel-based system, to an electrically-powered heat recovery system.

Stanford leads by example in working to reduce its environmental footprint and by engaging the campus community to save resources and contributing to a culture of conservation and innovation. Visit the Sustainable Stanford website for more information.

69%
reduction in campus greenhouse gas emissions, exceeding state and national targets since 2000

36%
reduction in campus energy use per square foot since 2000

60+
local farms supply organic, humanely raised, fairly-traded food

48%
reduction in domestic water use since 2000

65%
of waste is diverted from landfill

184
electric vehicle charging ports, including Redwood City

1,085,015*
rides taken on the free Marguerite system

61%
of commuters used alternatives to driving alone as their primary commute, including 20% who telecommuted**

* Ridership reduced due to pandemic.
** University commuters include Stanford University employees and commuting students.