-34%
100%-time completion
100%-time completion at Stanford University fell 34% between 2021 and 2024 (77.2% → 50.8%).
California · Private nonprofit · Predominantly bachelor's
Stanford
Stanford University is a private research university in Stanford, California, near Palo Alto. Founded in 1885, it is a defining institution of Silicon Valley, with signature strengths across engineering, computer science, business, and medicine.
7,841 undergraduate students. 183 programs in the federal Field-of-Study dataset.
ANOMALY ENGINE · NOTABLE SIGNALS
Earnings, completion, debt, and enrollment anomalies at Stanford
Short-arc shifts (recent 3-year window), peer outliers, earnings trend breaks, completion drops, enrollment cliffs, and debt-to-earnings warnings — surfaced deterministically from the federal record. Multi-decade shifts are reported separately in the Long Arc section, since 25-year tuition drift isn't really an anomaly.
-100%
3-year cohort default rate
3-year cohort default rate at Stanford University fell 100% between 2021 and 2024 (0.2% → 0.0%).
+17%
Out-of-state tuition
Out-of-state tuition at Stanford University rose 17% between 2021 and 2024 ($56.2k → $65.9k).
+17%
In-state tuition
In-state tuition at Stanford University rose 17% between 2006 and 2009 ($33.0k → $38.7k).
SECTION 01 · OUTCOMES SNAPSHOT
Stanford earnings, debt, and completion vs. the California median
Each tile compares this institution to the California median for the same metric. Sub-line shows the comparison value, not an interpretation. Sparklines trace the federally available history.
$124,080+21% · 6→10y
California median $42,588$102,887
Treasury earnings · 6y post-entry92.8%-1% · '97→'24
California median 61.3%$9,851-33% · '97→'09
At program completion7,841+3% · '96→'09
latest IPEDS97.8%+0% · '04→'09
first-time, full-time3.9%-71% · '01→'24
latest cohort$62,484+56% · '00→'09
out-of-state $62,484SECTION 02 · EARNINGS HORIZONS
How Stanford earnings spread, 4 to 10 years after entry
Treasury tax-record earnings for federally aided students who first enrolled at this institution. Each point is a horizon from the most-recent vintage. Single median per horizon (no p25/p75 publishing).
Earnings widen with time post-entry. Selection: federal-aid recipients only — not all graduates.Methodology →
SECTION 03 · DEBT-TO-EARNINGS
What loans cost relative to earnings at Stanford
Annual debt service as a share of median earnings 10 years after entry, computed under federal Direct loan terms (10-year fixed at 6%). The 8% line is the gainful-employment threshold from federal regulation; above 12% has historically been considered “failing” under prior rule cycles.
Institution-wide
1.1%Median federal debt $9,851 amortized over 10 years vs. median earnings $124,080 (10y after entry).
SECTION 04 · LONG ARC
Stanford enrollment, completion, and debt over time
Federally available history. Coverage varies by metric — IPEDS publishes some series only after 2009 and others only before.
Undergraduate enrollment.
150%-time completion rate.
Median federal student debt at exit.
-33%
Stanford · completion · 100% fell
75.7% → 50.8%
+56%
Stanford · in-state tuition rose
$24,716 → $38,676
+167%
Stanford · out-of-state tuition rose
$24,716 → $65,910
-33%
Stanford · median debt fell
$9,125 → $6,125
-50%
Stanford · cohort default rate fell
1.0% → 0.0%
+61%
Stanford · earnings_median_8yr rose
$68,100 → $109,851
SECTION 05 · PROGRAMS
Stanford programs ranked by 5-year earnings
Each row is one (CIP × credential) program reported by the institution in College Scorecard's Field-of-Study data. Cohort floor is 30 students; below this, federal data is suppressed.
Computer Science$331,747Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering$314,606Law$289,230Business Administration, Management and Operations$283,761Computer Science$247,797Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering$230,373Engineering-Related Fields$227,320Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering$187,527Communication and Media Studies$170,213Engineering-Related Fields$168,931Mechanical Engineering$161,655Economics$148,692Medicine$146,203Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering$144,702Mechanical Engineering$140,707International Relations and National Security Studies$128,687Civil Engineering$122,256Engineering, Other$122,212Area Studies$94,964Science, Technology and Society$92,295Education, General$88,795Human Biology$79,098Biology, General$76,182Political Science and Government$73,221
Showing top 24 of 26 ranked programs.
SECTION 06 · BY CIP FAMILY
26 Stanford programs with earnings, grouped by field
Programs are grouped by 2-digit CIP family. Programs without reported earnings are hidden to keep the list focused.
COMPUTER & INFORMATION SCIENCES · CIP 11
EDUCATION · CIP 13
ENGINEERING · CIP 14
Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering$230,373Mechanical Engineering$161,655Civil Engineering$122,256Engineering, Other$122,212Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering$314,606Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering$144,702Mechanical Engineering$140,707Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering$187,527
ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGIES · CIP 15
LEGAL PROFESSIONS · CIP 22
ENGLISH LANGUAGE & LITERATURE · CIP 23
BIOLOGICAL & BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES · CIP 26
MULTI/INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES · CIP 30
PSYCHOLOGY · CIP 42
SOCIAL SCIENCES · CIP 45
HEALTH PROFESSIONS · CIP 51
BUSINESS, MANAGEMENT & MARKETING · CIP 52
AREA, ETHNIC & CULTURAL STUDIES · CIP 05
COMMUNICATION & JOURNALISM · CIP 09
SECTION 07 · SIMILAR INSTITUTIONS
Institutions similar to Stanford in California
Picked by Carnegie sector × predominant credential level. These are not rankings — just nearest-neighbour surfaces for comparison.
CAUSAL DISCIPLINE
“Stanford graduates earn $X” — not “Stanford makes you earn $X”
Median earnings describe what cohorts earned. They do not describe what attending Stanford caused. Selection effects (who admits, who enrolls, who completes) are real. We publish federal data with strict descriptive phrasing — and link the methodology where you can read about the limitations directly.