Like many others, you’re eagerly awaiting the release of the admitted students’ data for Stanford’s Class of 2029. We all look forward to Stanford’s next year’s Common Data Set, which will provide us with this valuable information. But first, let’s take a step back.

Sticking with tradition, Stanford has declined to release any data whatsoever about this year’s admitted soon-to-be first years. We don’t know their gender breakdown, racial and ethnic composition, socioeconomic diversity, or even what states and countries they come from! But that won’t stop Ivy Coach from analyzing as much of what we do know as possible. 

Stanford’s Class of 2029 From a Historical Perspective

Before we delve into the new crop of students, let’s take a comprehensive look at 14 years of admissions data. This will give us a solid understanding of Stanford’s recent admissions history and help us put the upcoming data into context:

Stanford Class Year	Total Applications Received	Total Applications Accepted	Acceptance Rate
Class of 2029	Not Yet Published	Not Yet Published	Not Yet Published
Class of 2028	57,326	2,067	3.61%
Class of 2027	53,733	2,099	3.91%
Class of 2026	56,378	2,075	3.68%
Class of 2025	55,471	2,190	3.90%
Class of 2024	45,227	2,349	5.19%
Class of 2023	47,498	2,062	4.34%
Class of 2022	47,451	2,071	4.36%
Class of 2021	44,073	2,085	4.73%
Class of 2020	43,997	2,118	4.81%
Class of 2019	42,497	2,140	5.03%
Class of 2018	42,167	2,145	5.09%
Class of 2017	38,828	2,208	5.69%
Class of 2016	36,632	2,423	6.61%

Last year, the Class of 2028 was admitted to Stanford at a record-low rate of 3.61%, accompanied by a record-high applicant pool of 57,326 applicants. Previously, those records were held by the Class of 2026, with a 3.68% acceptance rate and 56,378 applicants. 

While we don’t yet know much about the Class of 2029, it’s worth noting that Stanford has maintained its test-optional policy through this admissions cycle. They’re set to reinstate mandatory standardized testing next year, but in the meantime, this means that the applicant pool for the Class of 2029 was surely full of “squeakers,” or Ivy Coach’s term for that particular brand of high school senior who applies to colleges for which they are unqualified in the hopes that they will be able to squeak in without submitting any test scores.

Ivy Coach’s Prediction About the Stanford Class of 2029

Given the likely presence of squeakers in this cycle’s application pool, Ivy Coach’s famously accurate crystal ball has a sound prediction about the Stanford Class of 2029. This year will break another record in applications, if not acceptance rate! But squeakers are not the only factor influencing this spate of clairvoyance. We also suspect that Stanford will have picked up some of the slack of the crisis-stricken Ivy League institutions, which have uniformly seen declines in applications this cycle following a horrendous year of PR across the board. These issues have led to a decrease in the number of students applying to Ivy League schools, potentially increasing the number of applicants to Stanford.

Only time will tell if these predictions bear out, but in the meantime, there’s still plenty you can do if you were waitlisted to the Class of 2029 or are seeking to optimize your or your child’s odds of admission for a future admissions cycle.

Ivy Coach’s Assistance With The Stanford University Waitlist

Unlike the admissions officers over at the Cardinal, we at Ivy Coach are not at all shy about our acceptance rate to Stanford. Over the last five years, three out of every four of our package clients earned admission to Stanford. Moreover, over the past 10 years, around 38% of students who have first come to Ivy Coach after being placed on Stanford’s waitlist have earned admission.

If you’re looking to enhance your chances for admission off Stanford’s waitlist or for a future admission cycle, we’re here to help. Fill out our complimentary consultation form, and we’ll provide an immediate response outlining our services led by Ivy Coach’s former Stanford admissions officer, Jose Magaña.