Undergraduate Studies
Students who enjoy learning for its own sake thrive at Stanford. We seek students who have selected a rigorous academic program and achieved distinction in a range of areas.
With an approximate 5-to-1 student-to-faculty ratio, Stanford emphasizes close student and faculty interaction. Stanford offers three undergraduate degrees: Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Sciences and Bachelor of Arts and Sciences. Each is designed to achieve balance between depth of knowledge acquired through specialization and breadth of knowledge gained through exploration.
Three of Stanford’s seven schools award undergraduate degrees: Humanities and Sciences; Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences; and Engineering. Undergraduates complete at least 180 units, including major courses, writing and rhetoric requirements, and one year of a foreign language.
Undergraduates also experience COLLEGE, a one-quarter required course for first-year students incorporating Civic, Liberal, and Global Education. Visit undergrad.stanford.edu/
Stanford’s distinctive undergraduate programs include:
Introductory Seminars: These small seminar classes for first- and second-year students enroll more than 2,000 students annually. Faculty from all seven schools of the university teach over 200 seminars each year.
Bing Overseas Studies Program: Stanford offers study-away opportunities in Australia, Berlin, Cape Town, Florence, Hong Kong, Istanbul, Kyoto, Madrid, New York, Oxford, Paris, and Santiago. Also offered are short term faculty-led programs in Oaxaca and various locations. In 2018-19, 807 students—48 percent of the average class year—studied away on Stanford programs. For current information, visit bosp.stanford.edu.
Undergraduate Research: Last year we were able to provide $5.9M to more than 800 students doing a wide range of remote projects, even with the unprecedented restrictions on travel and on-campus activities. Visit undergradresearch.stanford.edu
Undergraduate Financial Aid
Stanford has a long-standing commitment to providing an affordable education to all students, regardless of their economic circumstances. 84% of the recent graduating class had no student debt. Through our generous need based financial aid program, parents with annual incomes below $150,000 and assets typical for that income level pay no tuition. Parents with income at or less than $65,000 and typical assets pay no tuition or room and board. Families with higher incomes and assets also qualify for assistance depending on their individual circumstances. Visit financialaid.stanford.edu/undergrad/
Undergraduate Fields of Study
Stanford offers 69 major fields of undergraduate study. Engineering students may also elect to pursue an individually designed major (IDMEN). For a current listing of major fields of study, visit majors.stanford.edu.
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