Comparison tool
Rankings across 8 publishers plus admissions, cost, debt and outcome data for Stanford University, Georgia Institute of Technology. Every figure is sourced and dated.
| Metric | StanfordStanford, CA | Georgia TechAtlanta, GA |
|---|---|---|
| Acceptance rate | 3.6% | 14.1% |
| SAT middle 50% | 1510–1580 | 1370–1540 |
| Average net price | $13,80719.2% on Pell grants | $12,11613.9% on Pell grants |
| Published tuition & fees | $65,910Most recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release | $12,058 in-state · $34,484 outMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release |
| 6-year graduation rate | 91.9% | 94.0% |
| First-year retention | 98.2% | 98.1% |
| Undergraduates on Pell grants | 19.2% | 13.9% |
| Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry | $124,080 | $102,772 |
| Median federal debt at graduation | $12,000 | $21,672 |
| Student-faculty ratio | 6:1 | 18:1 |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 7,554 | 18,785 |
| Consensus percentile | 1Lower is better | 5Lower is better |
| Methodology sensitivity | 1 ptsHow far published lists disagree, in percentile points | 7 ptsHow far published lists disagree, in percentile points |
Highlighted cells mark the most favourable value in that row where a direction is meaningful. No highlight appears for metrics like enrollment or SAT range, where “better” depends entirely on what you want.
“Not ranked by this source” means that publisher’s list does not include the school — not missing data and not a poor rank.
| Source | Stanford | Georgia Tech |
|---|---|---|
| US News | #4 of 436National universitiesNational Universities · 2026 | #32 of 436National universitiesNational Universities · 2026 |
| Forbes | #4 of 500Top colleges (Forbes)America's Top Colleges · 2026 | #32 of 500Top colleges (Forbes)America's Top Colleges · 2026 |
| Washington Monthly | #6 of 442National universitiesNational Universities · 2026 | #21 of 442National universitiesNational Universities · 2026 |
| WSJ | #3 of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)Best Colleges in the U.S. · 2026 | #9 of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)Best Colleges in the U.S. · 2026 |
| Niche | #2 of 2,605Overall (Niche)Best Colleges (Overall) · 2026 | #28 of 2,605Overall (Niche)Best Colleges (Overall) · 2026 |
| Money | Not ranked by this source | Not ranked by this source |
| Princeton Review | Not ranked by this source | Not ranked by this source |
| QS | #3 of 1,504World (QS)World University Rankings · 2026 | #123 of 1,504World (QS)World University Rankings · 2026 |
Ambitious generalists who want an elite research university without giving up big-campus life, athletics or industry access — and who intend to use the Bay Area, not just live in it.
At roughly 3.9%, the lowest acceptance rate of any national university.
Full profileStudents certain they want engineering, computing or quantitative business, who value measurable career outcomes over campus breadth — and Georgia residents in particular.
Grading rigor is severe and well documented; GPA recovery is difficult.
Full profile