Types of Aid

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

Stanford is not participating in California Student Aid Programs at the current time.  As our undergraduate financial aid program meets full need, institutional funds replace Cal Grant funds for which you may have qualified.  In very rare circumstances, students may qualify for Cal Grant funds who are not otherwise eligible for institutional aid.  If you believe you may be in that situation, please share a copy of your Cal Grant award notification with us.  For more details on Stanford’s decision see this announcement.

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. Big Future, and Scholly® Scholarships 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 April 14, 2026 9:54 AM