Stanford
The private university Silicon Valley grew up around, in California; its alumni founded Google, Nike and Hewlett-Packard.
26 figures on Stanford, drawn from 2 Modern MBA case studies.
The figures
US dollars11
| Against its own chart | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual value of the endowment in billions of dollars · 2025 | $41B | 3rd of 7 · top $57B | Why college is so expensive in America |
| University endowments against the cash reserves of leading corporations, in billions of dollars | $40.8B | 3rd of 10 · top $56.9B | Why college is so expensive in America |
| Restricted against unrestricted endowment, in billions of dollars · Restricted | $23B | 3rd of 7 · top $47B | Why college is so expensive in America |
| Restricted against unrestricted endowment, in billions of dollars · Unrestricted | $18B | 1st of 7 · top $18B | Why college is so expensive in America |
| Annual value of the endowment in billions of dollars · 2010 | $14B | 3rd of 7 · top $28B | Why college is so expensive in America |
| Endowment distribution against net tuition revenue in 2025, in millions of dollars · Endowment distribution | $1,946M | 3rd of 8 · top $2,498M | Why college is so expensive in America |
| Endowment distribution against net tuition revenue in 2025, in millions of dollars · Net tuition revenue | $845M | 3rd of 8 · top $1,577M | Why college is so expensive in America |
| Revenue of the athletics department in millions of dollars, 2024 | $158M | 6th of 11 · top $236M | Why college is so expensive in America |
| Annual compensation of university leaders · Endowment manager | $6.3M | 4th of 7 · top $7.8M | Why college is so expensive in America |
| Annual compensation of university leaders · President | $1.1M | 7th of 7 · top $2.6M | Why college is so expensive in America |
| Annual cost of attendance including tuition, room, and fees, 2025 | $97,545 | 2nd of 7 · top $98,900 | Why college is so expensive in America |
Percentages9
| Against its own chart | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Percentage of undergraduates who live on campus | 96% | 2nd of 12 · top 97% | Why college is so expensive in America |
| Percentage of accepted undergraduates who actually enroll · 2025 | 80% | 3rd of 7 · top 86% | Why college is so expensive in America |
| Percentage of accepted undergraduates who actually enroll · 2005 | 67% | 4th of 7 · top 79% | Why college is so expensive in America |
| Endowment payout as a percentage of academic operating costs | 38% | 6th of 8 · top 70% | Why college is so expensive in America |
| Share of undergraduate alumni that donate | 24% | 5th of 10 · top 44% | Why college is so expensive in America |
| Ten-year annualized returns net of fees, against Vanguard's S&P 500 and total market funds | 9.4% | 6th of 10 · top 15.4% | Why college is so expensive in America |
| Operating margins of elite universities · 2015 | 6% | 1st of 7 · top 6% | Why college is so expensive in America |
| Probability of getting into the Texas Monthly Top 50 relative to other competitive selections | 3.9% | 2nd of 6 · top 4.7% | How much a Texas BBQ joint actually makes |
| Operating margins of elite universities · 2025 | −1% | 6th of 7 · top 6% | Why college is so expensive in America |
Counts6
| Against its own chart | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Size of the freshman class · 2025 | 1,840 | 2nd of 6 · top 2,395 | Why college is so expensive in America |
| Size of the freshman class · 2005 | 1,635 | 3rd of 6 · top 2,410 | Why college is so expensive in America |
| Composition of professors by tenure track · Tenured | 897 | 5th of 10 · top 1,268 | Why college is so expensive in America |
| Composition of professors by tenure track · Non-tenured | 750 | 8th of 10 · top 2,826 | Why college is so expensive in America |
| Undergraduates per varsity sports team, 2024 | 220 | 8th of 12 · top 3,730 | Why college is so expensive in America |
| Years since founding, as of 2026 | 141 | 10th of 10 · top 390 | Why college is so expensive in America |
Case studies covering Stanford
Case study — ServicesWhy college is so expensive in AmericaHarvard holds $57B and charges $82,866 a year. Tuition isn't the business — the undergraduate is the seed, not the customer.16 min read
Case study — Food & beverageHow much a Texas BBQ joint actually makesOne in three fail, brisket yields 40%, and the biggest variable in whether you survive is one magazine editor's palate.16 min readNew episodes
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