Special Collections > Stanford University Archives > Stanford History > Frequently-Asked Questions

Frequently-Asked Questions

My ancestor attended Stanford. How can I get a copy of his/her transcript?

Transcripts and other student records are maintained by the University Registrar. All transcript requests should be directed to that office.

How do I get access to a thesis or dissertation that was written at Stanford?

Always check SearchWorks for Stanford University theses and dissertations before contacting Special Collections and University Archives staff. There are circulating copies of many dissertations, and these should be used instead of the archives copy whenever possible. The archives copy may be paged for use in the Field Reading Room when no circulating copy is available.

The majority of theses and dissertations written at Stanford are still under copyright. Therefore, we are usually unable to photocopy entire theses or dissertations for our patrons. Copies of post-1953 dissertations may be obtained via ProQuest UMI Dissertaion Publishing.

If you are not located on the Stanford University campus and are interested in borrowing theses or dissertations via interlibrary loan, please see Stanford University Libraries' Interlibrary Lending page for lending policies. Only dissertations written prior to 1953 may be lent.

How many Nobel prizes have been awarded to Stanford faculty? How many Pulitzer Prizes?

As of spring 2009, twenty-seven Stanford faculty members have received the Nobel Prize. Four have received the Pulitzer Prize. For more information, see List of living Nobel laureates and Pulitzer Prize winners from Stanford.

When were women first admitted to Stanford?

Stanford University opened as a fully coeducational institution in 1891. Women comprised twenty percent of the student body in the first year and twenty-five percent were science students. Women participated in sports, club activities, and literary groups.

On May 31, 1899, Jane Stanford, the sole surviving founder of the university, amended the Founding Grant to limit the total number of women students at Stanford. In an address to the Board of Trustees, she directed that no more than 500 women be allowed to enroll at any given time. Although the total number of women students remained at this level over the next three decades, the percentage of women declined due to an increase in the overall student body.

On May 11, 1933, the Board of Trustees resolved that the number of women students be increased, maintaining substantially the same proportion of women to men as obtained in 1899. In 1973, the Board of Trustees successfully petitioned the Court to remove the restrictive provision on the enrollment of women from the Founding Grant.

Were Leland and Jane Stanford snubbed by the president of Harvard University? Did Leland Jr. attend Harvard before his death in an accident?

A widely-circulated tale describes Leland and Jane Stanford's supposed visit to Harvard University's president, dressed in a suit of homespun cloth and a faded gingham dress. Harvard's president, the story goes, rebuffed their offer of money for the University (to be given in memory of their son, Leland Jr.), and so the couple went west and founded Leland Stanford Junior University.

Leland Stanford Junior was just short of his 16th birthday when he died of typhoid fever in Florence, Italy on March 13, 1884. He had not spent a year at Harvard before his death, nor was he "accidentally killed." Following Leland Junior's death, Leland and Jane Stanford determined to found an institution in his name that would serve the "children of California."

Detained on the East Coast following their return from Europe, the Stanfords visited a number of universities and consulted with the presidents of each. The account of their visit with Charles W. Eliot at Harvard is actually recounted by Eliot himself in a letter sent to David Starr Jordan (Stanford's first president) in 1919. At the point the Stanfords met with Eliot they had not yet decided whether to establish a university, a technical school or a museum. Eliot recommended a university and told them the endowment should be $5 million. Accepted accounts indicate that Jane and Leland looked at each other and agreed they could manage that amount.

The thought of Leland and Jane Stanford, by this time quite wealthy, arriving at Harvard in a homespun threadbare suit and faded gingham dress is amusing, but highly inaccurate. It also is unlikely that Leland Stanford, a former governor of California and well-known railroad baron, and his wife Jane were knowingly kept waiting outside Eliot's office. The Stanfords also visited Cornell, MIT, and Johns Hopkins.

Leland and Jane Stanford established two institutions in Leland Junior's name - the University and the Museum, which was originally planned for San Francisco, but moved to adjoin the university.

How many students attended Stanford in [year]? How many faculty members were there?

Stanford Facts includes historical data on the growth of the student body and faculty

Who was the first president of Stanford?

David Starr Jordan, renowned ichthyologist and president of Indiana University, was chosen to serve as Stanford's first president. See also this list of Stanford presidents and provosts

Who spoke at Commencement three years ago?

The University Archives maintains a list of Commencement speakers. Recent speeches are available via the Stanford Report. Selected historical speeches are held by the University Archives.

When was tuition first charged at Stanford?

Tuition was first charged in January 1920, at the rate of $40 per quarter. For more information, see this overview of tuition rates by year.

I'm a former student. Are you interested in my Stanford memorabilia? Photographs? Diaries?

The University Archives regularly accepts gifts of memorabilia, photographs, diaries, and other materials from former students. More information is available here.

Last modified: June 16, 2011