Stanford University vs Harvard University

Stanford University and Harvard University are the two private reseach universities of the USA ranking among the top 10 institutions in the world.

Overview Comparison
Stanford UniversityHarvard University
Collegedunia Score9.3 Out of 1010 Out of 10
ranking (overall)# 2 Times Higher Education 2024
# 3 US News 2024
# 5 QS World University 2024
# 3 US News 2024
# 4 QS World University 2024
# 4 Times Higher Education 2024
Subject Strength# 2 for Engineering by Times Higher Education 2024
# 5 for Medicine by US News 2024
# 1 for Law by US News 2024
# 1 for Engineering by Times Higher Education 2024
# 1 for Medicine by US News 2024
# 1 for Law by Times Higher Education 2024
ProgramsUG Programs -53
PG Programs -41
Doctorate Programs -70
UG Programs -40
PG Programs -58
Doctorate Programs -8
Acceptance Rate4.8 %5.6 %
Exam ScoreGMAT - 600
IELTS - 7
SAT - 1440
TOEFL - 100
GMAT - 620
GRE updated - 326
IELTS - 6.5
SAT - 1460
TOEFL - 90
Cost to StudyAverage Tuition Fees   73964
[For UG Program]
Average Tuition Fees  72420
[For PG Program]
Hostel + Meal - 30610 Per Year
Average Tuition Fees   52659
[For UG Program]
Average Tuition Fees  18600
[For PG Program]
Hostel + Meal - 31689 Per Year
placement (average package)

Stanford University is one of the top private universities in Stanford, United States. It is ranked #3 in QS World University Rankings 2023.

Ranked #2 in Graduate Employability Rank 

Bachelor (Other): $221,000 

MBA: $184,000 

Executive MBA: $181,000 

Masters in Finance: $154,000 

Executive Masters: $142,000 

Doctorate: $140,000


Harvard University is one of the top private universities in Cambridge, United States. It is ranked #5 in QS World University Rankings 2023 and ranked #1 in US UNI.

Other Degree: $200,000 

Doctorate: $190,000 

Executive Masters: $172,000 

MBA: $168,000 

Executive MBA: $160,000 

LLM: $152,000 


application requirements

Supplemental Form (for a few programs);
LORs & SOPs;
Essays;
Portfolio (required for a few programs)

Teacher Evaluation forms (as additional LORs); Sample of academic work, potfolio, music recordings, art work, etc  (supplementary documents); IELTS/TOEFL; Standardized test scores

Campuses and B-SchoolsStanford Graduate School of Business
Harvard Law School
Harvard Extension School
Harvard Kennedy School
Harvard Business School
CollegeDunia Reviews8.8/10 Read 3 reviews7.3/10 Read 4 reviews
General Facts Comparison
General FactsStanford UniversityHarvard University
Type of UniversityUniversity
University
Established1885
1636
Student:Faculty Ratio5:1
7:1
Male:Female50% Male, 50% Female52% Male, 48% Female
Location Facts

The campus is located in the center of the San Francisco Peninsula. Settled on 8,180 acres of land, the campus is located approx. 37 miles southeast of San Francisco and approx. 20 miles northwest of San Jose.


Harvard Yard: Campus’s historic hub, Harvard Square: Campus’s personal hagout destination with restaurants, cafe, bookstores, theater, shops. Well connected to the local neighborhood of Boston by public transport, the campus traverses the Charles River to near by Allston.


Library

With a network of 20 libraries, the Stanford University Library has a collection of 9.3 million volumes, nearly 300,000 rare or special books, 1.5 million e-books, 2.5 million audiovisual materials, 77,000 serials, nearly 6 million microform holdings, and thousands of other digital resources.


Largest academic library in the world. 20.4 million volumes, 400 million manuscript items, 180,000 serial titles. The library offers various grants and fellowships for both students and faculty. 


Campus Life

Campus landmarks include the Main Quad, Memorial Church, Cantor Center for Visual Arts, Bing Concert Hall, Stanford Mausoleum, Hoover Tower, Stanford University Arboretum, Green Library, 31 Club Sports, etc. There are over 625 student-organized groups to participate in, eight dining halls to experience the food on-campus, 2 museums, and 25 student affairs offices. 


Students from over 50 states and 80 countries are offered assistance by over 400 official student organization. The campus has its own museum, radio station, magazine and newspaper. Along with student clubs for Aikikai, archery, dance, theatre/drama, music, etc, campus also offers cultural & racial initiatives, asian student centric-projects, etc. Varsity sports, crimson pride and various atheletic teams.  


Hostel#Campus Housing(Graduate) - $21710
#Medium Single - $10404
#Large Single - $13248
#Standard Single - $8037
Famous Alumni

Presently, there are more than 220,000 Stanford alumni that include 83 Nobel laureates, 28 Turing Award laureates, 8 Fields Medalists, 270 Olympic medals including 139 gold medals. Larry Page (Co-founder Google); Mike Krieger (Co-founder, Instagram); Peter Thiel (Co-founder, Paypal); Gene D. Block (8th chancellor of UCLA); Derek Bok (25th president of Harvard), etc.


Eight US Presidents, 62 living billionaires, 242 Marshall Scholars, 359 Rhodes scholars. Barak Obama (ex-president of USA), Michelle Obama (Former First Lady of USA), Mark Zuckerberg, Natalie Portman (Actress), Bill Gates, Conan O’ Brien (comedian writer), Al Gore (Winner-Peace Prize), Matt Damon (Actor), Helen Keller, Subramaniam Swami (Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha)


City Life

Located in the northwest corner of Santa Clara County, Stanford is a census-designated place in California. You can explore various museums, the national zoo, enjoy delicacies of all kinds available at multicuisine restaurants, enjoy basketball games, national baseball games, Jazz music, waterfront near Georgetown, and more. The unemployment rate of the city is 5.1%


Cambridge- city in Massachusetts; home to a huge student community; city offers a great nightlife with gastropubs, live music, and cocktail bars. Boston’s cosmopolitan excitement is bus-ride away. Average salaries offered within the state are up to 97,5000 USD; Famous tourist attractions: Charles River, Harvard Square, Mount Auburn Cemetery, MIT Museum, CambrdgeSide, John Harvard Statue, Sanders Theatre; Unemployment rate- 3.2%


Weather
Comparison Notes

Selecting the right institution between these two prestigious and selective universities in USA would highly depend on the program of choice. This is because the two universities have almost the same acceptance rate and selection criteria.

  • Students looking for a CS degree would obviously want to go with Stanford University that ranks #2 for Computer Science program according to QS Rankings while Harvard is at #7.
  • According to the Financial Times Global MBA Rankings 2020, Harvard Business School ranks #1 while Stanford at #3.
  • On the other hand with global rankings at #2 for Arts and Humanities according to QS Rankings, Harvard University would be the first choice while Stanford ranks at #5.
  • According to QS Rankings for Business and Management, Harvard ranks at #1 while Stanford at #5.
  • Cost of Attendance at Stanford University are relatively higher.
  • According to QS Graduate Employability Rankings 2020, Stanford University (#2) ranks better than Harvard University (#5).
  • According to Payscale, The Annual ROI for Stanford and Harvard are almost the same with 7.4% and 7.2% respectively.

Students interested in studying at these institutions can choose on the basis of individual strengths. Renowned for its technology-driven programs, Stanford University might appeal to students looking for a career in computer science or engineering & technology. On the other hand, students looking for careers in business management or arts & humanities might find Harvard University to be the right choice.