QS Top Universities: Schools

Stanford University, founded in 1885, is recognized as one of the world's leading research and teaching institutions, with one of the most renowned faculties in the nation. Stanford students—men and women of all races, ethnicities and ages —are distinguished by their love of learning and desire to contribute to the greater community.

Stanford University offers its students a remarkable range of academic and extracurricular activities. We are committed to offering an education that is unrivaled among research universities.

In this community of scholars, there is no greater thrill than being at the edge of a field and advancing the frontier of knowledge. We believe that collaboration across disciplines will be key to future advances and are pursuing multidisciplinary initiatives in the areas of biosciences, the environment and international affairs. As a research and teaching university, we offer both undergraduate and graduate students opportunities to work closely with faculty and researchers.

The pioneering spirit that inspired Jane and Leland Stanford to start this university more than a century ago and that helped build Silicon Valley at the doorstep of the campus encourages boldness in everything we do - whether those efforts occur in the library, in the classroom, in a laboratory, in a theater or on an athletic field.

Faculty

Number of Faculty Staff	Headcount: 1,743
Total number of academic faculty staff who are responsible for planning, directing and undertaking teaching only, research only or both teaching and research. Please include: vice-chancellors, deputy vice-chancellors, principals, professors, heads of school, associate professors, principal lectures and tutors. Please exclude research assistants, PhD students who contribute to teaching, and exchange scholars or visiting professors who are members of another university. FAQ: How is research assistant defined?
Number of International Faculty Staff	Headcount: 82
Number of academic faculty staff who are of foreign nationality. The term ‘international’ is hereby determined by citizenship. For EU countries, this includes all foreign nationals, even if from another EU state. In Hong Kong, this includes professors from Mainland China. Inclusion and exclusion mirrors those for academic faculty staff.

Undergraduate Information

Number of Undergraduate Students	Headcount: 6,576
Number of students pursuing a Bachelor’s level or equivalent degree. This excludes certificates/diplomas (< 2 years) and associate’s degrees (2 years).
Number of International Undergraduate Students	Headcount: 401
Number of undergraduate students who are foreign nationals. The term ‘international’ is hereby determined by citizenship. For EU countries, this includes all foreign nationals, even nationals of other EU states. In Hong Kong, this includes students from Mainland China. Please exclude all exchange students.
Average International Undergraduate Fees	$ USD 31,200
Average tuition fees per academic year (two semesters) that an international student would be expected to pay for an undergraduate program, with ‘program’ referring to the complete range of courses contributing to a degree. FAQ: How do I calculate average fees?
Average Domestic Undergraduate Fees	$ USD 31,200
Average tuition fees per academic year (two semesters) that a domestic student would be expected to pay for an undergraduate program, with ‘program’ referring to the complete range of courses contributing to a degree. FAQ: How do I calculate average fees?

Graduate / Postgraduate Information

Number of Graduate / Postgraduate Students	Headcount: 12,466
Students pursuing a higher-level degree (Master and Doctorate), including both taught and research postgraduates (e.g. PhD students)
Number of International Graduate Students	Headcount: 3,638
Number of graduate / postgraduate students who are foreign nationals. The term ‘international’ is hereby determined by citizenship. For EU countries, this includes all foreign nationals, even nationals of other EU states. In Hong Kong, this includes students from Mainland China.
Average International Graduate / Postgraduate Fees	$ USD 31,200
Average tuition fees per academic year (two semesters) that an international student would be expected to pay for a graduate / postgraduate program, with ‘program’ referring to the complete range of courses contributing to a degree. FAQ: How do I calculate average fees?
Average Domestic Graduate / Postgraduate Fees	$ USD 31,200
Average tuition fees per academic year (two semesters) that a domestic student would be expected to pay for a graduate / postgraduate program, with ‘program’ referring to the complete range of courses contributing to a degree. FAQ: How do I calculate average fees?

Students

Total Students	Headcount: 19,042
Total number of students.
Total International Students	Headcount: 4,039
Number of students who are foreign nationals. The term ‘international’ is hereby determined by citizenship. For EU countries, this includes all foreign nationals, even nationals of other EU states. In Hong Kong, this includes students from Mainland China.
Average International Student Fees	$ USD 31,200
Average tuition fees per year that an international student would be expected to pay for any course
Average Domestic Student Fees	$ USD 31,200
Average tuition fees per academic year (two semesters) that a domestic student would be expected to pay for any program, with ‘program’ referring to the complete range of courses contributing to a degree. FAQ: How do I calculate average fees?

Graduate Output

Number of PhDs Awarded	677
Total number of PhDs awarded in the last 12 months

Main claims to international academic or non-academic excellence

Current Stanford faculty have won 17 Nobel prizes and four Pulitzer Prizes, among other honors. Stanford researchers have contributed critical developments, including the construction of a recmbinant DNA molecule containing DNA from two different species, DNA microarray technology, discoveries that led to magnetic resonance imaging, the invention of the klystron tube, the invention of the laser, the invention of Reduced Instruction Set Computer, the musical synthesizer, the discovery of REM sleep, global positioning systems, the Cyberknife and the fluorescence-activated cell sorter, among others.

Range of Fees

Tuition for 2007-08 is $34,800

Basic TOEFL/IELTS requirements

The TOEFL is not required as part of the application process, however, those scores can be helpful for us to better understand a student’s English language ability, especially for non-native speakers. We do not have minimum score requirements, but many of our strong applicants score above 260 on the computer-based test.

Accommodation

Stanford is a residential university. Undergraduate housing is guaranteed for four years for entering freshmen. About 95 percent of students live on the home campus, with the other 5 percent residing at an overseas campus or the Bing Stanford in Washington Program. The undergraduate housing system includes 78 very diverse residential facilities, including academic-focus, language and culture, and cross-cultural houses, student-managed houses, apartments, suites and traditional residence halls.

Accommodation Range

In 2007-08, undergraduate housing will cost $5,863.

Entry Requirements

Stanford looks for eager, highly engaged students who will bring a high degree of intellectual energy and creativity to Stanford, and who have taken a reasonably challenging course load, selecting from among the most demanding courses available to them, in a broad, liberal arts program. The SAT or ACT is required; SAT subject tests are recommended.

Language Support

Stanford does not offer an ESL or language training program for new undergraduate students. Thus, all students are expected to be fluent in written and spoken English prior to arriving on campus.

Non-English Language Requirements