What states are considered "underrepresented?"

bluewater2015
Sun, 01 Mar 2015 16:35:39 +0000

Like most colleges, Stanford has more applicants and students from its region, e.g. students from California are 33% of the most recent entering class versus 12% of the US population. The percentage of incoming students from California has been declining at Stanford in recent years but it’s still the largest source of applicants and students.

That said, to the extent geographic balance comes in to play, I think it’s more complex than what state an applicant comes from.

To take North Carolina as an example, I doubt that a student from Durham Academy - which has sends students to Stanford, Yale, Harvard etc. on a routine basis - is going to get any geographic advantage in getting into Stanford. A student from a public high school in Durham where it’s unusual to apply to Stanford might stand out more, if they have the kind of experiences and credentials Stanford is looking for.