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Here are some of the most frequent concerns applicants have about financing a Stanford education. If your questions aren’t answered here, take a look at the Financial Aid Office website or contact that office directly.
FINANCIAL AID
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What is need-blind admission?
This means that, except for some international student applications, we do not consider your family’s financial circumstances when we evaluate your application for admission. You will know whether or not you have been offered admission to Stanford based on your own achievements and efforts, not on your family’s financial strength.
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What do you mean by “demonstrated need”?
Based on the information you and your parents provide on the FAFSA and the CSS PROFILE, we determine what your family is able to afford each year in support of your educational costs at Stanford. The difference between our costs (including tuition, room and board, books and supplies, and personal expenses) and your family’s expected contribution (determined through a combination of federal methodology and institutional methodology) is your demonstrated need. See the Financial Aid Office website for more detailed information about this.
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Why doesn’t Stanford award merit scholarships?
Stanford believes strongly in need-based financial aid, so we grant our available financial aid funds to those students who demonstrate financial need, according to federal and institutional methodologies, making it possible for all admitted students to attend Stanford, regardless of their background and circumstances.
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I hope to be awarded scholarships from other sources; can I bring those to Stanford?
Absolutely. Each year Stanford students bring scholarship dollars awarded from a variety of sources to their education at Stanford. If you have been awarded a financial aid package from Stanford, your outside scholarships will first be applied to the “self-help” portion of that package; that is, those dollars will reduce or even eliminate your loans and work. Only when your self-help has been eliminated will Stanford begin to subtract any institutional gift money from your need-based financial aid award. You should notify Stanford of any outside scholarships by submitting the Notification of Outside Scholarships Form.
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I have been named a National Merit Finalist; will Stanford award me a National Merit Scholarship?
Stanford does not participate in the National Merit Scholarship program. If you are awarded a corporate-sponsored National Merit Scholarship, you can bring that to your Stanford education as an outside scholarship. You would then become a “National Merit Scholar.”
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I have a younger sibling about to start college in a year or two; how can my family afford to pay for two in college at the same time?
Your family’s circumstances will be taken into consideration when the Financial Aid Office reviews your file. Your family should complete a FAFSA for each student in college each year, and note on the CSS PROFILE that there is more than one student in school. Colleges and universities establish their own policies regarding how they accommodate two or more children in school at the same time, so you should contact the financial aid office at each school you are considering to learn more about their aid policies.
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I’ve heard that Stanford is too expensive for most people; should I even bother to apply?
Stanford has a generous need-based financial aid policy, and the Board of Trustees is committed to making Stanford affordable for every student offered admission. More than half of our students are on need-based financial aid, and the average aid award exceeds $23,000 per year. Please contact the Financial Aid Office to learn more about how you can afford Stanford.
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