Stanford University
Private Research University in Stanford, CA. Six-year graduation rate 92%. Median 10-year earnings $124,080.
Ten-year median earnings of $124,080 are the headline number here, and they are strong ones. The six-year graduation rate of 92% is well above average and the clearest sign this school holds onto its students. Median debt at graduation is $12,000, a light load against those earnings. It also moves people — 2.2% of students climb from the bottom fifth of the income distribution to the top.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ Debt-to-income ratio 0.10 — healthy (below the 0.40 threshold)
- ✓ Graduation rate 92% — well above the national average
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
- ! Admit rate 4% — heavily selective, limited transfer slots
Admissions
An acceptance rate of 4% means admission is the exception — plan accordingly. With 57,326 applications received, this is a school operating at national scale. 82% of admitted students actually enroll, which is a high yield by national standards. Score ranges below describe the middle half of score submitters among enrolled first-years; students who applied test-optional are not represented in them.
Test score bands (middle 50% of submitters)
These bands describe the enrolled first-years who submitted a score, not the entering class. Where most students apply test-optional the submitters are a self-selected, higher-scoring group.
| Test | 25th–75th percentile | Submitted |
|---|---|---|
| SAT Evidence-Based Reading | 740–780 | 857 (51%) |
| SAT Math | 770–800 | |
| ACT Composite | 34–35 | 324 (19%) |
IPEDS Admissions · 2024
Apply at Stanford University →Academics
A 92% six-year graduation rate is the strongest academic signal on this page. 98% of full-time first-years return for a second year — a healthy figure. A 6:1 ratio points to small classes and accessible faculty. Judge these figures against other institutions of the same type — sector explains more of the variation in completion than any single campus factor. The undergraduate population is 8,054 — big enough for a real range of programs, small enough to navigate.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 7,841 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Students pay an average of $25,078 annually once grants are applied. The income table below is the number that matters — $-2,536 at $0–30k versus $53,882 at $110k+. About 68% get grants averaging $58,449, so plan on the possibility of paying closer to full price. Federal borrowing is uncommon here at 6% of students.
Entering first-year students
A different, smaller group than the rates above: full-time students in their first year of college anywhere. The grant series here also excludes the "other sources" counted in the all-undergraduate figure, so the two are not comparable.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · 1,699 students
Net price by family income
The same students as the headline above, limited to those who received Title IV federal aid — a narrower group, with a lower overall average. IPEDS publishes no combined figure across these bands, so they should not be averaged into one.
| Family income band | Average net price |
|---|---|
| $0–30k | $-2,536 |
| $30–48k | $-193 |
| $48–75k | $3,212 |
| $75–110k | $11,092 |
| $110k+ | $53,882 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 499 of these 7,841 students, totalling $2,930,498 — an average of $5,873 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Santa Clara County) — budget these against any cost-of-attendance housing estimate.
HUD Fair Market Rents (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities) · FY2026
Veterans & GI Bill
VA GI Bill Comparison Tool (Veterans Affairs GIDS)