Last Updated on October 1, 2026
Quick answer: Learning how to get into Stanford starts with academic excellence, which Stanford calls its primary criterion: near-flawless grades in rigorous courses. From there, show intellectual vitality, build real depth in one or two activities, and write specific, personal essays and short answers. Stanford also requires first-year applicants to submit SAT or ACT scores.
Is There a Formula for Getting Into Stanford?
Whenever I tell people I went to Stanford, they usually congratulate me. I’ll respond with an awkward, “thanks” and move on. But while that validation feels great, I’m many times left asking the “why me” question. What’s the trick on how to get into Stanford?
For every top university, there are tens of thousands of applicants, thousands of straight-A students, and hundreds of valedictorians who don’t get in. Competition at these schools remains intense.
Stanford consistently ranks among the most selective universities in the United States, admitting only a small fraction of applicants. So what’s the trick? How do you get a golden ticket to America’s most selective school? What’s the answer to how to get into Stanford?
The answer is: there is no answer.
There’s no formula, perfect Common App activities list, GPA, or test score that can guarantee admission at any top school. Many applicants with perfect or near-perfect test scores are turned away every year. So, if students with perfect scores can’t figure out how to get into Stanford, where does that leave the rest of us?
What Makes Stanford So Appealing?
We should tackle the why Stanford before the how to get into Stanford. What’s so great about Stanford? Stanford regularly places near the top of national college rankings , although each ranking uses its own methodology. Rankings shift from year to year, so they tell you less than the school’s academics, culture, and location do.
Regardless of rankings, Stanford is one of the most selective schools in the country, and that selectivity shapes how you should approach your application.
Stanford receives tens of thousands of first-year applications and admits only a small share of them. That selectivity is why a thoughtful, well-planned application matters so much.
Again, why do so many students want to go to Stanford?
Its location in Silicon Valley is certainly a factor. Stanford’s relationship with Silicon Valley and the postgraduate opportunities this relationship presents students are unparalleled. [1] UC Berkeley would be the next closest school, and it’s certainly similar to Stanford in terms of providing these opportunities. But nothing quite parallels Stanford’s draw from Silicon Valley. As more students take an interest in STEM programs or the tech industry more generally, Stanford becomes especially appealing.
Another aspect is Stanford’s Ivy-League caliber academics. What sets it apart from the actual Ivies though, is its location on the West Coast. This difference creates an entirely unique campus culture and atmosphere. Students looking for top schools on the East Coast have almost too many good schools to choose from. So, for students looking for the best academic school in the West, it leaves them asking: how to get into Stanford.
While Stanford draws high-caliber students, it also draws top athletes. The Stanford Cardinal have won the Directors’ Cup, the award for the best overall athletic program, more than two dozen times. [2] Stanford teams have also won more than 130 NCAA team championships. [2] Stanford-affiliated athletes have won hundreds of Olympic medals, a legacy we explored with Olympian Maggie Steffens. [2] Those are pretty remarkable records, and they go to show that Stanford has perfected striking a balance between remarkable academics and winning athletics. This balance is what draws in the best athletes, but this mentality is also what draws the best researchers or entrepreneurs or pianists or humanitarians. The school’s strive for “the best” in every capacity is pretty unparalleled.
Stanford boasts some of the best programs in the world – from Computer Science to Creative Writing. While there may be more interest on the part of the student body to major in the “techie” fields versus the “fuzzy” fields, it does not mean that one department is always better than the other. Stanford reports that 20 Nobel laureates are currently members of its community, and its faculty numbers more than 2,400. [3] Those scholars teach across fields from computer science to creative writing.
The strive for excellence is alive within each and every department, in every lab, on all of the sports fields. In any area, Stanford is drawing the best professors and faculty, which leads it to look for the best applicants to match.
3 Tips on How to Get Into Stanford
1. Do Something Remarkable
I know this sounds vague, but it is maybe the best way to get accepted, and it can be interpreted in any way that is of interest to you personally.
We can look at the hallway of my freshman dorm as an example case. On just my hallway of about thirty students, we had:
- A NASA scientist who already had a job offer as a freshman
- A published author who had two other book deals by graduation
- The second Macedonian student Stanford ever admitted
- A girl who started her own business that was featured on Shark Tank
- A top-tier baseball recruit who was also drafted by the MLB out of high school
…and these are just some people on my hallway.
2. Play a Sport
Let’s take the last one as an example case of how to get into Stanford. This student turned down the chance to go pro right away to instead get one of the best college educations out there. Personally, I think that tradeoff is worth it, and an admissions office would agree.
In terms of admissions, athletes may seem to have an easy way in, but that is not necessarily the case. Stanford recruits athletes whose applications are as compelling in the classroom as they are on the field. The athletes who know how to get into Stanford are the ones like that freshman baseball player. Their athletic excellence is matched in the classroom, and they bring the hard work-ethic that top tier schools require.
Stanford fields 36 varsity sports, so it recruits athletes for a wide range of teams. [2] So, yes, being an athlete helps.
3. Create a Compelling Persona
To bring it back to the dorm example, if you look at these students, every one of them was hard-working and accomplished. But most of all, each student was unique. This doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to do something as remarkable as “be a NASA scientist” when you’re trying to figure out how to get into Stanford.
But you do need to get noticed.
Think about your application in terms of the way an admissions reader will view it. The person reading your application needs to be able to remember you and advocate for you to the other admissions officers. A Stanford Former Admissions Officer once said, “Stanford prefers lopsided candidates to well-rounded students.” So, if you’re wondering how to get into Stanford, think about what makes you angular or “lopsided” – don’t fall into the trap of being well-rounded.
Create an application persona, or a theme, about who you are, why you’re unique, and what you can add to the school. You should build an honors and activities list that lines up in theme with your personal statement, your Stanford supplemental essays, and your letters of recommendation.
Good scores and a good GPA are always important when applying to top schools. But when you ask the question about “how to get into Stanford,” you need to answer it with a compelling, unique story.
What Stanford Looks For in Applicants
Stanford’s admission office is clear about its priorities. It names academic excellence as the primary criterion for admission, which it describes as “flawless or nearly flawless grades in rigorous courses.” [4] Beyond grades, readers look for intellectual vitality, the curiosity that shows up in how you have expanded your perspective and sought new opportunities. They also consider your extracurricular involvement and the context of your background, educational pathway, and work and family responsibilities. [4]
When it comes to activities, depth counts more than volume. Stanford notes that an exceptional depth of experience in one or two activities may show your passion more than minimal participation in five or six clubs. [4] That lines up with the tips above: choose the areas you care about most and build a record of real impact in them.
Your letters of recommendation should reinforce that picture. Ask teachers who have seen your curiosity firsthand, and share a short note on the projects or class discussions you enjoyed most. As you write about why Stanford fits you, it also helps to understand daily life on campus, so read one graduate’s reflections on being a Stanford student before you draft.
Application Plans and Testing
Stanford offers Restrictive Early Action and Regular Decision, and it requires first-year applicants to submit ACT or SAT scores. [5] Check the first-year requirements page for current deadlines before you plan your timeline, and give yourself room to draft your short answers and essays carefully. Each piece of your application is read as part of an integrated whole, so your scores, activities, essays, and recommendations should all point to the same picture of who you are. [4]
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