Statistically, Stanford University ranks as one of the toughest schools to give an acceptance letter. The university recently updated their admission standards and stated that only five percent of applying students are accepted. In 2017, 42,497 students applied, and 2,140 were accepted.

On their website, they give students realistic answers for the question "What is the academic standard to be accepted?" An ACT score of 33 or higher will put you into the top 50 percent of applicants, however the average score for accepted students is 35. The perfect score is 36.

Accepted students will also need an average SAT score of 1520 (out of 1600), an average GPA of 4.18 (out of 4.0), plus a robust "resume" of extracurricular activities, leadership qualities, references, and recommendations. Of course new students also have to pay for Stanford at $60,000 per year. In conclusion, if you want to get into Stanford you better be perfect or just amazing.

Possible Preaching Angles: Grace; Justification by faith—In contrast, God accepts sinners not on the basis of their amazing works, but on the basis of his mercy and grace.