Harvard University, the largest private university in the United States, located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is a member of the Ivy League. As a result, admission standards for Harvard University are highly selective.
Harvard has produced some of the most famous figures in the world, including: U.S. Presidents such as Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and First Lady Michelle Obama; Apple founder Bill Gates; architect Philip Johnson; and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, among others. In addition to its academic prestige, Harvard is also a part of the NCAA in sports. Let’s explore the specific standards for getting into Harvard University:
Approximately 10.5% of the students admitted each year come from countries around the world. Asian-American students make up 19.7% of the admitted students, which is a significantly higher percentage compared to African-American or Latin-American students. Among them, Vietnamese-American students consistently account for about 5% of the admissions each year.
The admission standards for Harvard University are high, partly because of Harvard’s strong financial aid support for students. It’s estimated that this year, 65% of admitted students will receive financial aid. On average, each student only needs to pay about $12,000 per year, while the total cost for one year, including tuition and living expenses, is $58,607. Students from families with an income below $65,000 per year will have their entire costs covered. Students from families with an income above $150,000 per year may also qualify for tuition reductions if the family faces financial difficulties, has medical needs, or has multiple children in college.
Please note, the level of support varies each year. Contact NEEC for detailed advice on your specific case!
“Ken Griffin, a Harvard alumnus, donated $150 million to the university’s financial aid fund. This is the largest donation ever made by an individual. Currently, the financial aid fund for students at Harvard has raised $600 million towards a goal of $2.5 billion.”
Each year, Harvard does not rely solely on its longstanding reputation but invests heavily in marketing, outreach, and attracting top students to apply. At the beginning of each school year, Harvard sends letters to more than 70,000 students who achieved excellent SAT scores. Each spring and fall, the admissions committee travels to over 100 cities in the U.S. to seek out talent for the upcoming admissions cycle. In addition to domestic cities, admissions committee members also visit many cities in Latin America, Asia, Europe, and Africa.
Once the preliminary list is compiled, members of the admissions committee immediately review over 34,000 applications. Each application is thoroughly examined by all six members of the admissions committee. Additionally, faculty members are involved in selecting students with talents in specific academic fields. Next, the list of candidates is sent to 15,000 Harvard alumni and faculty worldwide. These individuals will interview each candidate within their local area to learn more about them: family background, accomplishments, aspirations, and determination—details that may not be fully captured in the application. The evaluation reports for each candidate are then sent to the Admissions Committee. Interviews are a key criterion in the admissions process. By February each year, the applications are divided among 20 regional admissions subcommittees across the U.S. Each applicant’s case is then discussed by the Admissions Committee. During the discussion, the subcommittees vote, and those with high scores are reviewed by the 35 members of the admissions committee. This process is repeated continuously in a series of meetings over two weeks until the number of selected applications matches the admissions quota.
About 60% of the 34,295 applicants meet Harvard’s academic, extracurricular, and other criteria, but only 10% of these are selected. These students not only have outstanding achievements but also possess artistic talents, along with a bit of luck.
Like other prestigious universities in the U.S., Harvard notifies applicants of their admissions results for the second round by the end of March each year via email and postal mail. A small number of applicants celebrate their success, while most see their dreams of attending Harvard fade. There is also a slim 1% of applicants placed on the waiting list with a faint hope of being admitted.
In the final step of the annual admissions process, all faculty, alumni, and current students are mobilized to invite prospective students to choose Harvard through various meetings and discussions. In addition to its longstanding reputation, Harvard’s meticulous and rigorous admissions process is a key factor in the university having the highest official enrollment rate in the U.S., with a rate of 81% in 2014. Meanwhile, at other prestigious universities like Yale and Stanford, this figure is only around 70%. In the U.S., most top students apply to around ten universities. While the competition among students to get into top schools is fierce, the competition among schools to attract top students is equally intense. Although Harvard generally has the upper hand, the university manages to retain only about 80% of the students it admits each year.
By May 1st each year, accepted students must confirm their final decision with the university and pay the deposit to officially become part of the Harvard family. The path to Harvard is arduous for students, and the selection process for the admissions committee is no less challenging. Harvard’s admissions motto is “We Do Not Choose the Wrong Person.” However, in life, anything related to human judgment, achieving a relative success rate is already a significant accomplishment.
Trần Đức Cảnh (Former Harvard University Admissions Committee Member)
The admission standards for Harvard University are highly selective, with an acceptance rate of 5%. Half of the applicants admitted to Harvard have SAT scores ranging from 1460 to 1580 or ACT scores from 33 to 35. Harvard University has a total undergraduate enrollment of 5,222 (Fall 2020), with a gender distribution of 49% male students and 51% female students.
Although the admission standards for Harvard University are high, once enrolled, 62% of full-time undergraduate students receive some form of need-based financial aid, with the average need-based scholarship or grant award being $55,868.
NEEC is a reputable U.S. study abroad consulting firm, offering support and guidance to students in planning a detailed application process to the top universities in the U.S. Chat with us, or leave your information to receive detailed consultation.
