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Stanford
Facts

The Stanford Campus

Students walk on campus in the fall
Students walk on campus in the fall.

[leadStanford University’s main campus is located on 8,180 acres in the center of the San Francisco Peninsula. Stanford land features 49 miles of roads, two separate water systems, three dams, two open water reservoirs for irrigation and three closed potable water reservoirs,88 miles of water mains, and a post office. Stanford’s Central Energy Facility utilizes heat recovery and thermal storage to maximize efficiency in the university’s heating and cooling systems. Take a virtual tour or a self-guided walking tour.[/lead]

The main Stanford campus is located in six different governmental jurisdictions:

  • 4,017 acres in unincorporated Santa Clara
  • 2,700 acres in unincorporated San Mateo County
  • 1,161 acres in Palo Alto
  • 114 acres in Woodside
  • 111 acres in Menlo Park
  • 76 acres in Portola Valley
  • 1 acres in Los Altos Hills
  • 8,180 total acres

The Campus Features Roughly

630
buildings that incorporate about 17.9 million square feet

43,000
trees, 25 fountains, and over 1,000 different species of plants

140+
retail stores in the 70-acre Stanford Shopping Center

150
companies in the 700-acre Stanford Research Park

1,190
owner-occupied housing units for faculty

1,170
rental units for faculty and staff

As of January 2022.

Redwood City

In 2019, phase one of Stanford’s 35-acre Redwood City campus opened and is home to over 2,000 Stanford staff. A center of excellence for critical areas that support the university’s mission of research and education, Stanford Redwood City is located a mile from downtown and five miles from Stanford’s main campus. Campus facilities include the Cardinal Cafe, Recreation and Wellness Center and Pine Cone Children’s Center.

Sustainable Stanford

Stanford’s innovative Central Energy Facility, the main component of the Stanford Energy System Innovations project that transformed the university’s energy supply from a 100% fossil fuel-based system, to an electrically-powered heat recovery system.

Stanford leads by example in working to reduce its environmental footprint and by engaging the campus community to save resources and contributing to a culture of conservation and innovation.
Visit sustainable.stanford.edu for more information.

68%
Reduction in campus greenhouse gas emissions, exceeding state and national targets

18%
Reduction in campus energy use per square foot since 2000

60+
Local farms supply organic, humanely raised, fairly-traded food

45%
Reduction in domestic water since 2000

66%
of waste is diverted from landfill using the recycling program

184
Electric vehicle charging ports, including Redwood City

861,152*
Rides taken on the free Marguerite system in 2020

52%
of 2020 commuters used alternatives to driving alone as their primary commute mode, including 17% who telecommuted**

* Ridership reduced due to pandemic.
** University commuters include Stanford University employees and commuting students.

Campus Safety

The Stanford University Department of Public Safety (SUDPS) provides law enforcement, security, safety, crime prevention and emergency services on campus 24 hours a day. Comprising sworn officers, non-sworn officers and support staff, SUDPS personnel endeavor to provide a wide range of high-quality public safety services with an emphasis on service. Sworn officers are reserve Deputy Sheriffs with the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office and are empowered to enforce the law in the State of California pursuant to Penal Code 836. SUDPS produces the Stanford Safety, Security and Fire Report in compliance with the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act. The 2021 annual report can be found at https://police.stanford.edu/pdf/ssfr-2021.pdf

More information about the department and ways to stay safe while living, working and visiting the main Stanford Campus is available at police.stanford.edu or by calling the SUDPS office at 650-723-9633. The department is located at 233 Bonair Siding.

Getting Around

There are over 13,000 bikes on the campus on a normal weekday, and Stanford is the only university awarded three Platinum Bicycle Friendly University designations in a row (2011-2015, 2015-2019 and 2019-2023). Freshmen may not bring cars to campus, but the free Marguerite shuttle includes 58 buses in an 18-route system, including 41 electric buses. In 2020, Stanford offered free transit for eligible affiliates on Caltrain, VTA, AC Transit, Dumbarton express and SamTrans; 100% vanpool subsidies; discounted car sharing with the largest university Zipcar fleet in the United States (34 vehicles at 24 locations); special pricing with the Scoop carpool app; one-on-one commute consultations; a virtual parking permit system; and commute planning.
Visit transportation.stanford.edu