Stanford University Statistics for Prospective Undergraduate Students


The following web page provides information to help prospective students and their families in making the choice of the best college for the individual.

This page is offered in contrast to commercial guides that purport to "rank" colleges; such rankings are inherently misleading and inaccurate. Stanford believes the following information, presented without arbitrary formulas, provides a better foundation for prospective students and their families to begin comparing and contrasting schools.

Up-to-date admission information also is available through the Undergraduate Admission website.


Application Deadlines

Freshman Early Decision applications must be postmarked no later than Nov. 1, 1999. Freshman Regular Review applications must be postmarked no later than Dec. 15, 1999. Transfer applications must be postmarked no later than March 15, 2000. [Assertion]


Selectivity for Freshmen Applying for Fall 1998 [Assertion]

Number of applications: 18,888 (as of June 23, 1998)

Students admitted (including students admitted from the wait list): 2,500 (as of June 23, 1998)

Admit rate: 13%

Students declaring intent to enroll: 1,614 (as of June 23, 1998)

Percentage of students offered admission expected to matriculate (yield rate): 65% (as of June 23, 1998)

Number of early decision applications received: 3,172

Number of applicants admitted under early decision: 611 (19%)

 

SAT Scores [Assertion]

(For freshmen expected to enroll for Fall of 1998)

75th percentile SAT I verbal score: 770

25th percentile SAT I verbal score: 680

75th percentile SAT I math score: 770

25th percentile SAT I math score: 670

 

Class Ranks [Assertion]

High School class rank in top 10%: 86.6%

High School class rank in top 25%: 96.1%

 

Grade-Point Averages [Assertion]

High School GPA 3.0 and above: 99.8%

High School GPA 2.0 to 2.9: 0.2%


Selectivity for Transfer Students Applying for Fall 1998 [Assertion]

(As of July 1, 1998)

Number of applicants: 1,335

Number of students admitted: 127

Admit rate: 10%

Students declaring intent to enroll: 105

Percentage of admitted transfer students with grade-point averages between 3.5 and 4.0 at their previous college: 95%

Percentage of admitted transfer students with SAT verbal scores between 700-800: 65%

Percentage of admitted transfer students with SAT math scores between 700-800: 58%


Faculty Statistics and Quality Indicators [Assertion]

(On September 1, 1997)

Members of the Stanford Professoriate: 1,534

Members of the professoriate with doctorate or terminal degree: 98.8% (1,515)

Percentage of tenured members of the professoriate: 61% (932)

Number of tenure-line faculty (1,193), teaching associate professors and professors (17), and senior lecturers (57) and lecturers (312): 1,579 [Assertion]

 

Faculty Awards [Assertion]

(As of July 8, 1998)

Nobel Laureates: 14

Pulitzer Prize Winners: 3

Congressional Medal of Honor: 1

MacArthur Fellows: 19

National Medal of Science Winners: 20

National Medal of Technology Winners: 3

American Academy of Arts and Sciences Members: 201

National Academy of Sciences Members: 114

National Academy of Engineering Members: 72

American Philosophical Society Members: 39

National Academy of Education Members: 24

Wolf Foundation Prize Winners: 6


University Enrollment [Assertion]

(As of the end of the third week of Fall quarter 1997)

Matriculated undergraduates: 6,639

Matriculated graduate students: 7,445

All matriculated students: 14,084


Undergraduate Class Sizes [Assertion]

(Fall through Spring 1997-98)

Enrollment of 1 (independent study): 20.9% (1,270)

Enrollment from 2 to 8: 28.3% (1,720)

Enrollment from 9 to 15: 21.6% (1,314)

Enrollment from 16-30: 17.3% (1,052)

Enrollment from 31-120: 9.9% (602)

Enrollment above 120: 2.1% (129)


Majors with the Highest Numbers of Graduates [Assertion]

(For 1998 graduates)

Biology or Human Biology: 21.6% (367)

Economics: 12.2% (206)

Psychology: 6.4% ((108)

English: 6.1% (104)

Computer Science: 4.7% (79)


Tuition/Room and Board, 1998-99

Undergraduate tuition: $22,110

Room and board (19 meals per week): $7,769


Financial Assistance [Assertion]

(As of November 30, 1997 for the 1996-97 academic year)

Stanford students receiving some type of financial aid from internal or external sources that have been reported to Stanford: 70%

Of the $72,744,427 that students received in 1996-97 in financial aid: [Assertion]

The total amount of aid Stanford awarded from its own funds in 1996-97 was $47,010,263 in scholarships and grants, loans, and jobs.

Percentage of need that was met for undergraduate students who received any need-based aid in 1996-97: 99.6% [Assertion]

Average per-student cumulative undergraduate indebtedness for 1997 graduates: $14,371 [Assertion]


Retention Rate [Assertion]

Students who entered as freshmen in Fall 1996 (1,606) and returned in Fall 1997 (1,574): 98%


Graduation Rates [Assertion]

Fall 1991 freshmen (1,516) graduating before Fall 1997 (1,402): 92.48%

Fall 1990 freshmen (1,594) graduating before Fall 1996 (1,496): 93.85%

Fall 1989 freshmen (1,564) graduating before Fall 1995 (1,448): 92.58%


Degrees Awarded [Assertion]

(From July 1, 1997 to June 30, 1998)

Bachelor's degrees: 1,694

Master's: 1,975

Doctoral: 884


Stanford Resources [Assertion]

Stanford University endowment: $4.7 billion (on Aug. 31, 1997)

Total consolidated budget for the fiscal year 1997: $1.4 billion

Campus acreage: 8,180 acres


Stanford's Stance on U.S. News' rankings:


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