Stanford Acceptance Rate: 3.8% for the Class of 2029, and 7 Years of Trends

Last updated: October 31, 2026

The Stanford acceptance rate is about 3.8%: Stanford admitted 2,302 of 60,646 first-year applicants for fall 2025, the Class of 2029, and 1,839 enrolled. That is the newest figure Stanford has published. Stanford reports its applicant and admit counts in its Common Data Set after each class enrolls, and it has not yet released counts for the Class of 2030. This guide covers seven years of Stanford's own numbers, the scores and grades of the latest class, Restrictive Early Action, and the factors Stanford says matter most.

Stanford calls it "intellectual vitality": curiosity you act on. A research project you lead puts that curiosity on paper. See if you qualify for the STEM Research Program →

Stanford acceptance rate for the Class of 2029

Stanford's Common Data Set 2025–2026 (section C1) reports:

• Applicants: 60,646
• Admitted: 2,302
• Enrolled: 1,839
• Acceptance rate: about 3.8% (our calculation: 2,302 ÷ 60,646)

That is about 1 admit for every 26 applicants. About 80% of admitted students enrolled, which tells you how often admitted students choose Stanford once they have the offer.

The Class of 2029 was also Stanford's largest applicant pool in the seven years below.

Seven years of Stanford admissions data

These counts come from Stanford's Common Data Sets, fall 2019 through fall 2025. Rates are our calculations:

• Class of 2029 (fall 2025): 60,646 applicants, 2,302 admitted, about 3.8%
• Class of 2028 (fall 2024): 57,326 applicants, 2,067 admitted, about 3.6%
• Class of 2027 (fall 2023): 53,733 applicants, 2,099 admitted, about 3.9%
• Class of 2026 (fall 2022): 56,378 applicants, 2,075 admitted, about 3.7%
• Class of 2025 (fall 2021): 55,471 applicants, 2,190 admitted, about 3.9%
• Class of 2024 (fall 2020): 45,227 applicants, 2,349 admitted, about 5.2%
• Class of 2023 (fall 2019): 47,498 applicants, 2,062 admitted, about 4.3%

What the trend shows:

• The rate rose for the Class of 2029. Stanford admitted 235 more students than the year before, while applications grew by 3,320. The rate went from about 3.6% to about 3.8%.
• Since the Class of 2025, the rate has stayed between about 3.6% and 3.9%. That is a narrow, stable band.
• The Class of 2024 is the outlier. That fall 2020 class had fewer applicants and more admits, so its rate was about 5.2%.

A stable rate is useful to you. It means Stanford's choices depend less on a lucky year and more on the qualities it describes. Those you can build.

Stanford says one or two activities done in depth can say more than five or six done lightly. A research project of your own is depth. See if you qualify for the STEM Research Program →

What about the Class of 2030?

Stanford's newest Common Data Set covers fall 2025. Stanford publishes no applicant or admit counts for the Class of 2030 on its admission or institutional research pages as of October 2026. Until it does, any Class of 2030 Stanford acceptance rate is an estimate from a source other than Stanford.

The Class of 2030 is different in one way you should know: it was the first class to apply after Stanford brought back required testing. Stanford's CDS says, "Stanford reinstated its standardized testing requirement beginning with applications for Fall 2026 entry."

Stanford test scores, grades and class rank

Testing policy. ACT or SAT scores are required. Stanford says there are no minimum scores and no score that guarantees admission. You self-report scores and send official reports only if you are admitted and enroll. Stanford also asks you to self-report all AP scores you have.

Middle 50% scores of first-year students who enrolled in fall 2025 (CDS section C9). Tests were optional for this class, so the ranges describe only students who submitted scores:

• SAT composite: 1520 to 1570 (median 1550)
• SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing: 750 to 780
• SAT Math: 770 to 800
• ACT Composite: 34 to 36 (median 35)

About 56% of enrolled students submitted SAT scores and about 21% submitted ACT scores.

Grades and rank:

• 73.0% of enrolled students who reported a GPA had a 4.0, and 16.2% had between 3.75 and 3.99.
• 97% of students whose schools reported a rank were in the top tenth of their class. Only 23% of students had a rank to report.

Stanford has no minimum GPA. Its admission office says the main criterion is "flawless or nearly flawless grades in rigorous courses," and that it treats grade 9 as a transition year.

The factors Stanford rates "very important"

Stanford's CDS (section C7) shows how it weighs each part of the application. Stanford marks nine factors "very important":

• Rigor of your high school record
• Class rank
• Academic GPA
• Standardized test scores
• Application essay
• Recommendations
• Extracurricular activities
• Talent and ability
• Character and personal qualities

The interview, first-generation status, alumni relation, geography, volunteer work and work experience are "considered." State residency, religion and your level of interest are "not considered."

That list shows what Stanford is: a school that expects excellence on many fronts at once. Strong grades are the base. Your activities, talents, character and writing all carry real weight on top.

Stanford's admission overview adds the human side. It describes three things it looks for:

• Academic excellence. "The primary criterion for admission to Stanford is academic excellence, which means flawless or nearly flawless grades in rigorous courses."
• Intellectual vitality. "Stanford students are brimming with curiosity, openness, and imagination."
• Depth over breadth. "An exceptional depth of experience in one or two activities may demonstrate your passion more than minimal participation in five or six clubs."

Stanford also reads your record in context: your background, school, and work and family responsibilities. It wants to see "how you have taken advantage of what is available to you."

For the full application, essays and deadlines, read how to get into Stanford. For the bigger picture, see what colleges look for.

Intellectual vitality is easiest to show when you have followed one question all the way. Follow yours, one-on-one with a PhD mentor. See if you qualify for the STEM Research Program →

Restrictive Early Action at Stanford

Stanford offers Restrictive Early Action (REA) and Regular Decision. Stanford does not offer Early Decision.

• REA: apply by November 1 and receive a decision by mid-December. REA is not binding.
• Regular Decision: apply by January 5 and receive a decision by early April.
• The restriction: while applying REA, you may not apply early to other private colleges, with exceptions Stanford lists (for example, non-binding early plans at public colleges).

Stanford's CDS does not report early applicant or admit counts, and Stanford publishes no official REA acceptance rate. Choose REA if Stanford is your first choice and your application is strong and finished by November 1. Stanford notes that for early review it relies on your transcript through grade 11. For more on early plans, see early decision vs early action.

How to show intellectual vitality

Intellectual vitality is the Stanford quality students ask about most. In practice, it means going past what a class requires because you want to know more:

• Pick one question you care about. Read beyond the syllabus about it.
• Do something with it. Run an experiment, build a model, analyze a dataset, write it up.
• Be able to talk about it. Stanford's short essays ask what excites you about learning. Specific work makes that essay easy to write.

A research project does all three. It begins with your question and ends with something you made. See whether research helps college admissions.

How Stanford compares with Harvard, MIT, Duke and Penn

On the same measure, the Common Data Set for fall 2025 (the Class of 2029):

• Stanford: about 3.8% (2,302 of 60,646)
• Harvard: about 4.2% (2,003 of 47,893). See the Harvard acceptance rate.
• MIT: about 4.6% (1,334 of 29,281). See the MIT acceptance rate.
• Penn: about 4.9% (3,570 of 72,544). See the UPenn acceptance rate.
• Duke: about 5.2% (2,910 of 55,541). See the Duke acceptance rate.

Stanford had the lowest rate of the five that year. For the Class of 2030, Harvard reports about 3.7%, MIT about 4.6% and Duke about 4.7%. Stanford and Penn have not published Class of 2030 admit counts.

The essay about what excites you to learn is easier to write when you have lived it. Spend focused time on a question you chose, with a PhD mentor. See if you qualify for the STEM Research Program →

Frequently asked questions

What is Stanford's acceptance rate? About 3.8% for the Class of 2029 (fall 2025). Stanford admitted 2,302 of 60,646 applicants. It has not published Class of 2030 counts yet.

Is Stanford an Ivy League school? No. The Ivy League is an athletic conference of eight universities in the Northeast: Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Penn, Princeton and Yale. Stanford is in California and is not a member.

Is Stanford harder to get into than Harvard? On the fall 2025 Common Data Sets, Stanford admitted about 3.8% and Harvard about 4.2%. For the Class of 2030, Harvard reports about 3.7%, and Stanford has not published its number. The two are close. Both look for top grades plus real depth outside class.

Is Duke or Stanford harder to get into? Stanford's rate was lower on the fall 2025 Common Data Sets: about 3.8%, against about 5.2% at Duke. Duke offers binding Early Decision. Stanford offers non-binding Restrictive Early Action.

Is Stanford or MIT more prestigious? Both are among the most respected universities in the world, and the better choice depends on what you want to study and how you like to learn. On admission numbers for fall 2025, Stanford admitted about 3.8% and MIT about 4.6%.

Which school has the highest early decision acceptance rate? Stanford has no Early Decision plan, and it does not publish REA results. Of the five schools covered here, Penn and Duke publish early figures. Penn admitted about 13.3% of Early Decision applicants for fall 2025. Duke admitted about 11.9% of Early Decision applicants for the Class of 2030.

What is the hardest college to get into? Among Stanford, Harvard, MIT, Penn and Duke, Stanford had the lowest rate on the fall 2025 Common Data Set.

Does Stanford require the SAT or ACT? Yes. The ACT or SAT is required, starting with applicants for fall 2026 entry.

Sources

• Stanford Institutional Research & Decision Support, Common Data Set
• Stanford Common Data Set 2025–2026 (PDF)
• Stanford Common Data Set 2024–2025 (PDF)
• Stanford Undergraduate Admission, Admission Overview
• Stanford Undergraduate Admission, Standardized Testing
• Stanford Undergraduate Admission, Decision Process
• Stanford Undergraduate Admission, First-Year Requirements and Deadlines

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