Hello! I'm really interested in applying to Stanford and I heard about their Common Data Set. Can someone explain what kind of information I can find in there, like admissions rates, test scores, and other stats? Appreciate your help!
Hey there! The Common Data Set (CDS) is a document that colleges and universities, including Stanford, put together to provide comprehensive and comparable data on various aspects of their institution. It is meant to be a standard set of information to make it easier for students, parents, and college counselors to compare schools.
In Stanford's CDS, you can find a wealth of information about their admissions process, student body, and other important aspects of the university. Here are some key sections you might find useful:
1. General Information: Basic facts about the school, such as its location, enrollment numbers, and campus setting.
2. Enrollment and Persistence: First-year and overall retention rates, as well as graduation rates within 4, 5, and 6 years of enrollment.
3. Admission: Details on the admission process, including the number of applicants, acceptance rate, and matriculation rate. You'll also find statistics on accepted students' test scores (SAT/ACT), class rank, and high school GPA.
4. Academic Offerings and Policies: Information about the various academic programs, majors, and special study options available at the university.
5. Student Life: Campus housing options, extracurricular involvement, and demographic breakdowns, such as gender ratio, race/ethnicity, and geographic distribution.
6. Annual Expenses: Tuition, fees, room and board costs, and other related expenses for the academic year.
7. Financial Aid: Data on the types and amounts of need-based and merit-based financial aid available to undergraduate students, as well as the average financial aid packages awarded.
8. Instructional Faculty and Class Size: Information on the number of faculty, their qualifications, and the student-to-faculty ratio. This section also provides details on class sizes, i.e., the percentage of classes with different numbers of students.
By reviewing Stanford's CDS, you can get a good sense of the competitiveness of getting in and the general profile of the student body. To find this information, I’d suggest simply googling “Stanford common data set,” as the document can be a bit difficult to find directly on the school’s website.
Good luck with your application!
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