Stanford University vs University of California, Berkeley: Acceptance Rate, SAT & Net Price

Stanford University is the more selective of the two, admitting 3.6% of applicants versus 11.0% at University of California, Berkeley. For a family earning $48,001–$75,000, the average net price is about $5,290 per year at Stanford University versus $12,890 at University of California, Berkeley. Stanford University's yield rate is 82.0%, versus 46.0% at University of California, Berkeley.

Stanford University vs University of California, Berkeley: admissions and cost statistics from the most recent Common Data Set, IPEDS, and College Scorecard
MetricStanford UniversityUniversity of California, Berkeley
Overall acceptance rate3.6%11.0%
Avg unweighted GPA3.963.9
Yield rate82.0%46.0%
Class size1,6936,272
Net price, $48,001–$75,000 income$5,290$12,890
Net price, over $110,000 income$39,717$29,890

Admissions and cost data as of July 3, 2026 (CDS 2024–25 cycle), from the most recent Common Data Set, IPEDS, and College Scorecard. Rows appear only where both colleges report the statistic.

Frequently asked questions

Is Stanford University harder to get into than University of California, Berkeley?

Yes. Stanford University admits 3.6% of applicants, compared with 11.0% at University of California, Berkeley, making it the harder school to get into, based on the most recent Common Data Set.

Which is cheaper for a middle-income family, Stanford University or University of California, Berkeley?

For a family earning $48,001–$75,000, the average net price is about $5,290 per year at Stanford University and $12,890 at University of California, Berkeley, so Stanford University is the lower-cost option at that income level (source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard/IPEDS data).

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