What do Google, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Snapchat all have in common? Aside from being multi-billion dollar businesses, they were all founded by Stanford students. Entrepreneurship is a core tenet of Stanford’s culture. After all, this culture was responsible for the creation of Silicon Valley, not the other way around. Students from around the world are drawn to the R1 research university not only for its stellar academic reputation and educational resources but for this unparalleled focus on start-ups, research, and innovation. Stanford alumni find good company among the likes of Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, actress Issa Rae, and Nike founder Phil Knight.

Situated on 8,000 acres of land in the San Francisco Bay, Stanford University has not only the money (their endowment of $36.5 billion rivals that of Harvard and Yale) but the space to provide its 7,550 undergraduates and 9,700 postgraduates with a variety of institutes, centers, laboratories, and social organizations to cultivate the some of the world’s brightest young minds. Campus proper is distinctive from other elite universities of its caliber for its warm-toned Spanish-style architecture and sprawling, lush landscaping. Between the bustle of nearby Palo Alto, environmental attractions such as the Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve, and technological wonders such as the world’s longest particle accelerator, undergraduates will never be at a loss for sights to see on one of the world’s largest college campuses.

Stanford offers degrees to undergraduates from three different schools: Engineering, Sustainability, and Humanities and Sciences. These schools all have a 6 to 1 student to faculty ratio, writing, rhetoric, and foreign language requirements, and diversified study abroad opportunities. The academic calendar begins in late September, following a quarter system as opposed to a semester system, and ends in late June. This anomalous system reflects Stanford’s historical efforts to forge a college experience distinct from the stuffiness of elite east coast institutions, which is perhaps why in 2014 Slate dubbed Stanford “the Harvard of the 21st century.”

What are Stanford University looking for?

At Stanford, we practice holistic admission. This means that each piece in your application is reviewed as part of an integrated and comprehensive whole. We want to learn how you would grow, contribute, and thrive at Stanford.

Academic excellence is the foundation of your application. Your preparation through challenging coursework and your potential to succeed are key factors in our contextual review.

Academic Excellence

The primary criterion for admission to Stanford is academic excellence, which means flawless or nearly flawless grades in rigorous courses. We expect you to challenge yourself throughout your educational journey and to do very well by maintaining a strong academic record.

The most important credential for evaluating your academic record is your transcript. We closely review your academic documents to gain an understanding of your preparation and potential to thrive in Stanford academics. We consider grade 9 a transition year and will focus our review on grades 10 and 11 as well as on your final year grades and program of study.

We do not have a minimum GPA requirement, nor is there a specific number of AP or honors courses you must have on your transcript. However, the strongest applicants to Stanford will present outstanding results in a rigorous program of study.

For more information, please visit our Preparing for Stanford Academics page for first-year applicants and our Academic Preparation & Transfer Credit page for transfer applicants.

Context

Just as no two Stanford students are the same, each applicant to Stanford is unique. This means that as we review your application, we pay careful attention to your unique circumstances. We take into account your background, educational pathway, and work and family responsibilities. By focusing on your achievements in context, we evaluate how you have excelled in your school environment and how you have taken advantage of what is available to you in your school and community.

Extracurricular Activities

Learning about your extracurricular activities and nonacademic interests helps us understand your potential contributions to the Stanford community. Students often assume our primary concern is the number of activities they participate in. In fact, an exceptional depth of experience in one or two activities may demonstrate your passion more than minimal participation in five or six clubs. You may also have work or family responsibilities. These are as important as any other extracurricular activity.

In general, we want to understand the impact you have had at your job, in your family, in your school, and in the larger community. We also want to learn about the impact that your experiences have had on you.

In some cases, exceptional abilities in athletics may influence our decision if the applicant is otherwise well-qualified, but such abilities never, by themselves, ensure admission to Stanford.

Intellectual Vitality

Stanford students are brimming with curiosity, openness, and imagination. The cornerstone of one Stanford building is dedicated to “the things that haven’t happened yet, and to the people who are about to dream them up.”

Through your application, we hope to learn about your intellectual horizons. We want to hear about the ways you have expanded your perspective and sought new opportunities. We hope to envision how your energy, curiosity, and optimism would make a mark on Stanford and the world.

Admissions Statistics

ADMISSION INFORMATION

APPLICATION DATES & DEADLINES

Additional essay questions of the application.

Short Essay Questions

There is a 100-word minimum and a 250-word maximum for each essay.

1. The Stanford community is deeply curious and driven to learn in and out of the classroom. Reflect on an idea or experience that makes you genuinely excited about learning.

2. Virtually all of Stanford's undergraduates live on campus. Write a note to your future roommate that reveals something about you or that will help your roommate—and us—get to know you better.

3. Please describe what aspects of your life experiences, interests and character would help you make a distinctive contribution as an undergraduate to Stanford University.