Student Profile | Stanford Graduate School of Education

Stanford Graduate School of Education believes that the best learning environment is one that includes multiple experiences and perspectives. Each year’s cohort reflects this belief with its wide range of backgrounds. Though each student has a unique story, they share a commitment to equitable, accessible, and effective learning for all.

Each year, our entering class profile is unique, differing from the year before and not predictive of a future cohort. We hope this profile gives you a sense of who makes up our newest community members.

2025-2026 By Program

As our applicant pool changes each year, so does our entering class. While we strive to have a consistent number of students in each incoming cohort, each student’s personal, academic, and professional background is different.

Total Applicants
2,018

Entering Class
163

Students By Program

Demographics

The GSE embraces the diversity of our student body. In sharing details about our students, our goal is to be transparent about the composition of our newest community members.

Sex

Female¹

Male¹

Age

Average Age
25

Age Range
20 - 49 years

¹ Currently only data on binary sex assigned at birth is available

Domestic / International

US Domestic²

International³

U.S. students

88
Students of Color⁴
77% of U.S.
54% of total

54
First Generation⁵
37% of U.S.
33% of total

² Includes U.S. citizens and permanent residents
³ Includes foreign nationals as well as DACA and undocumented students
⁴ U.S. students of color include U.S. citizens, dual citizens, and permanent residents who identify as American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, Other Pacific Islander; Asian American; Black / African American; Hispanic / Latino; or Multiethnic.
⁵ First generation in their family to graduate from a four-year college or university

U.S. States and Countries Represented

20
States Represented

18
Countries Represented

States

Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Mexico, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington

Countries

Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Haiti, India, Mexico, Mongolia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Russia, Singapore, Taiwan, United Kingdom, United States, Vietnam, Zambia

U.S. Student Demographics

Educational Background

GSE students have a variety of educational backgrounds, some within the field of education, some outside the field in areas such as social sciences, humanities, and engineering. There is no minimum GPA requirement for admission to our doctoral and master’s programs, nor is there a preferred educational background.

Undergraduate Majors (All)

3%	Business / Marketing
15%	Education
5%	Engineering
24%	Humanities
6%	Math
7%	Natural Sciences
39%	Social Sciences

Advanced Degrees

20%
Hold Advanced Degrees (Total)

73%
Hold Advanced Degrees (Doctoral Students)⁶

10%
Hold Advanced Degrees (Master's Students)

Undergraduate Institution

Attended U.S. Institution

Attended Non-U.S. Institution

Private U.S. Institution

Public U.S. Institution

⁶ Of those who do not already hold an advanced degree, such as a master’s degree, the majority of our doctoral students have several years of work experience before applying.