Stanford Campus Homes
Homes on Stanford land are not open to every buyer. Only eligible Stanford faculty can buy them, the land stays with the university, and the rules follow the home for as long as you own it. Here is who qualifies, where the homes are, what they sold for and what the lease restricts.
Who Can Buy
Stanford decides who is an “Eligible Person.” These are the current categories for buying a campus home on a ground lease.
Academic Council faculty
Tenure line and non-tenure line faculty with a 100 percent appointment, working full time.
Center and institute fellows
Fellows at special policy centers and institutes who are members of the Academic Council, at 100 percent.
Hoover senior fellows
Senior fellows with a joint Academic Council appointment of 50 percent or more, working full time.
Everyone else
Staff, clinician educators, the University Medical Line, retirees who do not already own on campus, and the general public cannot buy a campus ground lease home.
Stanford updates these rules. Confirm your own status with Faculty Staff Housing before you plan a purchase.
Where the Homes Are
Faculty housing sits south and southwest of the main campus, in unincorporated Santa Clara County. About 850 to 900 homes and roughly 2,500 residents. The markers show the streets where homes sold this year and the two condo communities.
San Juan area
The oldest faculty streets, on and below the hill: Alvarado Row, Mayfield Avenue, Mirada Avenue, Santa Ynez Street and Gerona Road. Large lots and homes from the early 1900s on. This year's two highest sales were here.
Frenchmans Road and Lathrop Drive
Mid-century streets south of the San Juan area, including Sonoma Terrace and Cedro Way.
Tolman Drive, Wing Place and Raimundo Way
Later single family streets near Ryan Court and Peter Coutts Road, at the south edge of the faculty area.
Peter Coutts Hill
Condominiums on Peter Coutts Circle. Three sold this year, from $788,000 to $1,250,000.
Pearce Mitchell
Condominiums on Pearce Mitchell Place, close to the center of campus. One sold this year at $390,000.
Newer Stanford developments
Stanford has also built housing for faculty such as Olmsted Terrace and University Terrace, which opened in 2017 with 68 houses and 112 condominiums by the Stanford Research Park.
What Campus Homes Sold For
Closed sales with a Stanford address, pulled directly from MLSListings. November 1, 2025 to October 31, 2026. Only eligible buyers could bid on these homes, so prices do not move the way the open market does.
| Street | Type | Beds and baths | Sq ft | Sold price | Days on market |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mirada Avenue | House | 5 bd, 3 ba | 3,438 | $4,700,000 | 14 |
| Santa Ynez Street | House | 6 bd, 3.5 ba | 4,010 | $4,500,000 | 71 |
| Wing Place | House | 5 bd, 3 ba | 2,587 | $3,365,000 | 23 |
| Sonoma Terrace | House | 3 bd, 2 ba | 2,599 | $3,298,000 | 12 |
| Alvarado Row | House | 4 bd, 2.5 ba | 2,656 | $2,985,000 | 17 |
| Tolman Drive | House | 4 bd, 4 ba | 3,085 | $2,755,000 | 6 |
| Peter Coutts Circle | Condo | 3 bd, 3 ba | 1,753 | $1,250,000 | 24 |
| Peter Coutts Circle | Condo | 2 bd, 2 ba | 1,522 | $1,150,000 | 390 |
| Peter Coutts Circle | Condo | 2 bd, 2 ba | 1,282 | $788,000 | 235 |
| Pearce Mitchell Place | Condo | 2 bd, 2 ba | 1,043 | $390,000 | 225 |
With only ten sales, one home can move the medians a lot. Homes Stanford sells under its restricted lease may not appear in the MLS.
The Restrictions
You buy the home and lease the land. Stanford's founding grant does not allow campus land to be sold.
Ground lease
A new buyer of a house gets a lease of up to 51 years and pays monthly ground rent. Condo leases at Pearce Mitchell and Peter Coutts Hill end no later than October 31, 2052. Extensions are case by case.
You must live there
The eligible owner has to occupy the home as a principal residence at all times, and can normally own only one campus property.
Limited renting
You may rent part of the home to up to two Stanford students, or the whole home to another eligible person for up to one year during a temporary absence.
Resale only to eligible buyers
When you sell, the buyer must also be eligible. If you leave Stanford or stop living in the home, the lease must be transferred to an eligible person within two years.
Retirement and family
Official retirees who were active and full time for their last five years may stay. A surviving spouse or partner may stay. Otherwise the estate has two years to market the home to an eligible buyer.
Remodeling
Projects that use a contractor or supplier are reviewed by Faculty Staff Housing, and the county will not issue permits without Stanford's approval.
Restricted ground lease homes
Some homes Stanford sells come with a tighter, more affordable lease.
Sell back to Stanford only
No sales to third parties. Stanford pays the lower of a capped value or the restricted market value.
Capped appreciation
The annual cap is set at purchase, currently 4.5 percent. Stanford's example: $1,500,000 held ten years is capped at $2,330,016.
Shorter timelines
Sell back within one year if you are no longer eligible. Retirees may stay up to ten years. No short term rentals or home exchanges.
Common Questions
Can I buy a home on the Stanford campus if I do not work at Stanford?
No. Campus ground lease homes can only be bought by people Stanford defines as eligible, mainly full time Academic Council faculty. Nearby choices open to everyone include College Terrace, Southgate and Evergreen Park in Palo Alto, and Sharon Heights and Stanford Hills in Menlo Park.
Do I own the land?
No. You own the home and hold a ground lease on the lot. Stanford owns the land and charges monthly ground rent.
Which schools serve the campus?
Campus homes are in the Palo Alto Unified School District. Nixon and Escondido are the elementary schools closest to faculty housing. Confirm the school for a specific address with the district. See Palo Alto school ratings.
Is Stanford part of Palo Alto?
No. The campus is unincorporated Santa Clara County with its own Stanford, CA 94305 address.
Sources
- Stanford Faculty Staff Housing, eligibility criteriaWho may buy, retirees. Dated February 27, 2026
- Stanford Faculty Staff Housing, residential ground leaseLease term, occupancy, renting, resale. Dated October 1, 2018
- Stanford Faculty Staff Housing, restricted ground leaseSell back rules and appreciation cap. Dated June 1, 2024
- Stanford Faculty Staff Housing, ground lease programsWhy campus land is leased
- Stanford Campus Residential LeaseholdersNumber of homes and residents
- MLSListingsClosed sales with a Stanford address, November 1, 2025 to October 31, 2026, pulled from MLSListings Pro. Deemed reliable but not guaranteed
- OpenStreetMapStreet and building locations on the map
- DeLeon Realty, Stanford housing historyUniversity Terrace home counts and early faculty streets