Stanford has emerged as one of the top colleges in the world, full stop. Countless students vie for admission each year, and even those with perfect grades and test scores tend to be rejected. After all, Stanford has its pick of the litter among students with such numbers (for the Stanford Class of 2028, 73.3% of students boasted perfect GPAs), so it’s not only about having top grades and scores when seeking admission to one of the world’s most selective institutions.

That said, what kind of GPA does a student need when applying to Stanford? Let’s take a close gander at the data over the last three years. Though the data for the Stanford Classes of 2029 and 2030 is not yet available, we can get a good picture by looking at the data from the four prior admissions cycles.

Stanford University Admissions Rate

First, just how difficult is it to get into Stanford? For applicants to Stanford’s Class of 2028, a mere 3.61% earned admission. The year prior, for the Class of 2027, 3.91% got in. For the Class of 2026, 3.68% was the magic number.

What was a Good GPA in 2028 To Get Into Stanford University?

The following is the GPA breakdown of the members of Stanford’s Class of 2028, as reported in Stanford’s 2024-25 Common Data Set:

GPA	Percentage of Stanford University Class of 2028
4.0	73.3%
3.75-3.99	16.5%
3.5-3.74	6.7%
3.25-3.49	3.0%
3.0-3.24	0.3%
2.5-2.99	0.3%
2.0-2.49	0%
1.0-1.99	0%

GPA Percentage of Stanford University Class of 2027

The following is the GPA breakdown of the members of Stanford’s Class of 2027:

GPA	Percentage of Stanford University Class of 2027
4.0	75.2%
3.75-3.99	15.5%
3.5-3.74	5.8%
3.25-3.49	2.9%
3.0-3.24	0.7%
2.5-2.99	0%
2.0-2.49	0%

GPA Percentage of Stanford University Class of 2026

The following is the GPA breakdown of the members of Stanford’s Class of 2026:

GPA	Percentage of Stanford University Class of 2026
4.0	70.7%
3.75-3.99	22.9%
3.5-3.74	4%
3.25-3.49	1.9%
3.0-3.24	0.4%
2.5-2.99	0.1%
2.0-2.49	0%

GPA Percentage of Stanford University Class of 2025

The following is the GPA breakdown of the members of Stanford’s Class of 2025:

GPA	Percentage of Stanford University Class of 2025
4.0	75.1%
3.75-3.99	19%
3.5-3.74	2.5%
3.25-3.49	1.6%
3.0-3.24	1.4%
2.5-2.99	0.3%
2.0-2.49	0%

Further Context on GPAs of Stanford University Students

73.3% of students who enrolled in Stanford’s Class of 2028 boasted perfect GPAs, while 75.2% of students in Stanford’s Class of 2027, 70.7% of students in Stanford’s Class of 2026, and 75.1% of students in Stanford’s Class of 2025 had perfect GPAs. And for all of these admissions cycles, most of the remaining students in each class boasted GPAs in the 3.75-3.99 range.

But remember, while most students admitted to Stanford choose to enroll (Stanford often boasts a yield of over 80%), imagine how many students who did not earn admission to the Cardinal also submitted perfect or near-perfect GPAs.

It’s why we will not offer an answer when parents rattle off their child’s GPA during complimentary consultations with Ivy Coach and ask if they can get into Stanford. Without context ( including the high school attended, the rigor of the student’s coursework, their extracurriculars, essays, letters of recommendation, and so much more) the answer would be meaningless. 

Stanford, after all, like all of America’s highly selective universities, has a holistic admissions process. If it were just about a student’s GPA, the institution would be overfilled with students, many of them dull students.

Can I Get into Stanford with a Low GPA?

While it’s certainly possible to get into Stanford with a low GPA, as the numbers bear out, it’s improbable. For the Class of 2028, a mere 3.6% of admitted students to Stanford had GPAs below 3.5. Such students often meet other institutional needs (e.g., a star quarterback for the football team, a development case, etc.).

How Ivy Coach Can Gauge Your Child’s Chances at Stanford

If you’re interested in discerning if your child has a shot of getting into Stanford, we recommend setting up Ivy Coach’s Strategy Session. Not only will you find out if your child has a chance of getting into Stanford with the help of Ivy Coach’s own Jose Magaña, a former Stanford admissions officer, but you’ll receive a game plan of how your child can optimize their admission to the best school possible. To learn more about Ivy Coach’s Strategy Session, fill out our complimentary consultation form, and we’ll be in touch.