by our College Data Analytics TeamMost students are not billed the full sticker price of a school. Rather, they are offered a financial aid plan that includes a mix of loans, grants, scholarships, and possibly work-study opportunities. The price tag of going to Stanford University can appear overwhelming, but bear in mind that many students obtain some kind of financial aid.
Just what financial assistance solutions will Stanford deliver, and just what are you going to be eligible for? Read on for answers. Keep scrolling to learn what amount of financial assistance will be accessible to you.
How much aid you qualify for depends largely on your family’s financial circumstances. Continue reading to find information to help you understand just how much assistance you can expect to receive from Stanford University.
Aid such as grants, loans, work-study, and scholarships helps colleges decrease the real cost of attendance for most students. However, some types of aid are more desirable than others, and some students will receive more than others.
Looking at the entering class at Stanford University, 76% of the incoming full-time class was awarded financial aid some 1287 incoming students).
| Type of Aid | % of Freshmen Receiving | Average Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Grant or scholarship aid (all sources) | 61% | $62,755 |
| Institutional grants & scholarships | 61% | $59,885 |
| Federal Pell grants | 18% | $6,299 |
| State/local grants | 6% | $9,476 |
| Federal student loans | 6% | $4,949 |
Because grants and scholarships do not have to be repaid, they are the most sought-after type of financial aid. At Stanford, roughly 66% of the undergraduate population received grant aid that averaged $58,449 (among about 5301 recipients).
| Award | % of Undergrads Receiving | Average Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Grant or scholarship aid (all sources) | 66% | $58,449 |
| Federal Pell grants | 19% | $5,849 |
| Federal student loans | 6% | $5,873 |
On-campus students receiving title-IV aid were awarded grants averaging $74,026.
How much a family pays depends heavily on income, because most aid is awarded on the basis of financial need.
| Family Income | Average Net Price |
|---|---|
| $0 – $48,000 | $-243 |
| $30,001 – $75,000 | $377 |
| Over $75,000 | $39,412 |
Each figure is the net price after grants and scholarships, not the published sticker price.
Net price is the average annual cost after grants and scholarships are subtracted from the published cost of attendance — the figure closest to what a typical aid-receiving student actually pays.
| Cohort | Average Net Price |
|---|---|
| On-campus title-IV students | $13,807 |
| Off-campus title-IV students | $12,136 |
For a customized cost estimate, visit Stanford’s net price tool: financialaid.stanford.edu/undergrad/how/calculator/index.html?tab=net-price-calculator.
The middle student in the debt distribution at Stanford owes $9,851 in federal student debt.
| Metric | Amount |
|---|---|
| Median federal debt (all student-aid borrowers) | $9,851 |
| Median federal debt (graduates only) | $12,000 |
| Typical 10-year monthly payment (graduates) | $127.22/mo |
At a typical 10-year repayment schedule, the median graduate would pay about the monthly figure above.
Percentiles reveal the spread — half of all borrowers fall between the 25th and 75th percentiles. The figures below chart the debt distribution at Stanford.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $2,750 |
| 25th percentile | $5,500 |
| 75th percentile | $21,500 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $28,846 |
How much a student borrows depends heavily on family income, first-gen status, and dependency.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $6,500 |
| Middle income | $7,213 |
| High income | $12,000 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $8,413 |
| Continuing-generation students | $11,067 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $10,350 |
| Independent students | $7,725 |
The figure below distills the debt data into a single burden category for Stanford.
The Stafford program is the federal direct-loan vehicle most undergraduates use. The annual Stafford volume below reflects program activity at Stanford:
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Stafford loan recipients | 9386 |
| Total Stafford loan amount | $236,251,216 |
Veterans and active-duty service members may qualify for the Post-9/11 GI Bill or DoD Tuition Assistance.
GI Bill volume
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| GI Bill recipients | 127 |
| Total GI Bill amount | $3,812,939 |
| Average GI Bill amount per recipient | $30,023 |
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.