Harvard University
Located in Cambridge, MA, Harvard University is a private university. With an acceptance rate of about 4%, it is among the most selective schools in the United States. Students pay an average net price of about $19,066 per year after financial aid. About 97% of students graduate, and alumni earn a median of about $101,817 ten years after enrolling.
What Harvard values
From Harvard’s Common Data Set. Harvard reviews applications holistically, considering these without ranking any above the others.
What Harvard requires
From federal IPEDS data — what Harvard requires vs considers (not how heavily each is weighed).
- When does Harvard University release admissions decisions?
- Harvard University does not publish an exact date. Harvard University lists Restrictive Early Action decisions as mid-December. Harvard University lists Regular Decision decisions as the end of March. These are quoted from its own admissions page: https://college.harvard.edu/admissions/apply/application-timeline Checked 2026-09-09.
- What is Harvard University's acceptance rate?
- Harvard University admits about 4% of applicants.
- How much does Harvard University cost?
- At Harvard University, the average net price after aid is about $19,066 per year, and the full cost of attendance is about $85,540 per year before aid. Your actual price depends on your family's income. Take Blueprint's free Matchmaker for an estimate based on your numbers.
- What SAT or ACT scores do you need for Harvard University?
- The middle 50% of admitted students score 1510–1580 on the SAT and 34–36 on the ACT.
- What are Harvard University's application deadlines?
- Harvard University's deadlines are Restrictive Early Action around Nov 1, Regular Decision around Jan 1. Always confirm exact dates on the school's official site.
See if Harvard University is a fit for you
Two free steps: find your best-fit majors with the Discovery quiz, then run the College Matchmaker for your real admission odds and net price at Harvard University, side by side with your other schools.