Endowed Need-Based Scholarships

Stanford's long-standing practice of need-blind admission is backed by a promise to meet the full demonstrated need of all U.S. undergraduates throughout their four years on campus. Only a handful of colleges and universities can uphold such a pledge.

Scholarship funds endowed in perpetuity are the foundation of this commitment. By establishing an endowed need-based scholarship, you can:

• Support a community that includes diverse insights, perspectives, and questions
• Open doors to life-changing opportunities
• Benefit the world, as graduates from all walks of life become leaders in their communities and their workplaces

Staying Accessible

In early 2015, Stanford enhanced its financial aid program:

• Parents earning less than $65,000 a year pay no tuition, room, or board.
• Parents earning less than $125,000 a year do not pay tuition.
• All students are expected to contribute to their education through summer job income, part-time campus work, and/or outside scholarships, if available.
• Students are not required to take out loans, making it possible for all aid recipients to graduate debt free.

The Growing Need

Today, approximately half of Stanford undergraduates depend on need-based aid from the university.

• Stanford has nearly doubled its funding for need-based financial aid since 2007.
• Although Stanford's endowment has recovered somewhat from the low point of the economic crisis, the financial aid budget is still under considerable strain.
• For the next three to five years, the combined funding from endowed scholarships and expendable gifts like The Stanford Fund still leaves a projected shortfall of approximately $25 million per year.

Stanford's commitment to need-blind admission stands firm, but endowed scholarships remain one of the university's highest fundraising priorities.