Making a Stanford Education Affordable

[Music] When I initially applied to Stanford and was telling my family and some of my classmates in high school everybody was really proud of me and really excited but there was always that question of that’s going to be pretty expensive right? Are you are you prepared for that? Actually, my best friend would always say, “I’m so shocked that you are applying to Stanford. It’s just so expensive.” And I think that there’s this myth that you can’t afford it if you don’t make however much money and that’s just simply not true. I was thinking about colleges even from the beginning of high school I wasn’t in a position just to pick any place. I had to think of the cost. Stanford’s commitment to need blind admissions has been one that’s been true more than 100 years. What this means is that we really look at the quality of students and their academic achievement, what they’ve been able to achieve in the context in which they live.

01:02 - The issue of how much money a family has doesn’t come into play in the admissions process. My main goal really when applying to colleges was to not have my parents pay for anything out of their pockets. And because of Stanford’s financial aid program I was able to accomplish that. Well, Stanford first shot to the top my list really because of financial aid. I I figured out that it was going to be probably cheapest.

01:24 - Stanford admits US domestic students without regard to their ability to pay and we’re committed to meeting the full financial need of all admitted undergraduates with scholarship funds. Parents with typical assets are expected to contribute nothing toward tuition if their family income is below $100,000 a year. More than 75 percent of our undergraduate students graduate without any student loan debt at all. My financial aid package consists of scholarships and grants as well as student work-study. On campus, I had the pleasure of having research positions as well as working in a dorm.

So I’m a residential assistant in one of the dorms on campus. When I got my Stanford decision and I got the financial aid package my dad immediately said, “Okay, you are going to Stanford.” It was the best choice for me and I felt pretty comfortable here finding work, finding internships, finding research grants. I haven’t, during my three and a half years here, felt like I’ve ever had to worry about money. The first time that I was really excited was when I got my initial financial aid package.

02:23 - Once you receive your actual financial aid letter it can make all the difference. Be sure to just look at it in detail and see if it is possible for you because the financial aid office does great job at really working with students and families. More than 100 years ago, Jane Stanford had the ambition that our university would be open. A place where students could come and achieve through their own merits. And we maintain that commitment today. At Stanford the focus is on, are you academically good enough to get in.

02:51 - We will make it possible for the really talented students we accept to come to this university. Students should apply here and they should know they have support in every single way. Stanford wants to cultivate the best and brightest students that it can. Just go ahead and apply. It could very well be more affordable for you to attend Stanford than to attend school any other school because we have one of the best financial aid programs in the nation. .