Acceptance rate stanford

Admission Statistics

The following statistics give a general picture of the freshman and transfer applicants and admits. We caution you against a narrow interpretation of this data. We are providing it because we are often asked to evaluate an applicant's chances of admission based on certain criteria. To make such a judgment without reviewing an entire application is impossible, but the following information may prove useful to you. Bear in mind that an applicant in the top of one group may not be in the same position on another measure and that the rigor of academic programs varies considerably among schools.

Freshmen Fall 2016

Transfer Fall 2016

Other Years

Stanford offered admission to 5.19% of applicants to the class of 2024, an increase from last year’s record-low rate of 4.34%, according to data published by the Office of Undergraduate Admissions. Of the 45,227 total applicants, 2,349 were offered admission.

This uptick marks the first time since 2004 that the University’s undergraduate admit rate has increased, presenting an anomaly in contrast to previous years’ admission rates, which reflected a trend of rising selectivity. Fewer applicants applied to the class of 2024 than the previous year, which saw a record-high 47,498 applications. 

A University spokesperson did not immediately respond to The Daily’s request for comment.

The 5.19% admit rate accounts for students admitted through restrictive early action, regular decision and the waitlist. Even after Stanford dipped into the waitlist to admit applicants, only 1,607 admitted first-year students enrolled this year, down from the target undergraduate class size of 1,730. 

Around 20% of first-year students admitted in December and March opted to defer enrollment instead of matriculating this academic year, according to enrollment data released in last month’s Campus Conversation. Applicants from the waitlist were admitted on the condition that they enroll this academic year, making them ineligible for a gap year.

Three hundred and seventy eight first-year students admitted to Stanford chose to take a gap year, a number similar to peer institutions. Yale University saw 341 deferrals, and 340 first-year students deferred enrollment at Harvard College. While Harvard and Stanford both enroll approximately 1,700 first-year students each year, Yale enrolls around 1,300 first-year students.

In the fall of 2018, Stanford announced that it would no longer publicize admissions data for its incoming classes in an effort to reduce the “outsized emphasis placed on the admit rates at U.S. colleges and universities.”

“By focusing on the admit rate, talented students who would thrive at Stanford may opt not to apply because they think Stanford seems out of reach,” Provost Persis Drell said at the time. “And that would be a shame.”

Since the decision to stop announcing its admit rate, Stanford has been publishing admissions data in its Common Data Set, a national effort to present university data in a standardized format, which is typically released in December each year. The University’s release of 2020 admissions data, however, came in advance of the release of this year’s Common Data Set. Federal law also requires Stanford to report university information and statistics, including admissions data, to the National Center for Education Statistics. 

Stanford’s class of 2024 is made up of 52% women and 48% men, coming from 56 different countries and representing all 50 U.S. states. In addition, 20.2% of the class are first generation college students and 9.9% hail from abroad.

Stanford University, a private research institution, is one of the most selective universities in the nation with an acceptance rate of 4.3%. Founded by Jane and Leland Stanford in 1885, Stanford University is located between San Francisco and San Jose in the Silicon Valley area of California. With over 7,000 undergraduates and nearly 9,500 graduate students, Stanford has a diverse and bustling campus. For its strengths in the liberal arts and sciences, Stanford was awarded a chapter of ​Phi Beta Kappa, and its strength in research has earned it membership in the Association of American Universities.

Considering applying to this highly selective school? Here are the Stanford admissions statistics you should know.

Acceptance Rate

During the 2018-19 admissions cycle, Stanford had an acceptance rate of 4.3%. This means that for every 100 students who applied, 4 students were admitted, making Stanford's admissions process highly competitive.

SAT Scores and Requirements

Stanford requires that all applicants submit either SAT or ACT scores. During the 2018-19 admissions cycle, 67% of admitted students submitted SAT scores.

This admissions data tells us that most of Stanford's admitted students fall within the top 7% nationally on the SAT. For the evidence-based reading and writing section, 50% of students admitted to Stanford scored between 700 and 770, while 25% scored below 700 and 25% scored above 770. On the math section, 50% of admitted students scored between 740 and 800, while 25% scored below 740 and 25% scored a perfect 800. Applicants with a composite SAT score of 1570 or higher will have particularly competitive chances at Stanford.

Requirements

Stanford does not require the SAT writing section. Note that Stanford participates in the scorechoice program, which means that the admissions office will consider your highest score from each individual section across all SAT test dates. At Stanford, SAT Subject tests are optional; applicants may submit scores if they believe they will add to their application.

ACT Scores and Requirements

Stanford requires that all applicants submit either SAT or ACT scores. During the 2018-19 admissions cycle, 50% of admitted students submitted ACT scores.

This admissions data tells us that most of Stanford's admitted students fall within the top 3% nationally on the ACT. The middle 50% of students admitted to Stanford received a composite ACT score of between 32 and 35, while 25% scored above 35 and 25% scored below 32.

Requirements

Stanford does not require the ACT writing section. Unlike many universities, Stanford superscores ACT results; your highest subscores from multiple ACT sittings will be considered.

GPA

In 2019, Stanford University's incoming freshman class had an average high school GPA of 3.96, and over 95% of incoming students had average GPAs of 4.0 and above. These results suggest that most successful applicants to Stanford have primarily A grades.

Self-Reported GPA/SAT/ACT Graph

The admissions data in the graph is self-reported by applicants to Stanford University. GPAs are unweighted. Find out how you compare to accepted students, see the real-time graph, and calculate your chances of getting in with a free Cappex account.

Admissions Chances

Stanford University has a highly competitive admissions pool with a low acceptance rate and high average SAT/ACT scores. However, Stanford has a holistic admissions process involving other factors beyond your grades and test scores. A strong application essay and glowing letters of recommendation can strengthen your application, as can participation in meaningful extracurricular activities and a rigorous course schedule. Students with particularly compelling stories or achievements can still receive serious consideration even if their test scores are outside Stanford's average range.

In the graph above, you can see that the blue and green dots representing accepted students are concentrated in the upper right corner. Most students who get accepted to Stanford have "A" averages, SAT scores (ERW+M) above 1200, and ACT composite scores above 25 (more common are SAT scores over 1400 and ACT scores over 30). It is important to note many students with 4.0 GPAs and extremely high standardized test scores are rejected by Stanford. For this reason, a highly selective school like Stanford should be considered a reach school even if your grades and test scores are on target for admission. 

All admissions data has been sourced from the National Center for Education Statistics and Stanford University Undergraduate Admissions Office.

Watch Now: How to Study for the SAT

Admission Statistics

(as of October 2021)

It is impossible to quantify the breadth and depth of an incoming class to Stanford. We practice holistic admission, and admission statistics can only narrowly describe facets of a class rich in life experiences, perspectives, talents, and accomplishments. We provide these statistics as a snapshot of a Stanford class selected through a rigorous and thoughtful holistic review.

Overview for the Class of 2025

• Total Applicants: 55,471
• Total Admits: 2,190
• Total Enrolled: 2,126

First-Year Enrolled Student Profile for the Class of 2025

Class Overview

• 77 home countries and 49 US states are represented
• 12% are international citizens representing 72 countries
• 18% are first generation college students

Gender Balance

School Type

• Public: 60%
• Private: 27%
• International: 13%
• Home School: 0.5%

SAT Middle 50% Test Scores

• SAT Math Section: 750-800
• SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing: 720-770

ACT Middle 50% Test Scores

Other Years

Stanford University is a highly competitive school and its admissions statistics make Stanford University one of the 50 most competitive schools for undergraduate admissions globally. Similar to the trends across all top schools, Stanford University acceptance rates have continued to decline over the past 8 years and will almost certainly continue to do so into the future.

The Class of 2021 was one of the most challenging year to be admitted to Stanford University ever to date. For the Class of 2021, 44,073 students applied to Stanford University of which 2,050 students were accepted, yielding an overall acceptance rate of 4.7%. Overall applications increased by 0.2% over last year (2020 to 2021) from 43,997 to 44,073.

For the Class of 2021, 721 students were admitted through the early admissions process. Total early applications totaled 7,822, yielding an early acceptance rate of 9.2%. Early applications remained flat over last year (2020 to 2021) from 7,822 to 7,822.