It looks like I am in good shape to gain entrance into Stanford as a student athlete . It is obviously stronger in sports than any Ivy school . But do you think that Stanford now is the academic equal of Harvard Princeton and Yale and ahead of all the other Ivies ? Or do all the Ivy schools still have more worldwide prestige ?
Are you interested in “academic equivalent” or equivalency of prestige? They’re not the same thing…
I’m interested in both.
Academically: Yes in general, but with some departmental variation each way.
Prestige: More or less, but the worldwide prestige of Harvard is unmatched (at least in Asia, where I’ve worked in education for 16 years and have never known a kid get accepted to Harvard and choose not to attend. Not once.)
Stanford still seems unequal to HYP. However, HY and to a lesser extent P have been emphasizing engineering and CS in recent years; so they may catch up in the future.
I’ve considered Stanford the equivalent of HYP for decades. If you’re in engineering or tech, Stanford would be considered above HYP.
Universities are complex institutions. “Equal” is a vague term in this context.
HYPS are all respected, prestigious schools. Apply to any of them you like. Chances are, you wouldn’t get into all of them. Even if you do, the net prices might be different.
Stanford is an amazing choice for an outstanding student who wants to pursue high level athletics. I’d jump on the opportunity.
Stanford is a gateway school in terms of prestige. If Stanford is the equal of HYP then it would be reasonable to consider Duke, Rice, certain public ivies and other large research universities that offer athletic scholarships their equivalent, too.
Speaking from the perspective of someone who has long relationships with some of the schools OP has named:
Unless you’re a recruited athlete, or the sport that you’re interested in isn’t offered at one or more of them, or your sport requires a particular climate, it probably matters very little which of these schools you attend, if you’re fortunate enough to get into any. All have lots of varsity and club teams; you can try to walk on, maybe it will work out, maybe not. Stanford has a sportier social scene and a better climate for warm weather sports; the others are more similar to each other, with the traditional Ivy League vibe, in the Northeast, strong in some sports, particularly cold weather ones.
Similarly, unless there’s some particular academic discipline in which you’re already on the way to being a bona fide rock star and it’s weak or isn’t offered at one or more of these places (unlikely) or there’s a particular niche in the discipline in which you’re very strong and one of the schools is superior (somewhat more likely), it probably doesn’t matter a lot which of these schools you attend - they’re all very strong in many areas and academically on par with each other (and some other schools, as @circuitrider says).
If it’s prestige you really care about, you can waste a lot of time on CC arguing about which of these schools is superior and why. Once you’re at this level, all are among the most prestigious universities globally and it matters very little in the real world which you attend, unless (and I agree with @marvin100 here) you’re trying to impress Asians - and then it only matters up to the point where you’ve demonstrated what you actually know and can do. In that case, if you’re lucky enough to have a choice and prestige trumps all, choose Harvard (or Stanford, if you’re a STEM kid and/or the West Coast is preferable) - you’ll feel better, even though it will make very little difference and you might have fit in better somewhere else.
Do your research, visit and talk to students if you can, see what feels right, produce the best application you can and pray that you get into at least one - absent some distinguishing factor(s), it’s very unlikely. Fortunately, there are lots of universities where you can get a great education and play sports.
IMO Stanford is the pre-eminent university in the United States.
- It is very strong in the humanities (won't bother comparing exact rankings)
- Its strength in technology nearly matches MIT
- Its strength in entrepreneurship is unmatched
- Its athletic program is as strong as Big-10 schools
Couple all that with with nearly perfect weather all year around, and a stunning campus. What is not to like?
There is a reason why it has the lowest admit rate in the country.
ETA: Given the continued financial success of its alumni, I expect within 10-20 years that Stanford will have the largest endowment of any college, allowing its continued success.
Thanks for the replies. In answer to one of the questions, I will be going in as a recruited athlete. So from the athletics point of view clearly Stanford ( like other schools mentioned by one of the posters, Rice, Vanderbilt , Notre Dame and Duke ) has a significant edge.
But the chance of going to HYP doesn’t come to many students , hence my opening post.
We’ll see this Saturday, whether #7 Stanford has an advantage over #8 Notre Dame. 
Stanford is the equal or better than HYP. And the weather is awesome. Shorts all year!
If you are fortunate enough to have a choice to attend any of the schools you listed, it might make a minuscule difference in prestige. As mentioned in several of the above posts, each school would have their own merits and advantages depending on what your preference and ultimate goals are. But wherever you end up, if you feel it’s the right fit, socially, academically and geographically, you can’t go wrong with any of those schools. But don’t let the prestige factor askew your choices. Mercedes, BMW, Range Rover, etc are all great cars and will get to you to your destination in style!
But @hebegebe, Stanford is only ranked #7, below Princeton and Harvard and all the schools ranked #3. As we all know USNWR is the final word in prestige so Stanford can’t possible be as good as those other schools.
:-*
The chance to go to Stanford doesn’t come to many students either – the acceptance rate at Stanford was under 5%.
Seems like you are positioned to have outstanding options. I suggest you choose the school that is the best fit for you in all fronts and never look back.
I just spent nearly entire month of August in my native country, South Korea. One interesting thing I observed, as I have in the past visits, is that even the most uneducated (no high school nor college education, no affiliation with the world of education at any level, etc.) person has heard of Harvard. It’s only with those with some degree of high school to college education that they’ve heard of the rest of the higher education Mt. Rushmore, YPS. I have to assume that this is pretty much the case with the rest of Asian countries as well as with many others around the globe. So, if you’re looking for the school with the most global prestige for the prestige sake and appeal, go to Harvard. But that’s just about the only thing that separates H from the rest of the Mt. Rushmore, i.e., its brand recognition even among the most uneducated around the world. HYPS otherwise all enjoy the prestige of the higher education Mt. Rushmore, so don’t sweat it. Harvard typically – as the other three – sets capital campaigning and fundraising goals, so I would only agree with @hebegebe regarding Stanford ending up with the largest endowment in 10-20 years if Harvard and the other two decided to stop campaigning, fundraising and investing their endowment for the next 10-20 years. As far as the endowment per student goes, it doesn’t seem likely that either Harvard or Stanford is going to catch up with Princeton’s huge lead any decade soon.
I’ll give my opinion on the questions asked, academically Stanford is the equivalent of HYP (as are several other schools), however GLOBALLY I would give the edge to HYP on prestige.
Besides prestige do any of the following matter:
- Stanford has Athletic Scholarships whereas HYP don't. Would you be receiving an Athletic Scholarship? Are finances an issue?
- What are the demands of your sport and how will it effect you academically? Stanford can be somewhat rigorous with the Quarter system but they have one of the largest Division 1 Athletic programs (if not the largest) and have a strong system in place to help you succeed academically (easier to find filler courses and easier to take demanding required courses elsewhere.) Princeton would be the most rigorous but 1/6th of the students are varsity athletes so they obviously have a good support system.
- HYP have can have harsh, snowy winters.
Not a single building on the Stanford campus is going to remind you of Hogwarts. 