University Scholarship

Scholarship from Stanford is the primary source of funding used to assist students with meeting their educational costs. Many university scholarship funds originate as gifts from individuals and corporations. All university scholarship funds are awarded on the basis of financial need as determined by information provided on the CSS Profile. We determine your individual scholarship eligibility by subtracting the amount we expect you and your parents to contribute toward your costs and other federal and state grant funds from the total student budget.

No separate application is required for any of our specific scholarship funds.

Federal Grants

Stanford Undergraduates are eligible to be considered for the Federal Pell Grant and Federal Supplemental Education Opportunity Grant. Eligibility is based on financial need as determined by information provided on the FAFSA. We automatically consider your eligibility for federal grant funds when reviewing your financial aid application; no separate application is required.

State Grants

Many California residents at Stanford benefit from the Cal Grant program.

To be considered for the Cal Grant program, you must file the FAFSA and the Cal Grant GPA Verification Form by the state deadline of March 2nd. Students without lawful immigration status who are unable to complete the FAFSA should file the California Dream Act Application.

Cal Grant funds are disbursed to students' Stanford accounts at the beginning of each quarter. If you are a Cal Grant A recipient, the entire amount of your grant will be directly credited toward your tuition charge. If you are a Cal Grant B recipient, the tuition portion of your award will be credited toward your tuition charge, and the Access (Subsistence) portion of your award will be credited against any remaining charges on your bill, unless you request direct disbursement of the Access award. To request direct disbursement of your Access award as a stipend, contact the Financial Aid Office at financialaid@stanford.edu or (650) 723-3058 at least two weeks prior to the first day of the quarter.

Student Employment

One way for you to cover part of the Student Responsibility portion of your financial aid package is to work part-time during the academic year. There are a wide variety of job opportunities for students, both on- and off-campus.

Most students are paid directly by their employers. Others are paid with a combination of federal and university funds through the Federal Work-Study program, which includes a component for Community Service Federal Work-Study. Review our Student Employment information for more details.

Outside Scholarships

Another way to cover part of the Student Responsibility portion of your financial aid package is to obtain outside scholarships. Outside scholarships can be used to meet your Student Responsibility expectation dollar-for-dollar. If you are receiving Stanford scholarship and receive outside scholarships that total more than your Student Responsibility, your need-based scholarship eligibility will be reduced. Review our Outside Award information page for more details.

There are many free resources available on the internet that facilitates your search for outside scholarships. Going Merry and Big Future are two examples.

Loans

We do not expect you to borrow student loans to meet your college costs. However, if you would prefer to borrow rather than work during the academic year or over the summer, we will assist you in obtaining a student loan. Some students also take advantage of their federal student loan eligibility to assist their parents with their expected contribution. Our loan programs include:

If you request a loan, we will recommend the best loan program for which you are eligible. Not all students are eligible to borrow from all loan programs. Click on the links for the individual loan programs to learn about interest rates, fees, repayment terms and other factors that you should consider. The FAFSA is the only application required for federal loans.

Updated on November 27, 2019 10:15 AM