Silicon Valley University Competitors

Stanford is a place of discovery, creativity and innovation located in the San Francisco Bay Area on the ancestral land of the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe. Dedicated to our founding mission—benefitting society through research and education—we are working toward a sustainable future, accelerating the impact of research with external partners, catalyzing discoveries about ourselves and our world, and educating students as global citizens. Our main campus, which welcomed its first class in 1891, is now home to 650+ student organizations, 36 varsity athletic teams, 20 libraries, 21 living Nobel laureates, 18 interdisciplinary research institutes, seven schools, and a vibrant arts scene. More than 9,000 graduate students and 7,000 undergraduates pursue studies at Stanford each year. Our financial aid program, one of the most generous in the nation, makes it possible for any admitted undergraduate to attend without taking on student debt.

UC Santa Cruz was founded in 1965 as the movement away from the conservative '50s was in full swing and America was experiencing a transformation. The founding faculty, administrators, and students embraced and embodied this change. They were open and revolutionary in their thinking—more than mere radicals, they dared to imagine a living and learning environment that would foster a community whose passion came from a deep sense of social justice. And it shows. UC Santa Cruz’s many accomplishments include: • The first to map the human genome and make it publicly available—for free, forever • Key contributors to the discovery of the Higgs Boson • The birthplace of organic farming • The center of the Dickens Universe • A graduate gaming program that is one of the top 10 in the country • Ranked second in the world for its research impact This university is not to be underestimated. The campus's unique character is reflected in its students' bold choice to elect the fabled Banana Slug as its mascot—with their determined bearing and bright personality, it's hard to ignore Banana Slugs wherever they may roam. And Banana Slug alumni are everywhere—a network 100,000-plus-strong, comprised of respected scientists, journalists, social activists, political and business leaders, artists, teachers, entrepreneurs, change-makers, and much more. Banana Slugs are changing the world.

Founded in 1851, Santa Clara University sits in the heart of Silicon Valley—the world’s most innovative and entrepreneurial region. The University’s stunningly landscaped 106-acre campus is home to the historic Mission Santa Clara de Asís. Ranked among the top 15 percent of national universities by U.S. News & World Report, SCU has among the best four-year graduation rates in the nation and is rated by PayScale in the top 1 percent of universities with the highest-paid graduates. SCU has produced elite levels of Fulbright Scholars as well as four Rhodes Scholars. With undergraduate programs in arts and sciences, business, and engineering, and graduate programs in six disciplines, the curriculum blends high-tech innovation with social consciousness grounded in the tradition of Jesuit, Catholic education.