About 1,700 freshmen and 30 transfer students enroll at stanford each year. We review each applicant with an eye to academic excellence, intellectual vitality, and personal context. At stanford, our mission of discovery and learning is energized by a spirit of optimism and possibility that dates to our founding.

Stanford university was founded in 1885 by leland and jane stanford as a tribute to the memory of their only child, leland stanford jr. The university officially opened in 1891 on the stanfords' former palo.