Stanford University specializes in a variety of academic programs. The most popular programs include business, law, medicine, and engineering.
In fact, Stanford is one of the most selective universities in the world, with an acceptance rate of just 5 percent. The school has been named No. 1 on U.S. News & World Report’s “Best National Universities” list every year since its inception in 1992-93. It also ranks among the top ten research schools in the world according to Shanghai Jiao Tong University’s Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU).
The university was founded in 1885 by Leland Stanford Jr., son of California railroad baron Leland Stanford Sr., who made his fortune during the Gold Rush era. Although Stanford Jr.’s original intention was to build a school for women — he’d been inspired by his mother’s interest in education — it was not until 1905 that Stanford became coeducational when it began admitting male students on an equal basis with females.
In 1960, Stanford established Silicon Valley as a hub for technology companies when it created a Department of Engineering Science that offered undergraduate study leading to a BS degree in electrical engineering or applied physics (both fields are now part of EE). Today, the EE department offers undergraduate degrees in computer science and not only that.
