Out of a record-high 47,498 applicants to Stanford’s class of 2023, 2,062 were offered admission. The 4.34% admit rate marks an all-time low in Stanford’s history, according to the University’s 2019-20 Common Data Set report.

The admit rate for the class of 2023 continues a trend of rising selectivity as application numbers increase. In the previous admissions cycle, 2,071 of 47,452 applicants were offered admission, resulting in an acceptance rate of 4.36%, as shown in last year’s Common Data Set.

Data about Stanford’s incoming class used to be released in the spring, but last fall, the University announced it would no longer publicize data regarding undergraduate applications during the early or regular admissions cycle. The change was intended to reduce the “outsized emphasis placed on the admit rates at U.S. colleges and universities,” Stanford News reported.

“By focusing on the admit rate, talented students who would thrive at Stanford may opt not to apply because they think Stanford seems out of reach,” said Provost Persis Drell. “And that would be a shame.”

At the end of every admissions cycle, however, federal law requires Stanford to report University information (regarding admissions, graduation rates, financial aid, etc.) to the U.S. government, which makes the data available to the public via the National Center for Education Statistics.

The University also publishes admissions data to the Common Data Set, a nationwide initiative to present this data in a standard format. 

Contact Camryn Pak cpak23 ‘at’ stanford.edu.