Stanford Acceptance Rate and SAT/ACT Scores

Stanford University Admission Requirements and Statistics

[updated for 2024-2025 admission data]

How hard is Stanford University to get into?

This page provides the latest information on Stanford University (Stanford)'s admission process, acceptance rate, and student profile. Stanford's acceptance rate is 3.61% for 2024-2025 admission. A total of 57,326 students applied and 2,067 were admitted to the school. Its acceptance rate is very low, which means it is very hard to get into Stanford.

To apply to Stanford, recommendations and personal statement (or essay) are required to submit. The SAT and ACT score is not required, but considered for admission. In addition, english proficiency test score is also considered.

Stanford's acceptance rate is the 2nd lowest among 118 California colleges with competitive admission.
The median SAT score is 1550 and the ACT score is 35 at Stanford. Stanford's SAT score ranks 1st out of 28 California colleges that consider SAT score for admission.
Stanford's yield rate is 81.91%, which is significantly higher by 19.19 percentage points (approximately 30.6% higher) compared to similar colleges with acceptance rates between 0% and 10% (average yield: 62.72%). You can compare colleges with similar acceptance rates to Stanford at colleges with acceptance rates lower than 10%.

Admission Statistics

For the academic year 2024-25, Stanford's acceptance rate is 3.61% and the yield (also known as enrollment rate) is 81.91%. 29,602 men and 27,724 women applied to Stanford and 1,015 men and 1,052 women students were accepted.

Among them, 835 men and 858 women were enrolled in Stanford. You can explore the Stanford's admission rates and SAT score trends over the past decade, including year-by-year data and analysis, by visiting Admission Trends page.

Acceptance Rate and Admission Statistics at Stanford
	Total	Men	Women	Another Gender	Gender Unknown
Applicants	57,326	29,602	27,724	0	0
Admitted	2,067	1,015	1,052	0	0
Enrolled	1,693	835	858	0	0
Acceptance Rate	3.61%	3.43%	3.79%	-	-
Yield	81.91%	82.27%	81.56%	-	-

Data source: IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) (Last update: December 11, 2024)

Stanford University 2025 Acceptance Rate By Gender chart

Median SAT and ACT Score

For the academic year 2025, 857 students (51% of enrolled students) submitted SAT scores and 324 students (19% of enrolled students) submitted ACT scores as part of the admission process at Stanford.

The median SAT score for admitted students is 1,550, including 760 in SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (EBRW) and 790 in SAT Math. The 75th percentile SAT EBRW score is 780 and the 25th percentile is 740. For SAT Math, the 75th percentile score is 800 and the 25th percentile is 770.

The median ACT composite score is 35, with a 75th percentile score of 35 and a 25th percentile score of 34 at Stanford. The median ACT Math score is 35 and the median ACT English score is 35.

How competitive is Stanford's score?

The SAT and ACT scores at Stanford University are relatively high compared to similar colleges (SAT: 1,497, ACT: 34 - private (not-for-profit) research university with very high research activity).

2025 SAT and ACT Scores at Stanford
	25^th Percentile	50^th Percentile (Median)	75^th Percentile
SAT Total	1,510	1,550	1,580
SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing	740	760	780
SAT Math	770	790	800
ACT Composite	34	35	35
ACT Math	33	35	36
ACT English	35	35	36

Data source: IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) (Last update: December 11, 2024)

Stanford University 2025 SAT and ACT Score Chart

Application Requirements

It requires to submit High School Record (or Transcript), Recommendations, and Personal statement or essay to its applicants.

The SAT and ACT test score is not required, but considered in admission process at Stanford. The english proficiency test is not required, but considered.

The next table summarizes the application requirements to apply Stanford University.

For more admission information such as minimum GPA and deadlines, see its online application page .

Stanford Admission Requirements
High School GPA	Considered, if submitted
High School Rank	Considered, if submitted
High School Record (or Transcript)	Required
Completion of College Preparatory Program	Considered, if submitted
Recommendations	Required
Formal Demonstration of Competencies	Considered, if submitted
SAT / ACT	Considered, if submitted
English Proficiency Test	Considered, if submitted
Other Test (Wonderlic,WISC-III,etc)	Not Considered
Work experience	Considered, if submitted
Personal statement or essay	Required
Legacy status	Considered, if submitted

General Admissions Information

The following provides general admission information for applying to Stanford:

Open Admission Policy: No
Undergraduate Application Fees: -
Graduate Application Fees: -
Admission Information: admission.stanford.edu/
Online Application: commonapp.org/
Calendar System: Quarter
Course for High School Students: Not Offered
Credits Accepted: Advanced placement (AP) Credits
Degree Offered: Bachelor, Master, Post-Master Certificate, Doctoral (Research), Doctoral (Professional Practice)

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What is the acceptance rate at the Stanford?

Stanford is extremely competitive to get into, with an acceptance rate of 3.61%.

What SAT or ACT scores are required for admission to Stanford?

Stanford recommends submitting SAT or ACT scores, but they are not strictly required for admission. The average SAT score required for admission to Stanford is 1,550, and the average ACT score is 35. Meeting or exceeding these scores will improve your chances of admission.

Does Stanford require essays or personal statements?

Yes, Stanford requires applicants to submit a personal essay or statement as part of the application.

Are recommendation letters required for Stanford admission?

Yes, Stanford requires applicants to submit a recommendation letter as part of the application.

Is there an application fee?

Stanford does not require an application fee for undergraduate or graduate admission.

Do I need to submit my high school transcript?

Yes, Stanford requires applicants to submit high school record or transcript as part of the admission process.

Are there any specific admission requirements for international students?

Stanford recommends submitting an English proficiency test for international applicants, but it is not strictly required.

What is SAT code and ACT code for Stanford?

The institutional SAT code for Stanford is 4704 and 4-digit ACT code is 0434.