Approximately 4 percent of Stanford Ph.D. alumni currently work for the University, according to a 2013 study conducted by Institutional Research & Decision Support (IR&DS) in collaboration with the Office for the Vice Provost of Graduate Education (VPGE).

Factor in non-Ph.D. alumni working at the University, and the resulting group spans numerous departments including the Haas Center, the Diversity and First-Gen Office and the computer science (CS) department. Despite their vastly different positions and years of graduation, four Stanford alumni who now work within these departments at the University cited similar reasons for making their return.