Stanford vs University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC)
Stanford University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Stanford, a private research university in California, boasts a highly selective admissions process with an acceptance rate of 4.7%, while UNC, a public research university in North Carolina, offers a more accessible admissions process with an acceptance rate of 24.4%. Stanford's student body is smaller and more diverse, with a higher percentage of international students, while UNC's student body is larger and more representative of the state of North Carolina. Both universities offer a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs, with popular majors including computer science, engineering, and business at Stanford and biology, psychology, and business at UNC. With impressive graduation rates of 95% and 89% respectively, Stanford and UNC prepare their graduates for successful careers and further education. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover more about these two exceptional universities and determine which one aligns best with your academic
|
![]() Stanford University |
![]() University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
---|---|---|
Overview |
||
Location | Stanford, California | Chapel Hill, North Carolina |
Campus setting | Suburb: Large | City: Small |
College type | 4 year | 4 year |
Control/business model | Private (Non Profit) | Public |
Calendar system | Quarter | Semester |
Degrees offered | Undergraduate and Graduate | Undergraduate and Graduate |
Students retention rate | 98.0% | 97.0% |
![]() |
No | Yes |
Religious affiliation | ||
|
||
Admission |
||
Acceptance rate | 3.9% | 20.4% |
Application fees |
Undergraduate:
$90
Graduate:
$125
|
Undergraduate:
$85
Graduate:
$95
|
SAT range | 1470 - 1570 | 1140 - 1380 |
ACT range | 34 - 35 | 22 - 27 |
Students submitting SAT score | 15.0% | 2.0% |
Students submitting ACT score | 11.0% | 12.0% |
Total number of applicants | 55,471 | 50,729 |
Total number of admissions given out | 2,190 | 10,348 |
Admitted students who chose to enroll | 1,757 | 4,690 |
Yield rate | 80.2% | 45.3% |
Test scores (SAT/ACT) | N/A | N/A |
High school GPA | Not required | Required |
Recommendation letters | Required | Required |
High school transcript | Not required | Not required |
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL) | Not required | Required |
|
||
Tuition and Fees |
||
Sticker price | $78,898 |
In state:
$24,770
Out of state:
$52,633
|
Average net price | $14,402 | $11,508 |
Tuition | $55,473 |
In state:
$7,019
Out of state:
$34,882
|
Room & board |
Room/dormitory:
$11,166
Meal plan:
$6,694
|
Room/dormitory:
$6,878
Meal plan:
$5,004
|
Available payment plans |
|
|
|
||
Financial Aid |
||
Students receiving financial aid
(Grants & scholarships) |
61.0%
Average amount $56,211 |
42.0%
Average amount $16,076 |
Students receiving federal student loan |
5.0%
Average amount $5,151 |
17.0%
Average amount $4,244 |
Students taking out private loans |
1.0%
Average amount $17,186 |
3.0%
Average amount $14,032 |
|
||
Students and Campus |
||
Undergraduate students |
7,645
Men 49.4% Women 50.6% |
19,845
Men 39.6% Women 60.4% |
Graduate students |
10,035
Men 56.5% Women 43.5% |
11,796
Men 41.4% Women 58.6% |
Racial/ethnic diversity |
Moderate
|
Low
|
Out-of-state students | 58.5% | 16.2% |
International students | 24.4% | 6.8% |
Campus local/setting | Suburb: Large | City: Small |
Dormitory capacity | 14,621 | 9,984 |
First year students are required to live on campus? | Yes | No |
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from | California Texas Washington New York Illinois | North Carolina Georgia Maryland New York Pennsylvania |
|
||
Academics |
||
Popular study areas |
|
|
Students to faculty ratio | 5:1 | 15:1 |
Institutional accreditation | Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission | Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges |
|
||
Outcome |
||
Graduation rate | 95.5% | 90.5% |
Dropout rate | 1.7% | 3.7% |
Transferred out | 0.6% | 5.4% |
Alumni salary by major (Top 10) |
Law (First Professional Degrees)
Computer Science (Master's Degrees)
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees)
Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Doctoral Degrees)
Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees)
Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Master's Degrees)
Engineering-Related Fields (Master's Degrees)
Mechanical Engineering (Master's Degrees)
Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering (Master's Degrees)
Economics (Bachelor's Degrees)
|
Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences (Master's Degrees)
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees)
Dentistry (First Professional Degrees)
Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (First Professional Degrees)
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees)
Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees)
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees)
Law (First Professional Degrees)
Applied Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees)
Health and Medical Administrative Services (Master's Degrees)
|
Compare Similar Colleges
The list of suggested college comparisons provided below is generated automatically by our system, utilizing
statistics gathered from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and various online sources. If you
don't find the colleges you wish to compare, please visit our comparison page.
There, you can search for the
specific colleges and initiate your comparison.




























































































































































































