Stanford University

Founded in 1885, Stanford University (officially Leland Stanford Junior University, colloquially the Farm) is a private research university in Stanford, California, known for its academic strength, wealth, and proximity to Silicon Valley. It was the the first school to raise more than a billion dollars in a year. The university is organized around three traditional schools consisting of 40 academic departments at the undergraduate and graduate level and four professional schools that focus on graduate programs in Law, Medicine, Education and Business. Stanford's undergraduate program is one of the top three most selective in the United States. As of March 2018, 81 Nobel laureates, 27 Turing Award laureates, and 7 Fields Medalists have been affiliated with Stanford as students, alumni, faculty or staff. In addition, Stanford University is particularly noted for its entrepreneurship and is one of the most successful universities in attracting funding for startups. Stanford is also one of the leading "producers" of members of the United States Congress.