Stanford University

United States of America

Stanford

450 Serra Mall, CA 94305
United States

+1 650 723 2300

About Stanford University

Stanford University has one of the largest campuses in the US and is one of the most prestigious universities in the world.

It was established in 1885 and opened six years later as a co-educational and non-denominational private institution.

Its location, less than an hour’s drive south of San Francisco next to Palo Alto, is in the heart of California’s Silicon Valley, and the university is known for its entrepreneurial spirit.

This entrepreneurialism has its roots in the aftermath of the Second World War, when the provost encouraged innovation, resulting in a self-sufficient industry that would become Silicon Valley.
Stanford University, located between San Francisco and San Jose in the heart of California's Silicon Valley, is one of the world's leading teaching and research universities. Since its opening in 1891, Stanford has been dedicated to finding solutions to big challenges and to preparing students for leadership in a complex world.

By 1970, the university had a linear accelerator and hosted part of the early network that would become the technical foundation of the internet.

The main campus spans 8,180 acres and is home to almost all the undergraduates who study at the university.

Admission

Stanford students come from across the United States and throughout the world, representing diverse perspectives, experiences, backgrounds and cultures. U.S. undergraduate applicants are admitted on a need-blind basis, and the university offers substantial financial aid to help families manage the costs. Once here, Stanford students discover extraordinary freedom of opportunity — to explore, to collaborate and to challenge themselves.

There are 700 major university buildings housing 40 departments within the three academic schools and four professional schools, alongside 18 independent laboratories, centres and institutes.

Stanford counts 21 Nobel laureates within its community, and numerous famous alumni associated with the university from the worlds of business, politics, media, sport and technology.

The 31st president of the US, Herbert Hoover, was part of the very first class at Stanford, and received a degree in geology in 1895. Currently, Stanford is also one of the leading producers of US Congress members.

The alumni include 30 living billionaires, 17 astronauts, 18 Turing Award recipients and two Fields Medallists.

Google’s co-founders met at Stanford while pursuing doctorate degrees, although neither ultimately completed their theses.

In total, companies founded by Stanford affiliates and alumni generate more than $2.7 trillion annual revenue, which would be the 10th largest economy in the world. These companies include Nike, Netflix, Hewlett-Packard, Sun Microsystems, Instagram, Snapchat, PayPal and Yahoo.

The first American woman to go into space, Sally Ride, received an undergraduate degree in physics from Stanford in 1973. Just 10 years later, she made her ascent into space.

In the five years leading up to 2012, the university embarked on a challenge to raise more than $4 billion. The fundraising exceeded this target and concluded the campaign having raised $6.2 billion, which will be used for more faculty appointments, graduate research fellowships and scholarships, and construction on 38 new or existing campus buildings.

Some of the funds have already been used for large projects, including the world’s largest dedicated stem cell research facility, a new business school campus, a law school expansion, a new Engineering Quad, a campus concert hall and an art museum.

Unofficially, the Stanford motto is a German quotation “Die Luft der Freiheit weht”, which translates as “the wind of freedom blows”.

Academics

Stanford offers the kind of education needed for leadership in a rapidly changing world. Its seven schools – Humanities & Sciences, Engineering, Business, Law, Medicine, Education and Earth Sciences – offer a breadth of highly regarded degree programs that allow students the freedom to explore their intellectual and personal passions.

Research

From Nobel Prize winners to undergraduates, all members of the Stanford community are engaged in creating new knowledge, and Stanford brings an innovative, entrepreneurial spirit to this work of discovery. Stanford people take on audacious problems, bring imaginative new approaches to solving them, and work collaboratively to advance knowledge and make meaningful contributions to our world.

Campus Life

Stanford is a thriving residential campus and community sitting on 8,000 acres of foothills and flatlands – once a horse farm belonging to Jane and Leland Stanford and still fondly known as "the Farm." Living at Stanford brings surprises and new experiences every day, in an extraordinary community of creative and accomplished people from around the world.

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