The Spirit of the West From its founding in California in the late 19th century until today, Stanford has been infused with the American West’s spirit of openness and possibility. We believe strongly in the mission of higher education – to create and share knowledge and to prepare students to be curious, to think critically, and to contribute to the world. With world-class scholars and seven schools located together on a single campus, Stanford offers academic excellence across the broadest array of disciplines. It also is an engine of innovation, blending theory and practice to move ideas and discoveries from labs and classrooms out into the world. We strive to foster a culture of expansive inquiry, fresh thinking, searching discussion, and freedom of thought – preparing students for leadership and engaged citizenship in the world. Stanford provides students the opportunity to engage with big ideas, to cross conceptual and disciplinary boundaries, and to become global citizens who embrace diversity of thought and experience. We offer broad and deep academic programs across multiple fields, including the arts and humanities, natural and social sciences, engineering, sustainability, medicine, law, education, and business. The university’s scholarly excellence and culture of innovation uniquely position it to attract the best faculty in the world, who offer students the knowledge and tools to discover and embrace new ideas, and to prepare for successful careers and lives of service. The need for strong ethical principles to achieve a common good is embedded across our educational offerings. We strive to foster searching discussion, to listen with curiosity, and to ensure our university community has the freedom to study and learn. This includes the freedom to pursue knowledge without constraints; the freedom to challenge orthodoxy, whether old or new; and the freedom to think and speak openly. ePluribus Stanford, a key university-wide initiative, empowers students to think critically and empathetically, engage in meaningful conversations across differences, and embrace active, life-long roles in civic life through whatever field or career path they pursue. Stanford believes that addressing the challenges the world faces requires people from diverse disciplines and backgrounds coming together and deliberating across disagreement. ePluribus Stanford aims to achieve this goal by elevating and amplifying research and education related to free speech, civics, democratic citizenship, and constructive dialogue. A hallmark of Stanford is our extensive and vibrant ecosystem of interdisciplinary research. With all seven of Stanford’s schools located on our historic campus and many institutes serving as a hub for collaboration across academic fields, the opportunities for disruptive breakthroughs are numerous, and the results are evident.

Discoveries made at Stanford not only expand our understanding of the world but also fuel the innovation economy and America’s international competitiveness. Stanford’s community of scholars is recognized for accomplishments across a broad range of academic fields. In addition to 36 Nobel Prize winners since the university’s founding, Stanford is also home to numerous recipients of the Pulitzer Prize, the MacArthur Fellowship, and National Medals. World-class researchers in Stanford School of Medicine and across the university are responsible for groundbreaking discoveries that are focused on predicting, preventing, and curing disease by tailoring health care to the unique biology and life circumstances of each of us. Our long history of innovation and achievement includes the world’s first successful heart and lung transplant, and development of one of the first in-house COVID-19 diagnostic tests. Our medical enterprise, Stanford Medicine, provides access to unparalleled patient care across the San Francisco Bay Area. We strive to provide financial aid that opens up the opportunity for all admitted students to succeed at Stanford. About 70 percent of Stanford undergraduates receive some form of financial aid. Domestic students whose family income is below $150,000 pay no tuition. More than 80 percent of Stanford undergraduates complete their degree with no debt. Stanford is proud to be a citizen of Silicon Valley and the Bay Area. Through athletic events, public exhibitions and performances, lectures, lifelong learning, and more, we engage and build meaningful relationships with our neighbors. Stanford has a strong commitment to the arts, and we invite our community to visit our two world-class museums, multiple performance venues, and the historic buildings and open spaces of our campus. We also support the public with access to information and events, including lectures by today’s entrepreneurial thought leaders. Stanford was founded in 1885 by California Senator Leland Stanford and his wife, Jane, “to promote the public welfare by exercising an influence in behalf of humanity and civilization.” The university is governed by a Board of Trustees, president, provost, Academic Council, and a number of other academic and administrative officers. Leadership & Governance Learn more about Stanford leadership. Our History Learn more about Stanford's history.