What is the Stanford acceptance rate?
Stanford’s most recent official figures give an acceptance rate of 3.8% by our calculation, for students who entered in fall 2025 as the Class of 2029. Stanford received 60,646 first-year applications, admitted 2,302 students and enrolled 1,839, according to its Common Data Set 2025-2026. By our calculation, 79.9% of admitted students enrolled. Stanford notes that its enrolled count excludes students who deferred enrollment from a prior year; its Class of 2029 profile counts 1,866 enrolled students, including early start athletes.
What is the Stanford acceptance rate for the Class of 2030?
Stanford has not published the number of applicants or admitted students for the Class of 2030, which entered in fall 2026. Stanford stopped announcing application numbers during the admission cycle in 2018 (Stanford Report, August 2018), and its applicant and admit counts now appear in the Common Data Set the following year. The Stanford Report announced that “Stanford welcomed 1,950 new students, 1,872 of whom are first-year students in the Class of 2030,” from all 50 states and 72 countries (Stanford Report, September 16, 2026). The Class of 2030 was the first class since the pandemic that Stanford required to submit SAT or ACT scores.
Any Class of 2030 acceptance rate for Stanford published before its 2026-2027 Common Data Set is an estimate, not a Stanford figure.
How has the Stanford acceptance rate changed?
| Entering class | Applied | Admitted | Acceptance rate | Enrolled | Yield |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2025 (Class of 2029) | 60,646 | 2,302 | 3.8% | 1,839 | 79.9% |
| Fall 2024 (Class of 2028) | 57,326 | 2,067 | 3.6% | 1,693 | 81.9% |
| Fall 2023 (Class of 2027) | 53,733 | 2,099 | 3.9% | 1,699 | 80.9% |
Applications have risen each year in this period, from 53,733 to 60,646, an increase of 12.9% by our calculation. The acceptance rate rose for fall 2025 because the number admitted rose faster than applications: Stanford admitted 235 more students than a year earlier, an increase of 11.4%, and enrolled 146 more. In our view, that reflects a decision about class size rather than an easier admissions year.
How does Stanford compare with Harvard, Yale and Penn?
For students who entered in fall 2025, the Common Data Set gives the closest like-for-like comparison, because it uses shared definitions, although each university’s own class profile can differ slightly.
| University | Applied | Admitted | Acceptance rate | Enrolled |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stanford | 60,646 | 2,302 | 3.8% | 1,839 |
| Harvard | 47,893 | 2,003 | 4.2% | 1,675 |
| Yale | 50,264 | 2,387 | 4.7% | 1,633 |
| Penn | 72,544 | 3,570 | 4.9% | 2,420 |
Stanford had the lowest acceptance rate of the four for that class. Our comparisons of Harvard and Stanford and of the Ivy League, Stanford, MIT and Duke go beyond the admission numbers.
How does Restrictive Early Action work at Stanford?
“Restrictive Early Action (REA) is Stanford’s non-binding early application option.” REA applicants may not apply to any other private college under an early action, restrictive early action or early decision plan, and may not apply to any public university under a binding early plan. They may apply to nonbinding early programs at public universities, nonbinding rolling programs, nonbinding programs at colleges outside the United States, the military academies, and nonbinding early programs required for a scholarship or special academic program; a student who is deferred or denied may then apply to another college’s Early Decision II plan. An REA applicant who is admitted has until May 1 to reply; one who is denied may not reapply in Regular Decision; one who is deferred receives a final decision by early April (Stanford Admission). What a deferral means at Stanford and what to do next are in our guide to being deferred from Stanford.
Stanford does not publish how many students it admits in each round, so any Stanford early acceptance rate found online is an estimate. Stanford states that “Most students, including a majority of admitted students, apply to Stanford during” Regular Decision. Our guides to Stanford early action and restrictive early action cover the choice in detail.
When are the Stanford application deadlines for fall 2027?
| Application round | Common App deadline | Arts portfolio deadline | Decision released |
|---|---|---|---|
| Restrictive Early Action with arts portfolio | October 15, 2026 | October 20, 2026 | By mid-December 2026 |
| Restrictive Early Action | November 1, 2026 | Not applicable | By mid-December 2026 |
| Regular Decision with arts portfolio | December 5, 2026 | December 10, 2026 | By early April 2027 |
| Regular Decision | January 5, 2027 | Not applicable | By early April 2027 |
What SAT scores and grades do Stanford students have?
| Measure | 25th percentile | Median | 75th percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| SAT total | 1520 | 1550 | 1570 |
| SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing | 750 | 760 | 780 |
| SAT Math | 770 | 790 | 800 |
| ACT Composite | 34 | 35 | 36 |
Stanford reports an average high school GPA of 3.94 for students who reported one, about 70% of the class, and 73.0% of them had a 4.0. Of students whose schools reported class rank, 97% ranked in the top tenth. Our guide to Stanford GPA requirements has more detail.
Does Stanford require the SAT or ACT?
Yes. Stanford’s testing page states that “ACT or SAT scores are required” (Stanford Admission). In its Common Data Set, Stanford notes that it reinstated the requirement beginning with applications for fall 2026 entry, so the Class of 2030 was the first class to which it applied. Our list of colleges that require the SAT or ACT compares Stanford with its peers.
What is the Stanford transfer acceptance rate?
For fall 2025, Stanford received 4,532 transfer applications, admitted 102 students and enrolled 89, an acceptance rate of 2.3% (Stanford Common Data Set 2025-2026, section D2). In fall 2026, 78 transfer students joined Stanford, according to the Stanford Report.
For fall 2025, Stanford offered 669 students a place on its waiting list and admitted 57 of the 573 who accepted (Stanford Common Data Set 2025-2026, section C2); what the offer means and what to send are covered in our Stanford waitlist guide.
How much does Stanford cost for families?
Stanford states that for parents with total annual income below $100,000 and typical assets, it does not expect a parent contribution toward educational costs, and that for parents with income below $150,000 and typical assets the expected contribution is low enough for tuition to be covered by need-based aid, for students living on campus. Students are still expected to contribute from summer income, part-time work and their own savings (Stanford Financial Aid). For 2025-2026, Stanford said that families with incomes below $100,000 and typical assets pay no tuition, room or board (Stanford Report, February 2025). Full tuition for 2026-2027 is $67,731 (Stanford Report, February 2026).
What does the Stanford acceptance rate mean for applicants?
In the view of Oriel Admissions, the 3.8% rate matters less for planning than two facts behind it: most enrolled students who reported a GPA had a 4.0, and from the Class of 2030 on every student has an SAT or ACT score, while Stanford does not say how many students it admits early. Strong numbers therefore make an applicant competitive without setting them apart. In our experience, what tends to distinguish admitted students is sustained, self-directed work in a few areas and essays that show how the student thinks. Our guide to getting into Stanford covers strategy in more detail.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Stanford Acceptance Rate
Stanford admitted 2,302 of 60,646 first-year applicants for fall 2025, the Class of 2029, an acceptance rate of 3.8% by our calculation from its Common Data Set 2025-2026. The rate was 3.6% for fall 2024 and 3.9% for fall 2023.
Stanford has not published Class of 2030 applicant or admit numbers. It stopped announcing them during the cycle in 2018, and they will first appear in its 2026-2027 Common Data Set. Stanford reports that 1,872 first-year students enrolled in fall 2026.
Stanford does not publish separate results for Restrictive Early Action and Regular Decision, so any Stanford early acceptance rate found online is an estimate. Stanford states that most students, including a majority of admitted students, apply Regular Decision.
No. Admitted students have until May 1 to reply. With limited exceptions, applicants may not apply early to other private colleges, and a student denied in Restrictive Early Action may not reapply in Regular Decision that year.
Stanford states that there are no minimum test scores required for admission and no score that guarantees admission. For students who enrolled in fall 2025 and submitted scores, the middle 50% SAT range was 1520 to 1570 and the ACT range was 34 to 36, according to the Common Data Set.
Yes. Stanford requires ACT or SAT scores, beginning with students who applied for fall 2026 entry. The Class of 2029 applied when testing was optional.
For fall 2025, Stanford offered 669 students a place on its waiting list, 573 accepted and 57 were admitted, about 9.9% of those who accepted by our calculation. What the offer means and what to send are covered in our Stanford waitlist guide.
Not entirely. Stanford does not expect a parent contribution from families with income below $100,000 and typical assets, but students still contribute from summer income, work and savings. Tuition is covered below $150,000. In the view of Oriel Admissions, families above these levels should still run the Stanford net price calculator.
Sources: Stanford Common Data Set 2025-2026, Stanford Common Data Set 2024-2025, Stanford Common Data Set 2023-2024, Stanford IRDS Common Data Set page, Stanford Report, September 16, 2026, Stanford Report, August 2018, Stanford Facts, Class of 2029 profile, Stanford testing, Stanford first-year deadlines, Stanford decision process, Stanford parent contribution, Stanford Report, February 2025, Stanford Report, February 2026, Harvard Common Data Set 2025-2026, Yale Common Data Set 2025-2026, Penn Common Data Set 2025-2026.
About Oriel Admissions
Oriel Admissions is a college admissions consulting firm advising families nationwide on elite university admissions strategy, with offices in Princeton, New Jersey and New York. Our team pairs deep admissions expertise with a distinctive 360 approach spanning academic planning, extracurricular strategy, essays and application execution. To discuss your strategy, schedule a consultation.
