---
title: Stanford University — cost, debt & earnings (College Scorecard)
location: Stanford, CA
control: Private nonprofit
source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (2026-06-10 release)
sourceUrl: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/
---

# Stanford University

Stanford, CA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor-granting

> Federal College Scorecard institution **medians** — not a prediction of any one student's outcome, and not a figure for any single program. Earnings/debt cover federally-aided students.

## The bottom line

| Figure | Value | Status |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Typical earnings, 10 yrs after entry | $124,080 | recorded |
| Earnings range (25th–75th pct) | $73,321 – $219,740 | recorded |
| Typical federal debt | $9,851 | recorded |
| Debt of students who withdrew | $6,500 | recorded |
| Completion rate | 92% | recorded |
| Average annual net cost | $87,833 | recorded |
| % earning above a $28k HS-grad wage | 91% | recorded |
| Debt ÷ a year's earnings | 0.08× | derived |
| Earnings premium vs $28k HS benchmark | $96,080 | derived |

**92% of students finish** — the loans are owed whether or not you graduate, so read every figure below next to this number.

Typical **federal** loan debt is $9,851 (≈ 8% of a year's typical earnings here). Note: this counts federal loans only — not private loans, Parent PLUS, or family savings — so true borrowing is usually higher; and because dropouts borrow less, low-completion schools can show a deceptively low debt figure.

## Earnings by major (the number that decides "worth it")

> **Different measure — read on its own terms.** These are median earnings **1 year after completing the program** (early career, graduates only) — NOT the 10-years-after-entry school-wide figure above. Do not compare a program figure to the school figure; compare majors to each other. The Dept. of Education omits programs with too few graduates.

By program, early-career pay ranges from $36,722 to $164,734 across 28 program(s).

| Major | Credential | Pay (1 yr out) | Median debt |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations. | Master's Degree | $164,734 | $57,458 |
| Computer Science. | Master's Degree | $159,729 | not reported |
| Law. | First Professional Degree | $151,574 | $153,302 |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering. | Doctoral Degree | $137,457 | not reported |
| Computer Science. | Bachelor's Degree | $136,126 | $10,399 |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering. | Master's Degree | $128,556 | not reported |
| Engineering-Related Fields. | Master's Degree | $123,354 | not reported |
| Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering. | Master's Degree | $108,457 | not reported |
| Mechanical Engineering. | Master's Degree | $105,326 | $41,000 |
| Civil Engineering. | Master's Degree | $78,911 | $34,030 |
| Genetics. | Master's Degree | $78,684 | not reported |
| Engineering-Related Fields. | Bachelor's Degree | $77,180 | not reported |
| Education, General. | Doctoral Degree | $76,787 | not reported |
| Medicine. | First Professional Degree | $68,238 | $71,477 |
| Mechanical Engineering. | Bachelor's Degree | $67,007 | not reported |
| Education, General. | Master's Degree | $64,331 | $32,500 |
| Economics. | Bachelor's Degree | $60,475 | $12,500 |
| International Relations and National Security Studies. | Bachelor's Degree | $60,442 | not reported |
| Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences. | Doctoral Degree | $57,418 | not reported |
| Engineering, Other. | Bachelor's Degree | $55,933 | $7,500 |
| Communication and Media Studies. | Master's Degree | $52,848 | not reported |
| Psychology, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $51,407 | not reported |
| Area Studies. | Master's Degree | $48,121 | not reported |
| Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies. | Bachelor's Degree | $47,961 | not reported |
| Political Science and Government. | Bachelor's Degree | $46,407 | $11,705 |
| English Language and Literature, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $44,251 | not reported |
| Human Biology. | Bachelor's Degree | $40,010 | $12,500 |
| Biology, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $36,722 | not reported |

## What this is — and is NOT

Institution-wide medians from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. **Not** a prediction of what you would earn or owe, **not** a figure for any single program (a CS and a fine-arts graduate of the same school diverge enormously), **not** proof the school caused the outcome (selection, not causation), and **not** a "best college" ranking. Explore Stanford University by field of study at the official Scorecard: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/school/?243744

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Structured data (JSON-LD), each figure labeled by epistemic status: `/education/stanford-university-ca.jsonld` · all schools: `/education`