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Initiative: Undergraduate Education and Student Life

Revitalizing the undergraduate experience

At its best, college is a time of both intellectual and personal growth. It is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for students to broaden their horizons, make lifelong connections, and discover new ways to become engaged members of society. 

As a residential university, Stanford offers undergraduates unique opportunities to live and learn with people different from themselves and to see the value of diverse perspectives. Below are just a few of the ways we are striving to help students access the full richness of a Stanford education inside and beyond the classroom.

Serving students

Academic leaders and faculty strive to ensure that the undergraduate experience fosters the self-discovery, academic exploration, and meaningful relationships that will shape the next generation of changemakers.

  • R. Lanier Anderson
    Interim Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education
  • Michele Rasmussen
    Vice Provost for Student Affairs
  • Mona Hicks
    Senior Associate Vice Provost and Dean of Students
  • Parna Sengupta
    Associate Vice Provost, Stanford Introductory Studies
Two Stanford students with helmets ride their bicycles on campus while laughing.

Laying a foundation for exploration

Regardless of the career paths they choose, students must be able to build meaningful connections with people from different walks of life and practice critical thinking, active listening, and the respectful exchange of ideas.

Stanford’s new first-year curriculum, COLLEGE (Civic, Liberal, and Global Education), encourages all frosh students to think broadly and deeply about the purpose of a college education and their rights and responsibilities as citizens. Through courses centered on three topics—liberal education, civic engagement, and global perspectives—the program strives to provide a shared first-year learning experience and opportunities for frosh to discuss complex, often contentious issues in a way that is substantive and civil.

Instead of the traditional lecture style, the majority of the required three-quarter sequence of classes, close to 100 of them, will be taught in small seminars of 15 students, creating an environment that fosters regular interaction between frosh and their instructors. Securing the resources necessary to support this number of COLLEGE classes is an ongoing priority.

Questioning the narrative

In order to fulfill her COLLEGE requirement, Eden Hadar, ’27, took Living with Viruses, one of the courses offered under the global perspectives element of the program. The course broadened her horizons as classmates shared their experiences with COVID-19 restrictions—many of which differed greatly from her own experience in Israel, where she lived from ages 12 to 18. “We all have firsthand narratives,” Hadar says. “I want to learn more about people and their unique story.”

In Hadar’s final project for the class, she and her group looked at the case of Janet Parker, the last known person to die of smallpox in 1978. They used this story—of a medical photographer who likely contracted the disease at work—as a way to examine how pathogens are stored and studied.

“The way you tell the narrative can significantly change the story,” she says. “Even though the facts might be the same, picking and choosing information can really shape how you view the science.”

Eden Hadar stands in the quad

Eden Hadar, '27

Dan Edelstein looks off to the left at someone off camera.

Dan Edelstein is the Nehal and Jenny Fan Raj Director of COLLEGE.

Reimagining education

Dan Edelstein, the William H. Bonsall Professor of French, is passionate about Stanford’s reimagined first-year curriculum. “COLLEGE’s small, seminar-style classes give students an opportunity to engage deeply with class material together with their instructors and peers. The program encourages first-year students to think about what it means to be an engaged citizen, what they want from their college journey, and how to navigate complex issues."

Transformative education

Faculty fellowships and lectureships are essential to delivering an academic experience that prepares all students, regardless of their major, for a life of purpose.

  • Dustin Schroeder
    College Faculty Fellow
  • Aiko Takeuchi
    The Liu Dang Lecturer
  • Taylor Madigan, PhD ’23
    The Jay Kim and Jung Min Lecturer
  • Julie Baker
    The Tiedtke Family College Faculty Fellow

Beyond the classroom

Programs designed to push the boundaries of learning are helping undergraduates to gain the skills and perspectives they will need to become leaders in their careers, their communities, and in the world.

Embracing growth in a global setting

If we want our students to become thriving global citizens, there is perhaps no better learning opportunity for them than the Bing Overseas Studies Program (BOSP), whose offerings include quarter-long study away programs, two- to four-week global seminars, and a variety of internship and fieldwork experiences. Approximately 50 percent of each graduating class participates in a BOSP program during their time at Stanford, enjoying learning experiences that nurture their academic, personal, and professional growth. Many participants state that studying away was an unforgettable highlight of their Stanford education. Support from donors helps keep BOSP opportunities accessible to students from all backgrounds.

Creating knowledge through discovery

Stanford’s undergraduate curriculum encourages students to pursue knowledge broadly before selecting an area of focus where they investigate questions, draw their own conclusions, and become creators of knowledge. Each year, more than 1,000 undergraduates engage deeply with a subject of their choosing through research with support from individual grants and departmental resources. This transformative experience allows students to connect their classroom learning and intellectual interests as they work on an independent project under faculty mentorship.

Learning and thinking independently

The implementation of the capstone requirement for every undergraduate beginning with the Class of 2025 has contributed to a growing demand for research opportunities and resources. Capstone projects synthesize learning from a student’s major, and an increasing number of undergraduates are choosing to conduct research as part of their capstone experience. Students undertake these high-impact educational projects—ranging from honors theses to e-portfolios—with close guidance from faculty, giving them the opportunity to develop a deep relationship with at least one mentor. The university is committed to making additional investments in research as student interest continues to grow.

A group of Stanford students pose with giant size ID cards, poking their heads through the space in the card where the ID photo goes.

BUILDING COMMUNITY

Stanford is committed to fostering experiences, relationships, and environments to ensure that every student feels a firm and abiding sense of belonging and contributes to the good of our community.

  • 97 percent

    of our more than 7,500 undergraduate students live in university-provided housing on campus.

  • 500

    full-time Cardinal Quarter service fellowships and internships are offered locally, nationally, and globally.

  • More than 600

    student organizations organize more than 1,500 events a year.

  • 85 percent

    of undergraduates engage with at least one of Stanford’s eight community centers, and 80 percent would recommend the centers to other students.

BROADEN HORIZONS. FORGE LIFELONG BONDS. BECOME ENGAGED CITIZENS.

Empowering students to flourish

We want every student to have the internal and external resources to enjoy a healthy, vibrant life at Stanford—and beyond. The Well-Being at Stanford program provides access to certified well-being coaches who can help students learn skills for managing stress, building resilience, and forming connections with others. Based on their individual needs, students may pursue well-being coaching in concert with clinical and mental health services, many of which are available through Counseling and Psychological Services.

Redefining success

Maija Cruz, ’12, is one of Well-Being at Stanford’s seven coaches and supports students connected to the university’s community centers and ethnic theme houses. “When we talk about student well-being, we’re talking about what a person needs to have a sustainable experience on campus and beyond,” she says. Cruz and her colleagues provide coaching for undergraduate and graduate students, with coach availability barely able to meet increasing demand.

“We want to ensure that students don’t automatically think that making an impact and being resilient means subscribing to grind culture at the expense of their own mental health and well-being,” she says. “For too long, higher education has taken a reactive approach with mental health and well-being. As coaches, we’re a trusted, non-punitive adult in students’ lives. We can make asking for help a safer, more familiar, and friendlier process so that students will reach out earlier on—before there’s a crisis.”

Maija Cruz stands outside a house in a white shirt smiling at the camera.

Maija Cruz, ’12

Stories:Prepare to thrive

Stanford is committed to providing an undergraduate experience that helps students from all backgrounds grow academically, personally, and socially.

This
is
the moment

for Undergraduate Education and Student Life

As a university, it is our responsibility and privilege to prepare students to meet the challenges and opportunities an increasingly global society, and we cannot do this alone.

Explore more:Initiatives

Because Stanford has built excellence in an unusually broad range of fields, and because we’ve connected those fields so that they work together unusually well, we have the opportunity and the responsibility to tackle a wide range of priorities.