Harvard University Overview
Harvard University is a private not-for-profit institution situated in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The location of the school is great for students who enjoy the amenities of city life.
What Is Harvard University Known For?
- Students who want to work more closely with their professors have an easier time at Harvard since the student to facuty ratio is 5 to 1.
- The student loan default rate at Harvard is 1%, which is significantly lower than the national rate of 10.1%. That's great news for students who are worrying about paying off their student loans.
- The highest award offered at Harvard is the doctor's degree.
- In 2017-2018, 86% of the faculty were full-time.
- A student who earns a bachelor's degree from Harvard makes roughly $89,700 a year. This is 120% more than their peers from other colleges and universities.
- The average Harvard student graduates in 4.2 years. That's better than the national average of 4.4 years.
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Harvard University Rankings
We have ranked Harvard as #18 out of 2,587 colleges and universities in the country in our 2022 Best Colleges list. This puts it in the top 1% of all schools in the nation! Harvard also holds the #2 spot on the Best Colleges in Massachusetts ranking.
These rankings may look different from those published by other outlets, because we use an outcomes-based approach rather than a subjective one. We get our data from a number of places, including the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) and the College Scorecard. For more information, check out our rankings and methodology page.
Harvard has also been awarded the following overall awards by our latest rankings.
Rank | Ranking Name | Share |
---|---|---|
#3 | Best Graduate Certificate Schools | Tweet It - Post It |
#3 | Best Doctor’s Degree Schools | Tweet It - Post It |
#13 | Best Bachelor’s Degree Schools | Tweet It - Post It |
#20 | Best Master’s Degree Schools | Tweet It - Post It |
#32 | Best Associate Degree Schools | Tweet It - Post It |
Program Level Awards
These are highlights of some of the most noteworthy awards granted to specific programs at Harvard.
Awards From Around the Web
The following table lists some notable awards Harvard has earned from around the web.
Rank | Ranking Name | Source |
---|---|---|
#1 | Best Legal Professions Schools | College Factual |
#1 | Best Public Administration & Social Service Schools | College Factual |
#2 | Best Healthcare Schools | Healthcare Degree Search |
#3 | Best Education Schools | College Factual |
#3 | Best Psychology Schools | College Factual |
#4 | Best Health Professions Schools | College Factual |
Where Is Harvard University?

Contact details for Harvard are given below.
Contact Details | |
---|---|
Address: | Massachusetts Hall, Cambridge, MA 02138 |
Phone: | 617-495-1000 |
Facebook: | http://facebook.com/harvard |
Twitter: | http://twitter.com/harvard |
How Do I Get Into Harvard?
You can apply to Harvard online at: college.harvard.edu/admissions/application-process/application-requirements
Admission Requirements for Harvard
Submission | Required? |
---|---|
High School GPA | recommended |
High School Rank | recommended |
High School Transcript | required |
College Prep Program | neither required nor recommended |
Recommendations | required |
SAT or ACT Scores | required |
TOEFL | neither required nor recommended |
How Hard Is It To Get Into Harvard?
Approximately 48% of accepted students are men and 52% are women. The acceptance rate for men is 5%, and the acceptance rate for women is 5%.
Average Test Scores
About 72% of students accepted to Harvard submitted their SAT scores. When looking at the 25th through the 75th percentile, SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing scores ranged between 720 and 780. Math scores were between 740 and 800.
Can I Afford Harvard University?
The net price is calculated by adding tuition, room, board and other costs and subtracting financial aid.
Student Loan Debt
While almost two-thirds of students nationwide take out loans to pay for college, the percentage may be quite different for the school you plan on attending. At Harvard, approximately 7% of students took out student loans averaging $10,464 a year. That adds up to $41,856 over four years for those students.
The student loan default rate at Harvard is 1.1%. This is significantly lower than the national default rate of 10.1%, which is a good sign that you'll be able to pay back your student loans.
Harvard University Undergraduate Student Diversity

There are also 21,864 graduate students at the school.
Gender Diversity
Of the 5,699 full-time undergraduates at Harvard, 49% are male and 51% are female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity
The racial-ethnic breakdown of Harvard University students is as follows.

Race/Ethnicity | Number of Grads |
---|---|
Asian | 1,230 |
Black or African American | 626 |
Hispanic or Latino | 700 |
White | 1,947 |
International Students | 665 |
Other Races/Ethnicities | 531 |
Geographic Diversity
Massachusetts students aren't the only ones who study at Harvard University. At this time, all 50 states are represented by the student population at the school.
At this time, 50 states are represented by the student population at the school.
Over 151 countries are represented at Harvard. The most popular countries sending students to the school are China, Canada, and India.
Online Learning at Harvard University
The following chart shows how the online learning population at Harvard has changed over the last few years.

Online Affordability Rankings of Harvard
The following table shows how Harvard is ranked for affordability for both in-state and out-of-state students among colleges and universities that are not mostly online.
Online Growth Rankings of Harvard
The average growth rate over the last four years of online students at Harvard University was 154.0%. This is the #332 largest growth rate of all schools that are mostly online. This refers to all students at Harvard regardless of major.
The following table shows the 1-year growth rate of Harvard majors that offer at least one online course. This table only includes majors with positive growth.
The table below shows how the average growth rate over 4 years at Harvard ranks compared to all other mostly online schools that offer a specific major. Note that the majors may or may not be offered online at Harvard.
When we speak of partially online, we are referring to schools whose online population is less than 50% of its total student body. Mostly online refers to those with online populations greater than or equal to 50%.
Harvard University Undergraduate Concentrations
The table below shows the number of awards for each concentration.
References
*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.
- College Factual
- National Center for Education Statistics
- Image Credit: By Elisa.rolle under License
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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