Located in the San Francisco Bay Area, Stanford University is a place of learning, discovery, expression and innovation. Founded in 1885, Stanford's areas of excellence span seven schools along with research institutes, the arts and athletics. Stanford's faculty, staff and students work to improve the health and wellbeing of people around the world through the discovery and application of knowledge.
Students who enjoy learning for its own sake thrive at Stanford. We seek students who have selected a rigorous academic program and achieved distinction in a range of areas.
With an approximate 5-to-1 student-to-faculty ratio, Stanford emphasizes close student and faculty interaction. Stanford offers three undergraduate degrees: Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Sciences and Bachelor of Arts and Sciences. each is designed to achieve balance between depth of knowledge acquired through specialization and breadth of knowledge gained through exploration.
Three of Stanford's seven schools award undergraduate degrees: Humanities and Sciences; earth, energy & environmental Sciences; and engineering. Undergraduates complete at least 180 units, including major courses, writing and rhetoric requirements, and one year of a foreign language. Undergraduates also experience COLLEGE, a one-quarter required course for first-year students incorporating Civic, Liberal, and Global education.
Undergraduate housing is organized in neighborhoods, each offering a broad spectrum of living including dormitories, theme houses, coops, self-ops, Greek houses, and apartments.
To learn more about housing options, check out Stanford's Residential and Dining Enterprises page.
BEAM, Stanford Career Education prepares students and recent alumni to pursue and secure fulfilling careers. Members of our team are here to support your success. We provide career coaching, facilitate career programs, teach courses, and partner with our valued on-campus collaborators to provide comprehensive career education for students and alumni.
We promote and lead diversity, equity, and inclusion practices that empower students to embrace their identity as an integral part of their career decisions. We work to eliminate socio-economic barriers to increase access. We look forward to working with you and to welcoming you to our center or one of our upcoming career fairs or events.
Intramural Sports provides an opportunity to participate in a variety of recreational sports and activities for people of all skill levels: from those never having played before looking to learn a new game to those who want a competitive contest. Intramural Sports welcomes any and everyone while engaging in teamwork, fair play, and self-awareness.
For more information, visit Stanford's Recreation and Wellness page.
The Office of Student engagement oversees more than 600 official student organizations at Stanford. On average, most students are involved in three organizations and over 1,500 events a year are planned by student organizations. There are about 30 recognized religious organizations, and more than 100 committed to the arts. Other types of organizations include ethnic/cultural, community service, social awareness, social, athletic and recreational, and pre-professional/academic.
The Associated Students of Stanford University (ASSU) is the representative government for both undergraduate and graduate students.
Unfortunately, due to public health concerns with regard to COVID-19, Stanford is not offering tours of any kind at this point.
To take a virtual tour of the campus, visit Stanford's 360 degree video tour.