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Harvard University

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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?

1,945 Undergraduate Awards
$54,133 Avg Cost After Aid
5% Acceptance Rate
  • 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.

Best Schools

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.

Rank Ranking Name Share
#1 Best Public & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools Tweet It - Post It
#2 Best Natural Resources & Conservation Master’s Degree Schools Tweet It - Post It
#4 Best Psychology Master’s Degree Schools Tweet It - Post It
#4 Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools Tweet It - Post It
#4 Best Biological & Biomedical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools Tweet It - Post It
#4 Best Social Sciences Master’s Degree Schools Tweet It - Post It
#5 Best English Language & Literature Bachelor’s Degree Schools Tweet It - Post It
#6 Best Health Professions Master’s Degree Schools Tweet It - Post It
#7 Best Education Master’s Degree Schools Tweet It - Post It
#9 Best Computer & Information Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools Tweet It - Post It

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?

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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?

5% Acceptance Rate
52% Of Accepted Are Women
72% Submit SAT Scores
The acceptance rate at Harvard is 5%, which means the school is highly selective when deciding who will be admitted and who won't. Even if you have great grades and test scores, that may not be enough. So be sure to look for ways to make your application memorable.

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.

SAT Reading and Writing Scores for Harvard University  ( 720 to 780 )
200
800

SAT Math Scores for Harvard University  ( 740 to 800 )
200
800
Harvard received ACT scores from 45% of accepted students. When looking at the 25th through the 75th percentile, ACT English scores ranged between 35 and 36. Math scores were between 31 and 35. Composite scores were between 33 and 35.

ACT English Scores for Harvard University  ( 35 to 36 )
1
36
ACT Math Scores for Harvard University  ( 31 to 35 )
1
36
ACT Composite Scores for Harvard University  ( 33 to 35 )
1
36

Can I Afford Harvard University?

$54,133 Net Price
7% Take Out Loans
1.1% Loan Default Rate
The overall average net price of Harvard is $54,133. The affordability of the school largely depends on your financial need since net price varies by income group.

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

5,699 Full-Time Undergraduates
51% Women
52% Racial-Ethnic Minorities*
There are 8,527 undergraduate students at Harvard, with 5,699 being full-time and 2,828 being part-time.

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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.

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Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

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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

27,933 Took All Classes Online
29,581 Took At Least One Class Online
154.0% Avg Growth Over 4 Years
In 2019-2020, 29,581 students took at least one online class at the school.

The following chart shows how the online learning population at Harvard has changed over the last few years.

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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.

Major Tuition for In-State Students Tuition for Out-of-State Students
African Languages #1 #1
Medieval Studies #1 #1
Biotechnology #1 #1
Cell Biology & Anatomical Sciences #1 #1
Southeast Asian & Pacific Languages #1 #1
South Asian Languages #1 #1
Neurobiology & Neurosciences #1 #1
Slavic, Baltic & Albanian Languages #1 #1
Middle Eastern Semitic Languages #1 #1
Greek Language & Literature #1 #1
International Education #1 #1
Germanic Languages #1 #1
Biochemistry, Biophysics & Molecular Biology #1 #1
Geological & Earth Sciences #4 #4
General Visual & Performing Arts #4 #4
Museum Studies #4 #4
Natural Sciences #4 #4
Non-Professional General Legal Studies #4 #4
Anthropology #7 #7
Biomedical Engineering #7 #7
Drama & Theater Arts #7 #7
Linguistics & Comparative Literature #7 #7
Microbiological Sciences & Immunology #7 #7
Biomathematics & Bioinformatics #7 #7
Biological & Biomedical Sciences (Other) #7 #7
Applied Mathematics #7 #7
Film, Video & Photographic Arts #10 #10
Area Studies #13 #13
Public Policy #13 #13
Romance Languages #19 #19
Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies #23 #23
Political Science & Government #24 #24
Fine & Studio Arts #25 #25
General Biology #25 #25
Journalism #27 #27
Legal Professions #31 #31
General Psychology #32 #32
Natural Resources Conservation #37 #37
Food, Nutrition & Related Services #40 #40
International Relations & National Security #40 #40
Engineering #40 #40
Religious Studies #40 #40
Writing Studies #43 #43
Music #43 #43
Philosophy & Religious Studies #49 #49
History #52 #52
Mathematics & Statistics #52 #52
History #52 #52
Natural Resources & Conservation #55 #55
Computer Science #61 #61
Visual & Performing Arts #65 #65
Computer Engineering #67 #67
General Social Sciences #73 #73

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.

Major 1-Year Growth Rate
Architecture & Related Services 15%
Biotechnology 50%
Business, Management & Marketing 38%
Business/Managerial Economics 87%
Computer & Information Sciences 31%
Computer Information Systems 8%
Engineering Technologies 18%
Finance & Financial Management 62%
Human Resource Management 91%
Instructional Media Design 37%
International Relations & National Security 48%
Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies 41%
Museum Studies 24%
Natural Resources & Conservation 16%
Natural Resources Conservation 11%
Philosophy 27%
Philosophy & Religious Studies 22%
Real Estate 85%
Religious Studies 12%
Sustainability Science 89%
Urban & Regional Planning 28%

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.

Major Growth Rate Rank
Business/Corporate Communications #1
Military Technologies & Applied Sciences #1
Intelligence & Command Control Operations #1
Cultural Studies & Analysis #1
Biotechnology #1
Literature #1
Business/Managerial Economics #1
Nanotechnology #1
Museum Studies #4
Natural Resource Management #4
Philosophy #4
International Relations & National Security #4
Architecture & Related Services #5
Urban & Regional Planning #5
Biomathematics & Bioinformatics #7
Sustainability Science #7
Religious Studies #9
Real Estate #10
General Visual & Performing Arts #10
Philosophy & Religious Studies #12
Computer Programming #13
Natural Resources Conservation #13
Legal Research #13
Management Sciences & Quantitative Methods #15
Finance & Financial Management #17
Marketing #17
Entrepreneurial Studies #18
Radio, Television & Digital Communication #19
Natural Resources & Conservation #22
English Language & Literature #30
Biological & Biomedical Sciences #31
Engineering Technologies #31
Instructional Media Design #33
Visual & Performing Arts #34
Legal Professions #36
Information Technology #36
Human Resource Management #42
Computer Information Systems #47
Communication & Journalism #53
Social Sciences #59
Accounting #64
Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies #65
Computer & Information Sciences #93
Education #161
Business Administration & Management #184
Business, Management & Marketing #265

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.

Major Associate’s Bachelor’s Graduate Certificate Master’s Doctor’s TOTAL
Business Administration & Management 0 0 51 1,061 13 1,125
General Education 0 0 0 596 36 632
Law 0 0 0 0 570 570
Public Health 0 0 0 339 27 366
Management Sciences & Quantitative Methods 0 0 179 181 0 360
Economics 0 215 0 94 39 348
Finance & Financial Management 0 0 146 148 0 294
Public Administration 0 0 0 287 0 287
Natural Resources Conservation 0 14 57 195 0 266
Public Policy 0 0 0 228 24 252
Computer Science 0 190 0 35 11 236
Intelligence & Command Control Operations 0 0 233 0 0 233
Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology 0 68 0 105 35 208
History 0 145 0 35 14 194
Legal Research 0 0 6 178 10 194
Medicine 0 0 0 0 179 179
General Social Sciences 0 157 0 0 0 157
Information Technology 0 0 156 0 0 156
Political Science & Government 0 102 0 36 16 154
Engineering Science 0 46 0 80 23 149
Applied Mathematics 0 98 0 25 4 127
Architectural Sciences & Technology 0 0 0 123 0 123
International Relations & National Security 0 0 71 51 0 122
Theological & Ministerial Studies 0 0 0 115 0 115
Physics 0 45 0 24 37 106
Instructional Media Design 0 0 40 65 0 105
General Visual & Performing Arts 0 36 13 53 0 102
Statistics 0 75 0 17 7 99
Real Estate 0 0 75 19 0 94
Child Development & Psychology 0 77 0 5 11 93
Neurobiology & Neurosciences 0 76 0 0 15 91
Area Studies 0 26 0 47 18 91
Cell Biology & Anatomical Sciences 0 67 0 9 14 90
General Biology 0 0 0 17 69 86
Computer Information Systems 0 0 4 81 0 85
Computer Engineering 0 0 0 82 0 82
Sustainability Science 0 0 75 7 0 82
General English Literature 0 55 0 15 8 78
Urban & Regional Planning 0 0 28 45 1 74
Mathematics 0 65 0 0 9 74
Chemistry 0 49 0 6 18 73
Museum Studies 0 0 30 40 0 70
Sociology 0 56 0 7 6 69
Human Resource Management 0 0 62 1 4 67
Biomathematics & Bioinformatics 0 0 15 39 9 63
Philosophy 0 36 7 11 5 59
Marketing 0 0 57 0 0 57
Biotechnology 0 0 18 28 6 52
Anthropology 0 28 0 14 9 51
Health/Medical Prep Programs 0 0 50 0 0 50
Astronomy & Astrophysics 0 18 0 13 16 47
Business/Corporate Communications 0 0 45 0 0 45
General Psychology 0 0 0 43 0 43
Advanced Dentistry & Oral Sciences 0 0 16 13 11 40
Linguistics & Comparative Literature 0 21 0 9 6 36
Liberal Arts General Studies 2 34 0 0 0 36
Medical Science 0 0 0 35 0 35
Dentistry 0 0 0 0 34 34
Religious Studies 0 7 7 11 9 34
Ethnic Studies 0 25 0 1 7 33
Bioethics/Medical Ethics 0 0 0 33 0 33
Cultural Studies & Analysis 0 0 32 0 0 32
Natural Sciences 0 29 0 0 0 29
Entrepreneurial Studies 0 0 27 0 0 27
Medical Illustration & Informatics 0 0 0 22 5 27
Biomedical Engineering 0 19 0 7 0 26
Biochemistry, Biophysics & Molecular Biology 0 0 0 1 24 25
Health & Medical Administrative Services 0 0 0 25 0 25
Engineering Physics 0 0 0 10 14 24
Microbiological Sciences & Immunology 0 0 0 0 23 23
Business/Managerial Economics 0 0 16 7 0 23
Teacher Education Subject Specific 0 0 0 22 0 22
Music 0 6 0 8 8 22
Computer Programming 0 0 21 0 0 21
Mechanical Engineering 0 19 0 0 0 19
Classical Languages & Literature 0 14 0 0 4 18
Engineering-Related Fields 0 0 0 17 0 17
Accounting 0 0 15 0 0 15
Journalism 0 0 0 15 0 15
Information Science 0 0 0 15 0 15
Fine & Studio Arts 0 5 0 3 7 15
Natural Resource Management 0 0 14 0 0 14
Romance Languages 0 4 0 3 6 13
General Architecture 0 0 0 3 9 12
General Business/Commerce 0 0 0 12 0 12
Writing Studies 0 0 0 12 0 12
Historic Preservation 0 0 0 12 0 12
Design & Applied Arts 0 0 0 11 0 11
Landscape Architecture 0 0 0 9 0 9
Electrical Engineering 0 9 0 0 0 9
Slavic, Baltic & Albanian Languages 0 5 0 1 3 9
Educational Assessment 0 0 0 8 0 8
Student Counseling 0 0 7 0 0 7
Architectural History 0 0 0 6 0 6
Radio, Television & Digital Communication 0 0 6 0 0 6
Multilingual Education 0 0 0 0 6 6
Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology 0 0 0 2 4 6
Biological & Biomedical Sciences (Other) 0 0 0 0 5 5
Nanotechnology 0 0 5 0 0 5
Literature 0 0 5 0 0 5
Non-Professional General Legal Studies 0 0 0 5 0 5
Systems Theory 0 0 0 5 0 5
Genetics 0 0 0 0 4 4
Germanic Languages 0 2 0 1 1 4
Food, Nutrition & Related Services 0 0 0 0 3 3
Behavioral Science 0 0 0 1 2 3
Celtic Language & Literature 0 0 0 0 2 2
Classical & Ancient Studies 0 0 0 1 1 2
Theology & Religious Vocations (Other) 0 0 0 0 2 2
Film, Video & Photographic Arts 0 0 0 2 0 2
Greek Language & Literature 0 0 0 0 1 1
Middle Eastern Semitic Languages 0 0 0 1 0 1
Physiology & Pathology Sciences 0 0 0 0 0 0
Curriculum & Instruction 0 0 0 0 0 0
Educational Administration 0 0 0 0 0 0
International Education 0 0 0 0 0 0
Other Education 0 0 0 0 0 0
Teacher Education Grade Specific 0 0 0 0 0 0
African Languages 0 0 0 0 0 0
East Asian Languages 0 0 0 0 0 0
South Asian Languages 0 0 0 0 0 0
Southeast Asian & Pacific Languages 0 0 0 0 0 0
Turkic & Central Asian Languages 0 0 0 0 0 0
Medieval Studies 0 0 0 0 0 0
Geological & Earth Sciences 0 0 0 0 0 0
Archeology 0 0 0 0 0 0
Drama & Theater Arts 0 0 0 0 0 0
TOTAL 2 1,943 1,589 4,949 1,464 9,947

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.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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