Stanford University
Official
Mission Statement
To promote the public welfare by exercising an influence in behalf of humanity and civilization.
Purpose & Meaning
Knowledge & Information
Stanford University offers undergraduate and graduate education as a private research university and educational institution in Palo Alto California.
Education
Headquartered in:
United States
Year founded:
1885
Nonprofit / Charity
Established
5,001–10,000
employees
Mission Themes
Purpose & Meaning
Helping people find meaning, fulfilment, or direction in life.
Knowledge & Information
Providing insight, data, education, or understanding.
Themes are a set of 33 tags that describe what a mission statement represents, enabling rapid understanding, discovery, and comparison.
If any of the information looks incorrect, please reach out with an update.
The
Stanford University
mission statement was last checked on
January 15, 2026