Harvard University

Tuition at Harvard University

Studying at Harvard bachelor’s programs has a fixed cost of 49,653 USD per year. As for graduate schools, the amount can be from 29728 to 73,440 USD per year, while some schools set a lower cost starting from 2nd-3rd year of study.

Despite the extremely high prices, it should be noted that Harvard offers a large number of scholarships and grants, and 70% of students receive financial assistance. The reason for this is the policy of the university, which does everything in its power to give talented students the opportunity to get the desired education.

Faculties of Harvard University

Harvard University is the strongest educational and research center, which has equally excelled in teaching the humanities, natural and technical sciences.

In total, there are 11 academic departments at Harvard — 10 faculties and the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study.

The largest division is Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS). This is the only faculty that offers training at two levels of training — undergraduate and graduate. Within the framework of the FAS, the following departments are present:

• Harvard College for Bachelor’s;
• Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS) for master’s and doctoral students;
• School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (awarding degrees on behalf of the college and GSAS);
• Continuing Education Department (includes Harvard Summer School and Continuing Education School).

The remaining faculties and the corresponding schools that teach design, education, medicine, dentistry, theology, law have only master's and doctoral programs. Harvard Business School, in which students can earn an MBA or a Ph.D. in business, is also highly renowned. A place of honor is occupied by the School of Management named after John F. Kennedy and Harvard School of Public Health of T. H. Chan.

The most popular areas of Harvard University include medicine, economics, business, law and political science.

The infrastructure of Harvard University

The main campus of Harvard University is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, at Harvard Yard. There are administrative offices, some libraries and academic buildings and the majority of freshman dormitories. Students of the second and subsequent years of study live in the residential houses nearby, each of which represents more than a place of residence. Separate master classes and seminars, various cultural and recreational events are held there, students have the opportunity to communicate with teachers in an informal setting, for example, at lunch in the common dining room^[8].

You can find unique educational resources at Harvard. The Harvard Library, the largest academic library in the world, has over 20 million volumes, 180,000 periodicals, 400 million manuscripts, 10 million photographs, and more than 5 terabytes of digital archives. All this is within the framework of almost 80 library branches, which are available to every university student.

Harvard University has also opened many world-famous museums, covering more than 28 million works of art, artifacts, unique samples and materials. Here are the Peabody Museum of Archeology and Ethnology, Harvard Museum of Natural History, Harvard Museum of Art. Many collections are of key importance in the research activities of the university.

In 2008, Harvard also launched the Common Spaces Program, which aims to strengthen the academic community. As part of this initiative, new spaces are being created and existing spaces for the interaction of students and teachers are being improved.

The process of admission to Harvard University

Harvard University only accepts applicants that are 17 years or older. The admission committee puts extra attention on the average mark of the graduate (as a matter of fact, the minimum requirement has not been established, but most applicants have a GPA of more than 3.8/4.0). Additional advantages can be leadership qualities, social activity and participation in volunteer projects.

Stages of admission to Harvard — Bachelor’s

At the bachelor’s level, Harvard University organizes a single admission to Harvard College, without distinguishing between academic programs and setting quotas for certain academic areas. The choice of a specialty takes place later during the studies at the university.

The admission process includes the following steps:

1. Passing the SAT/ACT exams (required) and TOEFL (optional);
2. Preparation of documents, including a letter of motivation;
3. Payment of a registration fee (75 USD) or a fee waiver request;
4. Submission of Common Application, Coalition Application or Universal College Application;
5. Tracking the application and uploading the missing documents on the Applicant Portal before one of the two deadlines (Early Action, or Regular Decision);
6. Passing an interview (the presence of this stage depends on the location of the candidate: often a representative of Harvard may not be in the country/region, but this should not affect the final decision^[9]);
7. Obtaining an admissions decision along with information on financial assistance;
8. Confirmation of intention to study at Harvard;
9. Sending a final report with a transcript of ratings;
10. Applying for student visa.

Harvard undergraduate admission calendar

Applications are submitted in 2 calls, but only once a year. Deadlines do not change over time.

* Current dates must be checked on the university website

Harvard College admission statistics

Graduate programs

Unlike bachelor’s studies, the process of entering Harvard master’s and doctoral programs is quite fragmented. The key steps include:

1. Choose the right program on the university website;
2. Pass standardized tests and a language exam;
3. Prepare documents: collect letters of recommendation, write a statement of purpose, etc.;
4. Submit an online application (the form is individual for each school and posted on the corresponding website);
5. Pay a registration fee (80-105 USD depending on the school);
6. Pass an interview, sometimes it is required to send a written reflection report on its results within the 24 hours;
7. Obtain an admissions decision along with information on financial assistance;
8. Confirm your intention to study at Harvard;
9. Apply for a student visa.

Harvard Master’s/Doctoral calendar

Each school independently determines application deadlines for its programs. As a rule, applications are accepted from September to December. Most deadlines are in early December — mid-January. However, some schools additionally set earlier or later deadlines. For example, Harvard Business School also accepts applications until September (one year before the start of training) and until April (several months before the start of training)^[10]. Exact dates can be found on school websites.

Minimum English proficiency for admission to Harvard graduate programs

Specifics of admission to Harvard Medical School

Harvard Medical School (HMS) has a number of admission requirements that leave little chance for foreign applicants. First of all, it is necessary to master a number of compulsory prerequisite courses and already have a bachelor's degree in science, as well as spend a minimum a year studying in English in Canada or the USA. Then a prerequisite is passing the international medical exam — MCAT. However, even this does not guarantee a successful admission, since Harvard does not recognize all foreign qualifications. Students with a degree in accredited higher education institutions of the USA and Canada have the priority right to enrollment, because high-quality medical education is impossible without a high level of English proficiency.

The study process at Harvard

Undergraduate studies: types and structure of courses, and exams

The main feature of Harvard bachelor’s studies is that students choose their future specialization only in the second year of study. For the first two and a half semesters, the college gives young people the opportunity to adapt to the new environment by attending any of the 3,700 possible courses. Then students are invited to choose one of 50 concentrations or to build their own unique special concentration^[11].

Within the specialization, Harvard students also define a learning path: non-honors or honours. The latter involves taking more courses and compulsory writing of the thesis to obtain a degree (AB — Bachelor of Arts or SB — Bachelor of Science).

Thus, in addition to specialized disciplines, the Harvard training program includes several general compulsory elements known as Harvard College requirements:

• General Education (one course from four subject groups: Aesthetics & Culture; Ethics & Civics; Histories, Societies, Individuals and Science & Technology in Society);
• Distribution (one course for each of the three areas of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS): Arts and Humanities; Social Sciences and Engineering, and Applied Sciences);
• Quantitative Reasoning and Data (familiarization course with mathematical, statistical and computer methods of data processing);
• Expository Writing (semester course in academic writing in the first year of study);
• Language (one year foreign language course).

In addition, students can choose electives as a part of their secondary field (in American Universities more commonly known as minor), study additional foreign languages, conduct research or projects on their own, and take courses at Harvard schools and other Boston universities.

During the academic year, students traditionally attend lectures, seminars and workshops, undergo Hour and Midterm Examinations and have a Final Examination Period at the end of each semester.

Starting from the 1st year and throughout the entire period of study, students are accompanied by mentors and advisors that can be teachers, doctoral students, senior students and activists who can help with the choice of specialization, curriculum adjustment and immersion in the social life of the university^[12].

In some areas, students have the opportunity to get a master's degree already in the fourth year of bachelor’s studies. The program is implemented as part of the Higher School of Arts and Sciences and is called the Fourth Year Master's Degree.

Graduate schools: features and structure of courses, and exams

Graduate programs at Harvard have a different structure, depending on the school and the specialization of training. The master's programs last 1-2 (less often 3) years and involve the acquisition of theoretical and practical knowledge in a particular profession. Doctoral studies are mainly based on research (5-6 years), but there are also practice-oriented doctoral programs (3-4 years), including internships in partner organizations (for example, EdLDDoctor of Education Leadership). Before entering, students can familiarize themselves with the curricula of all programs that are publicly available on the school websites — sections Academics, Program Overview, Curriculum.

MBA programs at Harvard

Harvard Business School is consistently ranked among the top 10 best business schools in the world. A distinctive feature of the institution is the orientation towards practice and interaction between students. Enrolling at Harvard Business School is not easy, as excellent grades are not critical to enrollment. The admission committee draws extra attention to the achievements of the applicant, experience in the business sector, participation in charity events and other activities.

Harvard Business School offers a two-year MBA program (50% of students receive financial assistance^[13]), several doctoral programs (100% funding over 5 years^[14]), and also provides the opportunity to receive two degrees at the same time as a part of cooperation with other schools (Joint Degree Programs), for example, an MBA and Master of Public Policy (MPP) from the Harvard Kennedy School. Joint programs are also being implemented with law, medical and dental schools.

Harvard Business School also conducts courses in marketing, leadership, finance and entrepreneurship.

Scholarships and grants at Harvard University

It is believed that only a select few can afford studying at Harvard University, but this is not entirely true: 20% of families pay absolutely nothing, and 55% of students receive material support^[17]. The university takes into account the financial capabilities of each student, regardless of citizenship, and, if necessary, is ready to partially or fully cover the costs of studying and living. The scheme is simple: if a student successfully passed the competition for admission, but cannot afford to cover all the costs of studying, then the university gives a 100% guarantee of material assistance.

The amount of assistance at the bachelor’s level is determined as follows: the student’s parents (or himself) must contribute a certain amount of tuition (depending on the total income of the family), the student’s personal investments (for example, from part-time work), as well as help from third-party funds (if any). After calculating the total amount, the university decides on the appointment of financial assistance to the student. To receive full funding, it is enough to provide documents confirming that the annual income of parents is less than 65,000 USD per year.

Calculator

Scholarship size for master's and doctoral programs, in turn, is also calculated based on student income over the past three years. An additional factor is the school itself and the sources of its financing. The proposed scholarship does not always fully cover all expenses. Details should be specified on the websites of schools in the section Financial Aid.

Prospects after graduating from Harvard University

Like any other top university, Harvard University helps its students in finding suitable employment. On the campus of the university, there is the Office of Career Services, which organizes various events for students and announces them on its website. University employees are engaged in the selection of paid internships, the search for interesting vacancies, the organization of courses and workshops, as well as events where students from the first year can get acquainted with potential employers^[18]. As a rule, Harvard graduates do not have problems finding a job. According to statistics, more than 60% of students find work during the training period (mainly on internships). In the international QS 2020 ranking, Harvard takes 5th place, while having 100% reputation indicators among employers and graduate performance^[19].

Scientific achievements of Harvard University

Today Harvard University is one of the most elite and renowned universities in the world. The university is famous for its business school and developments in various fields of science, most of which are funded by the government.

• In 2017, a group of Harvard scientists was able to turn hydrogen into metal for the first time in history — its use in rocket science will open new frontiers in space exploration.
• In 2017, Harvard bioengineers invented a plastic robot that can prevent heart attacks and automatically support heart function.
• In 2014, Harvard researchers found confirmation of the cosmic inflation theory that describes the Big Bang.
• The university is working on the creation of the "elixir of youth", the first test results were successful.
• In 2014, Harvard scientists created an inexpensive detector for monitoring diabetes and other diseases. The detector costs about 25 USD and weighs 2oz, it will be used in the poorest regions of the planet.
• Harvard scientists, in collaboration with researchers of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, invented a method for storing solar energy in molecules, which would later allow the use of clean energy for domestic purposes (cooking, heating water, heating private houses and apartments).
• A team of researchers from Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is working together to reprogram the cells of living organisms to create effective cell therapy that will allow tissues to regenerate faster after serious damage, which could be the solution to the problem of thyroid disease or diabetes.

Interesting facts about Harvard University

• Annually, a prize is awarded at Harvard University for the most dubious or witty scientific achievements of the last year — Ig Nobel Prize. The word “dubious” refers to studies such as “why do drunkards consider themselves attractive” or “how mice with a heart transplant listen to opera”, etc.
• The territory of Harvard University was a set for films and TV shows dozens of times. The movies like The Social Network, Spartan, Angels & Demons, Good Will Hunting were shot here.
• The university is also the main scene of many literary works. For example it is described in William Faulkner’s novel, The Sound and the Fury.
• At the entrance to Harvard Yard, there is a monument that reads “John Harvard. Founder. 1638." Students call it a “statue of three deceptions.” John Harvard was a philanthropist and the sponsor of the university, but not its founder. It is generally accepted that the history of an educational institution dates back to 1636, and not 1638. In addition, the statue does not depict John Harvard, but an ordinary student. History has not preserved portraits or references of how the famous philanthropist looked like.