Loading university evidence…
← University explorer
- World ranking
- =2QS 2027Source
- Tuition · international
- $61,731per year · 2023
- Acceptance rate
- 3.6%2024
About S
Leland and Jane Stanford founded the university in 1885 in memory of their son, and it opened to students in 1891 on the couple's former stock farm near Palo Alto, California. Its research growth after the Second World War, including Stanford Research Park in the early 1950s, tied it closely to the rise of Silicon Valley. It is a private research university with seven schools, among them engineering, medicine, law, business and the Doerr School of Sustainability.
At a glance
- Founded
- 1885
- Type
- Private
- Campus
- Suburban
Rankings
- QSQS=2World · 2027Source
- THETHE=5World · 2026Source
- WebometricsWebometrics#2World · 2026United States #2Source
- CWURCWUR#3World · 2026United States #3Source
- ARWUARWU#2World · 2026Source
- NCSES HERDNCSES HERD#9United States and outlying areas · Total R&D expenditures · 2024Source
- URAPURAP#9World · 2025United States #2Source
Admissions & how to apply
Application routeCommon ApplicationSource
- Check the entry requirements for your course and qualifications.
- Check the English-test policy below.
- Apply through Common Application.
- Pay the application fee ($90).
- Submit by Oct 6, 2026.
English test waiver English proficiency exams are not required; applicants may self-report scores if they wish. Source
Costs & aid
International tuition$61,731per year · 2023
- Fees$753
- Room & board2023$19,922
US net price$12,307
What US families pay after grants, by household income. International students usually pay the full price.
SourceFinancial aid Open to international students · Need-based institutional scholarship — Limited aid for international students; applicant must request aid when applying for admission. Source
Scholarships you can use here
- Knight-Hennessy ScholarsFull funding · Up to three years of funding for Stanford graduate study · Deadline Oct 6, 2026
- Stanford Undergraduate Need-Based Financial Aid for International StudentsPartial funding · Tuition, living costs
Programmes
Loading programmes…
Campus & media
Outcomes
- Admit rate
- 3.6%
- SAT average
- 1553
- ACT middle
- 35
- Graduate in 4 years
- 45.4%
- Graduate in 6 years
- 91.6%
- Return after year one
- 98.2%
- Pell grant students
- 21.9%
- Students with federal loans
- 6.6%
- Median debt
- $10,750
Median earnings after starting
Student body
US government and university data. Figures describe past students, not your own chances. Source
Guides for applying to United States
- Entering Senior Year: What I Wish I Knew as a First-YearHarvard College · Student Voices
- How To Write A College EssayMIT Admissions
- How Studying Abroad Influenced My Career GoalsHarvard College · Student Voices
- Advice For Crafting Your Supplemental EssayJohns Hopkins Undergraduate Admissions · Hopkins Insider