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← University explorer
- World ranking
- #5QS 2027Source
- Tuition · international
- $54,269per year · 2023
- Acceptance rate
- 4.2%2025
About Harvard University
Harvard was founded in 1636 by a vote of the Great and General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, making it the oldest college in what became the United States. It was named after John Harvard, a minister who left the college his library and half of his estate. Over the 19th and 20th centuries it grew into a university with graduate and professional schools in Cambridge and Boston.
At a glance
- International
- 27.8%
- Founded
- 1636
- Type
- Private
- Campus
- Urban
Cambridge, United States42.375, -71.106
Open on mapRankings
- QSQS#5World · 2027Source
- THETHE=5World · 2026Source
- WebometricsWebometrics#1World · 2026United States #1Source
- CWURCWUR#1World · 2026United States #1Source
- ARWUARWU#1World · 2026Source
- NCSES HERDNCSES HERD#19United States and outlying areas · Total R&D expenditures · 2024Source
- URAPURAP#1World · 2025United States #1Source
Admissions & how to apply
Application routeCommon Application with Harvard supplementSource
- Check the entry requirements for your course and qualifications.
- Check the English-test policy below.
- Apply through Common Application with Harvard supplement.
- Pay the application fee ($85).
Application fee
- Per application$85Source
English test waiver First-year applicants are not required to take an English proficiency exam; tests may be submitted optionally. TOEFL/IELTS/Duolingo do not replace SAT/ACT requirement. Source
Costs & aid
International tuition$54,269per year · 2023
- Fees$4,807
- Room & board2023$20,374
US net price$19,148
What US families pay after grants, by household income. International students usually pay the full price.
SourceFinancial aid Open to international students · Need-based — Same admission and financial aid process regardless of citizenship; financial aid available to international students. Source
Scholarships you can use here
- Harvard College Need-Based Financial AidFull funding · Meets 100% of demonstrated need; free for family income under USD 100,000 · Deadline Jan 1, 2027
- Harvard College Need-Based Financial Aid for International StudentsPartial funding · Tuition, living costs
Programmes
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Campus & media
Outcomes
- Admit rate
- 3.6%
- SAT average
- 1553
- ACT middle
- 35
- Graduate in 4 years
- 61.5%
- Graduate in 6 years
- 97.1%
- Return after year one
- 98.3%
- Pell grant students
- 19.9%
- Students with federal loans
- 7.9%
- Median debt
- $17,559
Median earnings after starting
First-year admissions Source
- Applicants
- 47,893
- Admitted
- 2,003
- Enrolled
- 1,675
Student body
US government and university data. Figures describe past students, not your own chances. Source
Guides for applying to United States
- Entering Senior Year: What I Wish I Knew as a First-YearHarvard College · Student Voices
- How To Write A College EssayMIT Admissions
- How Studying Abroad Influenced My Career GoalsHarvard College · Student Voices
- Advice For Crafting Your Supplemental EssayJohns Hopkins Undergraduate Admissions · Hopkins Insider