How to Get Into Stanford: Acceptance Rate & Strategies
August 4, 2025
When you look at a list of the lowest college acceptance rates in the country and your dream school occupies one of the top positions, this is hardly cause for celebration. Stanford’s latest acceptance rate is even more selective than MIT, Caltech, and Yale and is quite similar to Harvard, Columbia, and Princeton. This means that looking at the process of how to get into Stanford involves surviving a brutal admissions process that will see countless valedictorians, geniuses, and immensely talented young people tossed to the wayside.
Of course, the best way to optimize any elite college application is to do extensive homework on each school, finding an edge over your competition wherever you can. Toward that aim, the intent of this article is to give those considering applying to Stanford University an understanding of:
- Stanford鈥檚 acceptance rate (plus how to predict your chances with our free admissions calculator)
- Is Stanford Ivy League?
- SAT, GPA, and class rank of accepted Stanford applicants
- Admissions trends
- Why being 鈥渨ell-rounded鈥� won鈥檛 help you get into Stanford
- How Stanford admissions officers evaluate applicants
- A look at the demographics of Stanford undergraduates
- The percentage of accepted students that attend the university (yield rate)
- Tips for applying to Stanford
- Stanford supplemental essays
- How to assess whether applying to Stanford is even worth the $90 application fee (for you)
Stanford Admissions Calculator
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Is Stanford Ivy League?
With a sterling international reputation and an acceptance rate under 4%, you may be wondering whether Stanford is an Ivy League school. The answer is no鈥攚hile Stanford is every bit as selective as Harvard, Yale, and Princeton, it is not a member of the famed Ivy League.
Stanford Acceptance Rate
Unfortunately, Stanford hasn’t released any admissions data for the Class of 2029. However, according to a source in the admissions office (), Stanford admitted about 150 more students this year than last. That would mean Stanford admitted about 2250 applicants for the Class of 2029. If Stanford’s application numbers hold steady, its admit rate will stay at about 4%.
However, we do know that Stanford received 57,326 applications for a spot in the Class of 2028; they accepted just 2,067. This translates to an acceptance rate of 3.6%, slightly lower than the previous year.
For perspective, the Class of 1978 had a 31% acceptance rate. You’d have to go back to the Class of 2011 to find the last time the school had an acceptance rate in the double digits. Keep this in mind when thinking about Stanford’s current acceptance rate.
Historical Stanford acceptance rates are as follows:
| Applicants | Admits | Acceptance Rate | |
| Class of 2027 | 53,733 | 2,099 | 3.9% |
| Class of 2026 | 56,378 | 2,075 | 3.7% |
| Class of 2025 | 55,471 | 2,190 | 3.9% |
| Class of 2024 | 45,227 | 2,349 | 5.1% |
What GPA do you need to get into Stanford?
Among enrolled 2024-25 first-year students, the average GPA was 3.94. Moreover, 93% had a GPA over 3.75.
What class rank do you need to get accepted to Stanford?
97.8% of enrolled first-year students hailed from the top 10% of the graduating class, and 100% earned a place in the top quarter.
Outside the top quarter of your graduating class? Your chances of acceptance are likely extremely low.
What is the minimum SAT or ACT score for Stanford?
According to Class of 2028 statistics, the mid-50% SAT range for enrolled freshmen was a whopping 1510 to 1570. The mid-50% ACT was similarly high鈥�34-35.
Overall, about 2 out of 3 first-year students in the Class of 2028 submitted test scores alongside their applications.
Admissions Trends & Notes
- 21% of the Class of 2028 are first-generation students, similar to the admission previous cycle.
- The percentage of international students decreased slightly from 15% to 14%.
- For a third consecutive year, the overall Stanford acceptance rate was under 4%.
- Between 2023 and 2024, the total number of applications received increased by about 6%.
Be Great at One Thing, Not 鈥淲ell-Rounded鈥�
Stanford is looking for the next generation of luminaries in a variety of areas. One look at the list of notable Stanford alumni and you鈥檒l get a sense of what the university is looking for: the next wave of Supreme Court Justices (Breyer, Kennedy, O鈥機onnor, Rehnquist), business leaders (Sergey Brin, Reed Hastings, Phil Knight), writers, politicians, athletes, actors/actresses, and Nobel Prize-winning scientists. Keep this in mind when thinking about Stanford’s acceptance rate.
Being spread thin across ten activities, even if they are all impressive, simply isn鈥檛 going to blow away the Stanford admissions committee. Shining in one or two areas is key. For advice about how to stand out on the extracurricular front, check out our previous blog entitled聽How Many Extracurricular Activities Do I Need for College?
How Stanford Evaluates Applicants
Stanford ranks the following eight categories as being 鈥渧ery important鈥� to the admissions process: application essay, recommendations, extracurricular activities, rigor of secondary school record, class rank, GPA, talent/ability, and character/personal qualities. They rank zero factors as 鈥渋mportant鈥� and seven as 鈥渃onsidered.鈥� These are: standardized test scores, interview, first-generation status, legacy status, geographical residence, volunteer work, and paid work experience.
In terms of extracurricular activities, it is vitally important to have some type of 鈥渉ook鈥� when applying to Stanford. For example, Stanford has one of the in the entire country, hosting 36 varsity sports teams. Of the 900 students participating in intercollegiate sports, more than 350 are on athletic scholarships. If you are a star player being heavily recruited by a coach at Stanford, your chances of admission rise exponentially, particularly if you are 鈥渋n range鈥� academically. Keep this in mind when thinking about Stanford’s acceptance rate.
If you are less athletically inclined, perhaps you are a star orator and future member of the Stanford Debate Society or possess talents as an ethnographer, playwright, cellist, poet, scientist, robotics engineer, app designer, or community organizer.
Who Actually Gets Into Stanford?
Let鈥檚 look at the demographics of current undergraduate students at Stanford. Geographically, the Cardinal student body is typically comprised of students from:
- California: 38%
- Other U.S.: 47%
- International: 15%
Stanford, like most elites, likes to achieve a level of geographic diversity that allows them to say they have a class member from just about every state. The Class of 2028 alone has representatives from 50 states and 70 countries. Therefore, if you hail from the Deep South or a less-populated state like Montana or Idaho, your location is more likely to provide a boost to your admissions chances than if you live in California or New York. Keep this in mind when thinking about Stanford’s acceptance rate.
Looking at the ethnic identity of the Class of 2028, the breakdown was as follows:
- White: 24%
- Asian American: 33%
- Hispanic: 15%
- Black or African American: 4%
- American Indian: 1%
- International: 14%
- Two or more races: 8%
Looking at the type of high school Class of 2028 members hailed from shows the following:
- Public: 56%
- Private: 28%
- International: 16%
- Homeschool: <1%
The gender breakdown of the Class of 2028 is as follows:
- Men: 49%
- Women: 51%
Yield Rate
Stanford鈥檚 yield rate鈥攖he percentage of accepted students who elect to enroll, divided by the total number of students who were admitted鈥攚as 81% for the Class of 2028, placing it right beside Harvard University and Yale for the highest figure of any school in the country. Dartmouth and Penn both have yield rates between 70-80%. Elite schools like Duke, Notre Dame, and Cornell sport yields above 60%. Keep this in mind when thinking about Stanford’s acceptance rate.
Tips for Applying to Stanford
The 55,000+ Stanford applicants should all be aware of the following:
- It is important to note that Stanford is not test-optional policy for the 2025-26 admissions cycle.
- An interview is not a mandatory part of the admissions process, but all applicants can pursue an . Volunteers invite applicants by email and the interview itself can take place in person or via video chat.
- For advice on what types of questions you should be prepared to answer/ask visit our blog鈥�College Interview Tips.
- Stanford does not consider 鈥�demonstrated interest鈥� due to their aforementioned sky-high yield rate. Therefore, you do not need to make contact with the university just for this purpose. Due to their high yield rate, they simply don鈥檛 have to worry about this factor, which can play a larger role at many other institutions.
- Do everything you can to 鈥渂ring your application to life.鈥� This means seeking out recommenders who can speak to your passion and help your unique personality and attributes pop off the page. Essays will also be key.
- Make sure to dedicate sufficient time and effort to the supplemental essays and short answers required by Stanford because there are 8 of them! You read correctly鈥�8! In the 2025-26 cycle, they are as follows:
Short Response Questions (50 words each)
- What is the most significant challenge that society faces today?
- How did you spend your last two summers?
- What historical moment or event do you wish you could have witnessed?
- Briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities, a job you hold, or responsibilities you have for your family.
- List five things that are important to you.聽
Essay Questions (250 words each)
1) The Stanford community is deeply curious and driven to learn in and out of the classroom. Reflect on an idea or experience that makes you genuinely excited about learning.聽
2) Virtually all of Stanford鈥檚 undergraduates live on campus. Write a note to your future roommate that reveals something about you or that will help your roommate 鈥� and us 鈥� know you better.聽
3) Please describe what aspects of your life experiences, interests and character would help you make a distinctive contribution as an undergraduate to Stanford University.
Providing some general guidance for all eight essays (plus the Common App), the admissions committee encourages 鈥測ou to spend time reflecting on who you are and what is meaningful to you. In your essays, be true to yourself and allow your genuine voice to come through.鈥� Getting to answer so many questions that invite personal, deep, and honest responses is a wonderful way to ingratiate yourself with the admissions officer reading your application.
For more advice, visit our blog entitled Stanford Supplemental Essay Prompts.
Should I apply to Stanford?
If you are at the top of your high school class and sport exceptional standardized test scores, it is definitely worth adding Stanford to your college list. Moreover, if you have a 鈥渉ook鈥� of some kind鈥攚hether it is in the realm of sports, music, drama, or STEM鈥攖hat can certainly help to give you a genuine shot at admission.
Stanford University Acceptance Rate – Final Thoughts
No matter how bright and accomplished you are, this is one university that is a 鈥渞each鈥� school for every single teen. Even if you are a 鈥減erfect鈥� applicant, you will still want to have a balance of 鈥渢arget鈥� and 鈥渟afety鈥� schools on your college list. For more information on constructing a properly balanced list of prospective colleges, consult our blog鈥�How to Create the Perfect College List.
Ready to start crafting your applications? You might consider checking out the following:
