Want to go to Harvard? The oldest university in the United States and one of the most prestigious in the world, Harvard can feel like it needs no introduction. But even beyond its exemplary reputation and nearly 400-year history, Harvard is a dream school for many for good reasons. With top-ranking professors in nearly every field, and beautiful Cambridge at your doorstep, Harvard is more than a fancy name!

Harvard: The Basics

Public

Private

Liberal Arts

Research University

Affiliation: Secular (nonreligious)

The Location (Cambridge, MA):

Where, exactly, did you “pahk the cah”? Cambridge, Massachusetts and nearby Boston have such strong associations with Harvard, they’re even part of the old joke about Boston accents! Cambridge combines the best of a college-town feel with Boston at your doorstep for big-city living, plus a historic waterfront, perfect for fans of rowing, sailing, or seafood!

The Numbers

Admission Rate

 3.43%

Average High School GPA

 4.22

Preferred Standardized Test 

 Either - no test needed through the 2021/22 cycle

Average SAT Score 

1460-1580

Average ACT Score 

 33-35

Accepts ACT Superscore?

 No

Application Deadline

 January 1

Accepts Common App?

 Yes

Tuition (Annual)

 $51,925

Enrollment

5,222 undergraduates

Average Class Size

 12

You’d Make a Great Crimson If:

  • You have Nobel ambitions. Harvard has, at 161 and counting, produced more Nobel Prize winners than any other university in the world!
  • You’re a sucker for tradition. As America’s oldest university, Harvard is steeped in history and tradition — particularly as it was modeled after even older universities in Europe, which have been teaching for nearly one thousand years!
  • You love to be on the water. With a campus located on a river in a port city, Harvard students enjoy competitive rowing and sailing, along with classic college sports like football.

Fun Fact(s):

Harvard’s library system is spread across nearly 80 different sites, the flagship library being the historic Widener Library in Harvard Yard. All together, Harvard’s library system holds roughly 20.4 million items, making it the largest academic library in the world.

Famous Alumni:

Bill Gates:
Microsoft Founder

Franklin D. Roosevelt:
US President

Helen Keller:
Activist

Henry David Thoreau:
Philosopher

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