Economic diversity and student outcomes at Stanford (2024)

Advertisem*nt

Follow Us:

Get the Upshot in your Inbox

The Upshot

School type
Ivy Plus

Class size*
1,524

Athletic Conference
Pac-12 Conference
Note: because of the way some colleges report tax data, this page includes data from 0 colleges. A full list is below.

Economic diversity and student outcomes at

Stanford, California

The median family income of a student from Stanford is $167,500, and 66% come from the top 20 percent. About 2.2% of students at Stanford came from a poor family but became a rich adult.

A new study, based on millions of anonymous tax records, shows that some colleges are even more economically segregated than previously understood, while others are associated with income mobility.

Below, estimates of how Stanford compares with its peer schools in economic diversity and student outcomes.

AccessWhat kind of students attend Stanford

Among the lowest About typical Among the highest

In the Pac-12 In California Among Ivy Plus colleges
Median family income $167,500
Average income percentile 80th
Share of students from top 0.1% 3.5%
...from top 1% 17%
...from top 5% 39%
...from top 10% 52%
...from top 20% 66%
...from bottom 20% 4%

OutcomesHow Stanford students fare later in life

Among the lowest About typical Among the highest

In the Pac-12 In California Among Ivy Plus colleges
Median individual income at age 34 $84,800
...for men $101,800
...for women $73,400
Average income percentile 77th
Share who end up in the top 1% 21%
...in the top 5% 43%
...in the top 10% 54%
...in the top 20% 67%
...in the bottom 20% 8.6%
Avg. income percentile of a poor student 74th
...of a rich student 79th
Pct. married in 2014 55%

MobilityShare of students at Stanford who ...

Among the lowest About typical Among the highest

In the Pac-12 In California Among Ivy Plus colleges
Moved up two or more income quintiles 12%
Moved from the bottom to top income quintile 2.2%

College by collegeComparing Stanford with its peers

Median parent income

For students born in 1991, approximately the class of 2013, in 2015 dollars.

8th out of 12 Ivy League and selected elite colleges

No data available for Stanford.

No. 1 Brown $204,200 No. 2 Dartmouth $200,400 No. 3 Penn $195,500 No. 4 Yale $192,600 No. 5 Duke $186,700 No. 6 Princeton $186,100 No. 7 Harvard $168,800 No. 8 Stanford $167,500 No. 9 Cornell $151,600 No. 10 Columbia $150,900 No. 11 M.I.T. $137,400 No. 12 University of Chicago $134,500

Highest

Brown $204,200

Lowest (No. 12)

University of Chicago $134,500

Chance a poor student has to become a rich adult

The share of children who were from the bottom fifth of incomes as students and moved to the top fifth as adults.

3rd out of 12 Ivy League and selected elite colleges

No data available for Stanford.

No. 1 M.I.T. 67% No. 2 Princeton 66% No. 3 Stanford 63% No. 4 Columbia 61% No. 5 Cornell 59% No. 6 Penn 58% No. 7 Harvard 58% No. 8 Yale 57% No. 9 Brown 53% No. 10 Duke 50% No. 11 Dartmouth 50% No. 12 University of Chicago 45%

Highest

M.I.T. 67%

Lowest (No. 12)

University of Chicago 45%

Median student income at age 34

Incomes continue to grow, but the relative ranks remain roughly stable after this age.

5th out of 12 Ivy League and selected elite colleges

No data available for Stanford.

No. 1 M.I.T. $98,500 No. 2 Penn $91,800 No. 3 Princeton $90,700 No. 4 Duke $87,500 No. 5 Stanford $84,800 No. 6 Harvard $81,500 No. 7 Cornell $79,800 No. 8 Dartmouth $76,600 No. 9 Yale $76,000 No. 10 Columbia $75,300 No. 11 Brown $66,900 No. 12 University of Chicago $61,700

Highest

M.I.T. $98,500

Lowest (No. 12)

University of Chicago $61,700

Overall mobility index

This measure reflects both access and outcomes, representing the likelihood that a student at Stanford moved up two or more income quintiles.

6th out of 12 Ivy League and selected elite colleges

No data available for Stanford.

No. 1 M.I.T. 16% No. 2 Cornell 16% No. 3 University of Chicago 14% No. 4 Columbia 14% No. 5 Penn 13% No. 6 Stanford 12% No. 7 Harvard 11% No. 8 Dartmouth 11% No. 9 Duke 11% No. 10 Yale 10% No. 11 Brown 9.4% No. 12 Princeton 8.7%

Highest

M.I.T. 16%

Lowest (No. 12)

Princeton 8.7%

Married in 2014

For students born between 1980-82, roughly the college class of 2002.

8th out of 12 Ivy League and selected elite colleges

No data available for Stanford.

No. 1 Duke 60% No. 2 Princeton 59% No. 3 Penn 59% No. 4 Cornell 58% No. 5 Dartmouth 57% No. 6 M.I.T. 56% No. 7 Yale 55% No. 8 Stanford 55% No. 9 Harvard 53% No. 10 Brown 53% No. 11 Columbia 52% No. 12 University of Chicago 51%

Highest

Duke 60%

Lowest (No. 12)

University of Chicago 51%

Family income vs. student income at age 34

The chart below shows how Stanford and its peer schools are comparing with the remaining schools analyzed in the study. You can click on any point in the chart to navigate to that school.

How access at Stanford has changed

Peer schools are shown in yellow

Students from...

Bottom 60%

Top 20%

Top 10%

Top 1%

Note: Stanford University includes data for the following colleges:

The estimates presented here are based on millions of anonymous tax filings and tuition records. These statistics cover only schools that participate in Title IV federal funding, which excludes the military academies and certain other colleges.

Measures of access are for students born in 1991, roughly the class of 2013; measures of outcomes and mobility are for students born between 1980 and 1982, who are around age 35, when relative income ranks stabilizes.

Class size figures represent the number of students in the study who were born in 1991: approximately the class of 2013 or today's 25-year-olds. This measure does not include international students or students who could not be linked to their parents' tax returns.

The athletic conferences listed here are meant to be a helpful way to compare colleges with their peers. They are incomplete for some conferences. Only one conference is displayed for each college.

Source: “Mobility Report Cards: The Role of Colleges in Intergenerational Mobility”, by Raj Chetty, John Friedman, Emmanuel Saez, Nicholas Turner and Danny Yagan, The Equality of Opportunity Project

More on NYTimes.com

Advertisem*nt

Economic diversity and student outcomes at Stanford (2024)
Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Carlyn Walter

Last Updated:

Views: 5426

Rating: 5 / 5 (50 voted)

Reviews: 89% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Carlyn Walter

Birthday: 1996-01-03

Address: Suite 452 40815 Denyse Extensions, Sengermouth, OR 42374

Phone: +8501809515404

Job: Manufacturing Technician

Hobby: Table tennis, Archery, Vacation, Metal detecting, Yo-yoing, Crocheting, Creative writing

Introduction: My name is Carlyn Walter, I am a lively, glamorous, healthy, clean, powerful, calm, combative person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.