$124,080
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Stanford University is a private nonprofit 4-year college in Stanford, California with 7,554 undergraduates and 10,721 graduate students. Its average net price after grants is $13,807 a year (tuition and fees $65,910). It admits 3.6% of applicants and 92% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $124,080 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $12,000 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$13,807
US median $17,138
Tuition and fees
$65,910
US median $11,837
Admission rate
3.6%
US median 78%
Completion rate
92%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$12,000
About $127 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$124,080
Rank 10 of 5,094 in the US
Cost
What a year costs: posted prices and the average after grants
Net price by family income
Average yearly cost after grants, for students who get aid
- Net price
- $13,807
- Tuition and fees
- $65,910
- Cost of attendance
- $87,833
- Students with a need-based grant
- 19%
- Students with federal loans
- 6.2%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- -$2,536
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- -$193
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $3,212
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $11,092
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $53,882
Net price is what students who get aid pay on average after grants.
Tuition and net price by year
School years 2015-16 to 2024-25. The year on the chart is the year the school year starts.
Yearly cost
Tuition and fees went from $46,320 in 2015-16 to $65,910 in 2024-25.
Admission, completion and retention
Share of applicants admitted, of students who finish and of first-year students who come back
Admission and students
- Admission rate
- 3.6%
- Average SAT
- 1,553
- SAT reading, middle
- 745
- SAT math, middle
- 775
- ACT, middle
- 35
- Undergraduates
- 7,554
- Graduate students
- 10,721
- Part-time students
- 0%
- Women
- 52%
- Students per teacher
- 6
- Completion rate
- 92%
- Retention rate
- 98%
- Highest degree
- Graduate degree
- Programs
- 186
- Endowment
- $37.6B
Earnings and debt
Compared with the medians of the colleges of its state, of colleges of the same kind and of all US colleges
Median earnings 10 years after starting rank 10 of 5,094 US colleges and 4 of 494 in California (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | CA median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $13,807 | $20,161 | $22,320 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $65,910 | $8,086 | $31,170 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | 3.6% | 76% | 74% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 92% | 64% | 57% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 98% | 80% | 77% | 75% |
| Median debt | $12,000 | $11,537 | $24,287 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $102,887 | $36,048 | $44,392 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $124,080 | $41,472 | $52,928 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US private nonprofit 4-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 90% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 88% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
186 fields of study and credentials, with graduates, debt and earnings
| Field of study | Graduates | Median debt | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | US median 4 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Management Sciences and Quantitative MethodsMaster's | Master's | 493 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Computer ScienceMaster's | Master's | 383 | Withheld | $199,761 | $255,667 | $145,571 |
| Computer ScienceBachelor's | Bachelor's | 293 | $10,399 | $138,613 | $214,907 | $107,009 |
| Civil EngineeringMaster's | Master's | 212 | $34,030 | $83,740 | $112,118 | $98,323 |
| LawProfessional | Professional | 183 | $153,302 | $162,001 | $259,944 | $107,773 |
| Mechanical EngineeringMaster's | Master's | 148 | $41,000 | $121,408 | $167,632 | $115,974 |
| Human BiologyBachelor's | Bachelor's | 140 | $12,500 | $50,179 | $81,529 | $64,732 |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications EngineeringMaster's | Master's | 138 | Withheld | $159,472 | $181,705 | $133,654 |
| Education, GeneralMaster's | Master's | 120 | $32,500 | $71,967 | $88,065 | $65,824 |
| EconomicsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 112 | $12,500 | $98,104 | $112,700 | $82,686 |
| Engineering-Related FieldsMaster's | Master's | 110 | Withheld | $133,371 | $206,093 | $125,651 |
| Legal Research and Advanced Professional StudiesMaster's | Master's | 94 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Engineering, OtherBachelor's | Bachelor's | 89 | $7,500 | $49,741 | $115,206 | $93,989 |
| MedicineProfessional | Professional | 87 | $71,477 | $79,753 | $114,132 | $112,460 |
| Cognitive ScienceBachelor's | Bachelor's | 83 | $7,500 | $105,695 | $131,650 | $81,496 |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications EngineeringDoctoral | Doctoral | 72 | Withheld | Withheld | $231,917 | $157,305 |
| Political Science and GovernmentBachelor's | Bachelor's | 72 | $11,705 | $59,297 | Withheld | $63,293 |
| MathematicsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 65 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $69,562 |
| International Relations and National Security StudiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 61 | Withheld | $76,166 | $91,075 | $66,596 |
| PhysicsDoctoral | Doctoral | 60 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $130,153 |
| Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space EngineeringMaster's | Master's | 58 | Withheld | $111,760 | $147,375 | $122,434 |
| Materials EngineeringMaster's | Master's | 58 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $112,282 |
| Research and Experimental PsychologyBachelor's | Bachelor's | 57 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $55,695 |
| Mechanical EngineeringBachelor's | Bachelor's | 56 | Withheld | Withheld | $117,072 | $92,135 |
| Biology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 56 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $57,214 |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: the county of Stanford and California on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in California
- Homes: Homes for sale in California
Questions and answers
How much does Stanford University cost?
$13,807 a year is the average net price at Stanford University after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $65,910, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $87,833. Families earning under $30,000 pay -$2,536 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Stanford University?
3.6% of applicants are admitted to Stanford University. The average SAT score of admitted students is 1,553 and the middle ACT score is 35. The median admission rate of colleges in California is 76%.
How much do Stanford University graduates earn?
$124,080 a year is the median pay of former Stanford University students who work, 10 years after they started ($102,887 after 6 years). That ranks 10 of 5,094 US colleges and 4 of 494 in California. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Computer Science (Master's) at $199,761.
How much student debt do Stanford University graduates have?
$12,000 is the median federal student loan debt of Stanford University graduates, about $127 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 6.2% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at Stanford University?
92% of first-time, full-time students at Stanford University finish within 6 years. 98% of first-year students come back for a second year. The median of private nonprofit 4-year colleges is 57%.
What are the most popular majors at Stanford University?
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (493 master's graduates), Computer Science (383 master's graduates), Computer Science (293 bachelor's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 186 programs.
Official public data, June 2026 release. Net price is for first-time, full-time students who get aid. Completion counts first-time, full-time students who finish within 150% of the normal time. Debt and earnings are medians of students who received federal student aid, measured a few years after they left, in the dollars of the year measured; earnings count former students who work and are not enrolled, including those who did not finish.