Stanford University (officially Leland Stanford Junior University, colloquially the Farm) is a private research university in Stanford, California, in Silicon Valley, 20 miles (30 km) outside of San Jose. Because of its academic strength, wealth, and proximity to Silicon Valley, Stanford is often cited as one of the world's most prestigious universities. The school admitted its first students on October 1, 1891, as a coeducational and non-denominational institution. The university is also one of the top fundraising institutions in the country, becoming the first school to raise more than a billion dollars in a year.
Stanford faculty and alumni have founded a large number of companies, these companies produce more than $2.7 trillion in annual revenue. It is the alma mater of 30 living billionaires, 17 astronauts, and 20 Turing Award laureates. It is also one of the leading producers of members of the United States Congress. 67 Nobel laureates and 7 Fields Medalists have been affiliated with Stanford as students, alumni, faculty or staff.
