Stanford University Admissions 2024: Requirements, Admission Process and Fee

Do you dream of cracking the Stanford University admissions as an international student? While not recognized as an Ivy League, the university’s reputation supersedes many of the institutes in the group. Its acceptance rate of 3.7% indicates its selectiveness for learners worldwide having access to its top-notch programs and cutting-edge research. So if Stanford is your dream school, then this blog will help you navigate the university’s admissions process from start to finish. Read on to know more!

Founding	1885
Location	Stanford, California, USA
Nicknames	The Farm, Cardinal
Student Body	~17,000 undergraduate and 10,000 graduate students
Acceptance Rate	3.7% (2024)
Ranking	#5 (QS World University Ranking 2024) #2 (THE World University Ranking 2024) #3 (US News and World Report National Universities 2024)
Application Deadline	1 November 2024 (Restrictive Early Action) 5 January 2025 (Regular Decision)
Notable Alumni	Sergey Brin (Google co-founder) Larry Page (Google co-founder) Condoleezza Rice (Former U.S. Secretary of State) Phil Knight (Nike co-founder)

Stanford University: An Overview

Founded as a memorial to the founder’s son Leland Stanford in 1885, Stanford is a prestigious private research university located in California, about 30 miles south of San Francisco. The institute is located in a suburban setting in the heart of California’s Silicon Valley, with a sprawling 8,180-acre campus, one of the largest in the US.  Consistently ranked among the world’s top universities (#3 in US News & World Report 2024), Stanford has 7 schools offering undergraduate and graduate programs in humanities, sciences, engineering, business, law, education, and medicine. 

This year, the institute has seen an enrollment of 7,841 undergraduate and 9,688 graduate students for the Class of 2027. 

Top Programs Offered at Stanford University

Stanford University admissions allow international students to choose from a plethora of top-ranked programs. The university offers undergraduate programs in 67 fields and 200 graduate degree programs in all, with the following qualifications:

1. BA, 
2. BSc, 
3. MA, 
4. MS, 
5. PhD, 
6. DMA
7. MD
8. MBA
9. MSM
10. JD
11. JSD
12. JSM 
13. LLM
14. MFA
15. MLS
16. MLA
17. MPP
18. ENG

Here’s a breakdown of some of the strongest areas that particularly attract international applicants:

Discipline	Rank
Accounting & Finance	#2
Biological Sciences	#3
Communication and Media Studies	#4
Engineering and Technology	#2
Global MBA	#1
Law	#5
Medicine	#3
Politics & International Studies	#5

Stanford University: Tuition Fees

Before you begin the process for Stanford University admissions, let’s see the cost of education you can expect. Here are the average tuition fees for undergraduate and graduate-level courses at the institute:

Course Level	Average Annual Tuition Fee
Bachelor’s	USD 55,098 to USD 62,285
Master’s	USD 153,580 to USD 90,858
PhD	USD 58,746

Stanford University Admissions: Acceptance Rate

Stanford University admissions are highly selective, with an acceptance rate of only 3.7%. Students are evaluated on their academic and non-academic factors, some of which are as follows:

1. Volunteering/extracurricular involvement
2. First generation student
3. Geographic residence & ethnic status
4. Alumni
5. Full-time work experience
6. Character/personal qualities

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Stanford University Admissions: Ranking

Every year, Stanford University admissions see an inflow of 1700 freshmen and 30 transfer students worldwide, justifying the institute’s global position among its competitors. Given below is the university’s ranking as evaluated by some of the popular frameworks:

QS World University Ranking 2024	#5
THE World University Ranking 2024	#2
US News and World Report National Universities 2024	#3

Stanford University Admissions Deadline

For 2024, the Stanford University admissions deadlines are 15 October 2024 (Restrictive Early Action) and 5 December 2024 (Regular Decision). Students are advised to apply for Early Action to increase their chances of acceptance. Given below are some other important dates regarding the university’s admission process:

Event	Deadline
Standard Application Deadline	1 November (RestrictiveEarly Action) 5 January (Regular Decision)
Notification of Missing Documents	Mid-November (Restrictive Early Action) Mid-February (Regular Decision)
Decision Release	Mid-December (Restrictive Early Action) Early April (Regular Decision)
Student Reply Date	1 May (for both Early Action and Regular Decision)

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Stanford University Admissions Requirements

The general admission requirements for Stanford University admissions for international students are as follows:

Undergraduate Programs

1. High school transcripts
2. 3 essays (100-250 words)
3. Q and A (50 words)
4. 2 Letters of recommendation
5. English Language Proficiency: TOEFL iBT – 100+
6. Standardized test scores: SAT – 1440 – 1570, ACT – 34-35

Graduate Programs

1. Official transcripts from all high schools.
2. 2 essays (500 words each)
3. A minimum GPA of 3.5 
4. GRE: 161 (Quant), 162 (Verbal); GMAT: 650+, LSAT, or MCAT scores (depending on the program).
5. 2 letters of recommendation (for UG courses) and 2-3 LORs (for PG courses).
6. English Language Proficiency: TOEFL iBT – 100+
7. Resume
8. Interview

Stanford University Admission Process

Stanford University admissions generally involves the following steps for international applicants:

1. Carefully research the university’s official website for your choice of program.
2. Familiarize yourself with all admission requirements, including standardized testing and visa considerations.
3. Stanford uses either the Common Application or Coalition Application for undergraduate admissions. Graduate programs often have their own application portals.
4. Gather all the necessary documents to submit with your application.
5. Complete the online application form, ensuring all required documents and essays are uploaded by the deadline.
6. Pay the application fee (USD 90 for UG programs, USD 125 for graduate programs).
7. Decisions are typically released in early April for Early Action and by mid-July for Regular Decision. International students might be notified a little later due to additional processing.

Popular Scholarships

Studying in the US can be expensive for international students. However, you can enjoy the financial aid provided by various scholarship programs. See below the top scholarships that can financially help you in studying at Stanford University. 

Scholarship	Benefit
Inlaks Shivdasani Foundation	Tuition fees, living expenses, and one-way travel allowances are covered.
Rotary Foundation Ambassadorial Scholarship	1. Academic Year Ambassadorial Scholarship: USD 24,940 2. Multi-Year Ambassadorial Scholarship: USD 11,859 3. Cultural Ambassadorial Scholarship: USD 11,859 – USD 18,927
Stanford Reliance Dhirubhai Fellowship	1. The full cost of tuition and course-related fees for the Stanford MBA Programme are covered. 2. A stipend is also included to cover living costs and other educational expenses.

Career Scope

Applying for Stanford University admissions can immensely rewarding for you. The graduates of this prestigious institute excel in a range of fields, especially in Finance, Technology, General Management, and Marketing / Sales. See below the popular job roles you can expect to assume after completing your studies. 

Job Role	Average Annual Salary in the US
Business Analyst	USD 98,879
Financial Manager	USD 109,532
Marketing Manager	USD 107,931
Lawyer	USD 168,773
IT Manager	USD 97,326
Engineer	USD 101,513

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FAQs

We hope this blog gave you a complete overview of Stanford University admissions for international students in 2024. Tune into Leverage Edu for more such updates on study-abroad universities. Thank you for reading!