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Stanford
Facts

Student Life

Students line the streets to show their support during a parade for the 2021 NCAA championship Stanford women’s basketball team.

Housing

As of autumn quarter 2021, 7,312 students live in universityprovided undergraduate housing, and 6,543 students live in university-provided graduate housing. Housing is guaranteed for entering undergraduate first-year students for four years. About 97 percent of all eligible undergraduates live in campus housing. The undergraduate housing system includes 80 diverse facilities. The university offers on-campus houses for Greek-letter organizations. About 66 percent of graduate students eligible for housing live in university-provided housing designed for single students, couples and families with children. New graduate students are guaranteed housing their first year at Stanford when they apply by the spring deadline.

Dining

R&DE Stanford Dining a division of Residential & Dining Enterprises, is a best-in-class dining program serving 18,000 meals a day in 12 dining halls, 41 Row houses, Athletic Dining and Schwab Executive Dining. Stanford Dining also oversees the campus BeWell community gardens and the Stanford Food Pantry. R&DE Stanford Dining has been recognized for its culinary excellence by awards such as the prestigious industry Ivy Award by Restaurants and Institutions for its leadership role.

R&DE Stanford Dining prides itself on providing nutritious, sustainable and delicious food choices to meet the wide variety of dietary needs within our diverse Stanford community. The Eat Well @Stanford program provides support to students dining with food allergies, religious requirements, medical needs, vegan/vegetarian diets and other nutritional needs. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, some programs have been temporarily modified and R&DE has implemented enhanced cleaning and safety protocols to continue service while keeping students and staff safe.

R&DE Stanford Dining has a long history of award winning sustainability leadership. Articles on eating well, sustainability, COVID protocols and meal plan FAQs can be found on the R&DE Stanford Dining website.

Student Organizations

The Office of Student Engagement oversees more than 600 official student organizations at Stanford. On average, over 1,500 events a year are planned by student organizations. There are about 30 recognized religious organizations, and more than 100 committed to the arts. Other types of organizations include ethnic/cultural, community service, social awareness, social, athletic and recreational, and pre-professional/academic. Approximately 20 percent of undergraduate students will be involved in one of our 20 fraternities and sororities recognized on campus. The main student newspaper is the Stanford Daily. The Associated Students of Stanford University (ASSU) is the representative government for both undergraduate and graduate students.

The main student newspaper is the Stanford Daily. The Associated Students of Stanford University (ASSU) is the representative government for both undergraduate and graduate students.

Haas Center for Public Service

The Haas Center for Public Service educates students to be ethical and engaged global citizens through service, scholarship and community partnerships. The center is a home for service on campus and the hub of Cardinal Service, a university-wide effort to make service an essential feature of a Stanford education. Cardinal Service supports students to enroll in more than 150 community-engaged learning Cardinal Courses; pursue 500 full-time Cardinal Quarter service fellowships and internships offered locally, nationally and globally with Stanford support; build leadership skills through a sustained Cardinal Commitment; and explore public service careers and ways to integrate service into any career.

Traditions

  • The Big Game sometimes referred to as the Battle of the Bay, is the annual football game against the University of California-Berkeley Golden Bears.
  • Fountain hopping involves touring Stanford’s main campus fountains and perhaps dipping your feet (or more) in them.
  • The Wacky Walk occurs during the first part of commencement, when undergraduates forgo a more traditional entrance and instead stride into Stanford Stadium, often in costume.