Explore Hillel at Stanford
Hillel at Stanford is the Jewish home for 600 Jewish undergraduate and 1200 Jewish graduate students, and a center to share the wisdom and beauty of Jewish life with the university community as a whole.Undergraduate Enrollment
7,554 Students
*Percent of population
Graduate Enrollment
10,721 Students
*Percent of population
Jewish Experience Through Hillel
We strive to get to know every student. The relationship with students is the backbone of everything we do. Whether it's taking them out for coffee, connecting them with new friends, or inviting them to big social events, our goal is to discover each student's passions and interests so they can explore them in a Jewish context. Students receive grants and partner with staff mentors to put on new Jewish initiatives. We connect them with a variety of Jewish clubs, including the Jewish Student Association, Stanford Minyan, Challah for Hunger, AEPi, Stanford Israel Association, J Street U, TAMID, and more. We explore with students what it means to be part of a global Jewish people. "Jewish Peoplehood" is the idea that we are connected through time and space to other Jews who live around the world and Jewish communities throughout our history. Last year, we took students on heavily subsidized trips to Israel, Poland, and India, to learn about Jewish history and contemporary Jewish communities in those places. To foster deeper learning, we offer several fellowships designed to explore Jewish Peoplehood, Israel and Zionism, and the ShultzFellowship, which allows students to craft individual research projects related to modern Israel studies in collaboration with a faculty advisor, and includes funding for travel to and accommodations in Israel during the summer. We also explore our collective and individual responsibilities for social action and tikkun olam, including the annual Social Impact Entrepreneurship Competition, which offers an award of up to $30,000 for a student venture with measurable social impact. Students engage with a magnificent Jewish textual wisdom tradition and the Jewish calendar. Students also engage in Jewish text study with the Jewish Learning Fellowship, a revolving door of distinguished visiting teachers, and dozens of courses each year offered by the Taube Center for Jewish Studies on Jewish history, culture, languages, sociology, and more. Hillel is also one of only a handful around the globe deeply investing in graduate student and post-doc Jewish life with a robust calendar of events for grad students and a special program for Israeli grads and post-docs, many of whom come to Stanford with family and young children.
- Served by Hillel Yes
- Religious Services Available Yes
- Hillel Rabbi/Senior Jewish Educator Yes
- Hillel Mental Health/Wellness Staff Yes
- Kosher Food Available Yes
- Birthright Israel Participation Yes
- Alt Break Participation No
- Israel Fellow Yes
- JLIC Educator No
Campus Climate for Jewish Students
- Hillel CCI Antisemitism Training Participant No
- Open Title VI Investigation Yes
- Anti-Israel Student Government or BDS Resolution Passed
Kosher Dining
Stanford Dining now provides lunch and dinner Monday-Friday as a regular meal plan option. This is served M-Th in a dining hall and on Fridays at Hillel. Food served by Hillel for community events (like Shabbat and holidays) is kosher. Our supervision comes from Vaad HaKashrus of Northern California.
Options: University meal plan-no extra cost
Religious Services
Shabbat, holidays, and festive meals are special times for students. They can expect delicious kosher food (along with weekday lunch and dinner prepared by Stanford Kosher Dining), thoughtful rituals to make sense of a sometimes overwhelming culture at Stanford, warm community, and opportunities to plan these experiences for their peers. There is no one way to be Jewish at Stanford and we strive to provide experiences for Jews of every background, denomination, and family story.
Frequency: Friday and Saturday
Wellness, Inclusion, and Activism
Hillel at Stanford has a full-time director of student wellbeing who supervises the SHEFA Fellowship, which brings together a small group of students to plan and implement wellness-related education and programming throughout the year. We also regularly host study nights with pizza, ice cream, massages, skincare products, and more. And we have multiple rabbis on staff who are available to students for pastoral care.
Additional Campus Information
Visit University Website
- Jewish Studies Offered Yes
- Jewish Studies Major or Minor Minor, Major
- Study Abroad in Israel University sponsored program, Accepts credit for Israel study abroad
- Private/Public Private
- Acceptance Rate 4%
- U.S. Region Pacific
- Commuter/Residential Residential
- Tuition In-State $67,731
- Tuition Out-of-State $67,731
- Out-of-State/Int’l 55% / 13%
- Greek Life Yes
Campus Voices
Mark is a 2024 recipient of the Jordan and Elise Levin Scholarship for Jewish Enrichment and Education through Hillel International.
But I love Israel, and sharing that love has always been so important to me, so when my friend came back to me a few months later and told me that Stanford University was looking for an Israel Fellow at the last minute, I decided to apply. A month and a half later, I was settling into California life.
The Hillel College Guide aims to provide you with a snapshot of each local Hillel’s makeup and offerings. We recognize that there may be more information you need in order to better understand the campus reality, particularly around issues of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility. If you would like additional information about a given campus’ offerings or action steps in those areas, please reach out to us at [email protected].