Why to choose Harvard University? Fees and interesting facts about Harvard University. Admission requirements in Harvard University.
Free consultation Are you a representative of this institution?Harvard has the status of the oldest university in the United States. It was founded in 1636. The educational institution was named after the pastor and philanthropist John Harvard, who bequeathed his library and part of the property to the university. Interestingly, back in 1643, a fund was created at Harvard to support research and development — one of the first in the world. Whereas in the 17th century theological sciences were mainly taught here, but by the middle of the 18th century the teaching vector shifted towards secular sciences.
In the 19th century, the school adapted its signature crimson color, when Harvard representatives put on dark red shawls on the regatta so that they could be better seen. Since then, the crimson color has been a symbol of Harvard. At the beginning of the XX century, the college changed its status to university.
Harvard University is one of the oldest and most famous universities in the United States, whose graduates become the political and scientific elite of the world. The university is located in a science camp called Cambridge, which is located in Massachusetts. Harvard is part of the association of 8 private universities in the United States called "Ivy League", which is famous for its elitism and high standards of education.
| Subject | Place in QS 2024 |
|---|---|
| Arts & Humanities | 1 |
| Life Sciences & Medicine | 1 |
| Natural Sciences | 1 |
| Social Sciences & Management | 1 |
| Accounting & Finance | 1 |
| Engineering & Technology | 8 |
| Type of studies | Age | Duration | Average cost/year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s | 17+ | 4 years | 49,653 USD |
| Master’s | 20+ | 1-2 years | 47,600 USD |
| Doctoral | 21+ | 3-year | 44,420 USD |
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.
| Program | School | Degree | Duration | Cost/year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business Economics, Business Administration, Health Policy Management, Organizational Behavior | Graduate School of Arts and Sciences | PhD | 5 years | 43,000 USD |
| Doctor of Judicial Sciences | Law School | SJD | 4 years | 65,875 USD |
| Medicine | Medical School | MD | 5 years | 64,984 USD |
| Dental Medicine | School of Dental Medicine | DMD | 4 years | 64,984 USD |
| Design | Graduate School of Design | DDes | 3 years | 51,620 USD |
| Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Urban Planning and Architectural Technology | Graduate School of Design | PhD | 2+ years | 51,620 USD |
| Physics, Mathematics, Psychology, Political Science, Statistics, Economics, Education, English, History, Music | Graduate School Arts and Sciences | PhD | 4-6 years | 48,008 USD (1-2 years), 12,484 USD (3+ year) |
| Education Leadership | Higher School of Education | EdLD | 3 years | 51,904 USD |
| Education | Higher School teacher ble Sciences | PhD | 5 years | 51,904 USD |
| Political Economy and Government, Public Policy | Kennedy School | PhD | 5 years | 48,008 USD (1-2 year), 12,484 USD (3+ year) |
| Public Health | School of Public Health | DrPH | 3-4 year | 49,020 USD (1-2 year), 24,520 USD (3 year), 6,132 USD (4+ year) |
| Biological Sciences in Public Health, Biostatistics, Health Policy, Population Health Sciences | School of Public Health | PhD | 5 years | 49,020 USD (1-2 years), 24,520 USD (3 years), 6,132 USD (4+ year) |
* A full list of programs and current prices are listed on the official websites
| Item | Harvard College[3] | Law School[4] | Medical School[5] | Business school[6] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition | 49,653 USD | 68,150 USD | 64,984 USD | 73,440 USD |
| Dormitory / Meals + personal expenses | 11,364 USD / 7,025 USD + 2,500 USD | 26,438 USD | 11,065 USD / 5,280 USD + 4,675 USD | 14,130 USD / 15,820 USD |
| Study materials | 1,000 USD | 1,400 USD | 2,915 USD | 2,550 USD |
| University fees | 4,349 USD | 2,890 USD | 2,039 USD | 1,240 USD |
| Medical insurance | 3,922 USD | 3,922 USD | 3,922 USD | 3,922 USD |
| Transport costs | 1,500 USD | 1,650 USD | 2,200 USD | - |
| Total per year | 81,813 USD | 102,800 USD | 97,080 USD | 111,102 USD |
Split the payment into two years – enroll and start learning while staying on budget
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:
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.
| College/School | Founded |
|---|---|
| Harvard College | 1636 |
| Harvard Medical School (HMS) | 1782 |
| Harvard Divinity School (HDS) | 1816 |
| Harvard Law School (HLS) | 1817 |
| Harvard School of Dental Medicine (HSDM) | 1867 |
| Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS) | 1872 |
| Harvard Business School (HBS) | 1908 |
| Harvard Extension School (HES) | 1910 |
| Harvard Graduate School of design (GSD) | 1914 |
| Harvard Graduate school of Education (HGSE) | 1920 |
| Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health (HSPH) | 1922 |
| John F. Kennedy School of Government / Harvard | 1936 |
| Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) | 2007 (1847) |
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[7].
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 Harvard accommodation system was created with the aim of creating the most comfortable conditions for interaction and socialization throughout all four years of undergraduate studies. Freshmen settle in one of four dormitories called Yards and dine in the historic dining room of Annenberg Hall. As a rule, students live in suites, each of which consists of 2-4 rooms, a recreation area and one or more bathrooms, for a total of 3-6 people. There are few single rooms available. Interestingly, within each dormitory, students unite into entryways of 20-40 people, depending on the floor or section of residence. Each such group has its own mentor (first-year proctor), which provides all the necessary support to newly arrived students.
At the end of the first year freshmen independently form small groups, which are then distributed in 12 Houses, that host about 350-500 students each. Houses have a unique atmosphere and infrastructure, including libraries, studios, creative spaces, bars and much more. Starting from the 2nd year, students have the right to move to their own or rented house, but more than 97% prefer to stay on campus for the duration of their undergraduate studies.
For graduate and doctoral students Residence Halls are provided, which are separate for each school. If necessary, students can take advantage of off-campus housing services from university-owned real estate. To do this, contact the special department — Harvard University Housing.
The cost of living for undergraduate students is approximately 11,000 USD/year, for graduate and post-graduate students, the amount largely depends on the chosen accommodation type and can vary from 7,000 USD to 20,000 USD per year (9 months of study). More information regarding the accommodation costs can be found on the official pages of the individual schools.
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.
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:
Applications are submitted in 2 calls, but only once a year. Deadlines do not change over time.
| Stage | Early Action | Regular Decision |
|---|---|---|
| Examinations (one year before the studies start) | March — September | March — November |
| Deadline | November 1 | January 1 |
| Admissions decision | mid-December | End of March |
| Student’s decision | until May 1 | until May 1 |
| Final report from school | until July 1 | until July 1 |
| The start of the program | September | September |
* Current dates must be checked on the university website
All documents must be translated into English. However, you do not need to contact a professional translator. It is perfectly acceptable to provide translations made by an English teacher. Translations have to contain the name of the translator and his relationship with the student. Additional copies of the originals are provided.
| Total number of applicants | 43330 |
|---|---|
| Admitted (received an invitation) | 2009 (4.6%) |
| Enrolled (accepted the invitation) | 1650 (3.8%) |
| Foreigners | 13% |
| Accepted from the waiting list | 65 |
| Receive financial assistance | 55% |
| Approximate area of specialization | Proportion of enrolled students |
|---|---|
| Social Sciences | 24.5% |
| Biological Sciences | 18.4% |
| Humanities | 15.7% |
| Engineering | 12.3% |
| Computer Science | 8.3% |
| Physical Sciences | 7.4% |
| Mathematics | 7.1% |
| Undecided | 5.4% |
| Part of the SAT exam | Average score (25% -75%) |
| Evidence based Reading and Writing (ERW) | [720, 780] |
| Mathematics | [740, 780] |
| Part of the ACT exam | Average score (25% -75%) |
| English | [34, 36] |
| Mathematics | [31, 35] |
| Overall score | [33, 35] |
Unlike bachelor’s studies, the process of entering Harvard master’s and doctoral programs is quite fragmented. The key steps include:
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)[9]. Exact dates can be found on school websites.
The list of documents may vary from school to school, but in most cases it includes:
Additionally, the school may also require:
Unlike bachelor’s, documents that are not in English should mainly be submitted together with a notarized translation. The full list of documents and requirements for them must be clarified on the websites of individual schools.
| School at Harvard University | TOEFL iBT | IELTS | Others |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences | 80 | 6.5 | - |
| Harvard Business School | 109 | 7.5 | PTE 75 |
| School of Dental Medicine | 95 | - | - |
| Graduate School of Design | 92 | - | - |
| John Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences | 80 | 6.5 | - |
| School of Divinity | 100-105 | 7.5-8 | - |
| Graduate School of Education | 104 | 7.5 | TWE 5.0, TOEFL PBT 613 |
| Law School | 100 | - | - |
| Radcliffe Institute of Advanced Study | 100 | 7.0 | PTEA 70 |
| Kennedy School | 100-103 | 7.0 | TOEFL PBT 600 |
| T.H. Chan School of Public Health | 100 | 7.0 | TOEFL PBT 600 |
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.
| Period | Start | End |
|---|---|---|
| Autumn semester | September 1-3 | December 17-20 |
| Break | December 18-21 | January 21-26 |
| Spring semester | January 22-27 | May 11-17 |
| Commencement | May 23-27 | May 23-27 |
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[10].
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:
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[11].
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 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, EdLD). 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.
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[12]), several doctoral programs (100% funding over 5 years[13]), 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.
Harvard University has close international connections with prestigious educational institutions around the world. Exchange and internship programs work with leading European universities, including Cambridge and Oxford Universities. In total, 200+ programs in more than 50 countries of the world are available to Harvard students. More information on semester and one-year exchange programs can be found on the Harvard Office of International Education website. Read more about summer programs on Harvard Summer School website.
Harvard University's Summer School also organizes over 300 courses and internships for international students each year. People who come here are:
Harvard University offers its students double-degree programs that allow you to get two specialties both at Harvard and at partner universities with which Harvard has signed agreements. One such institution is the Berklee College of Music. At the end of the five-year program, graduates are awarded a bachelor of arts degree from Harvard University and a master's degree from Berklee[14]. The list of partners of Harvard University also includes The University of Cambridge. A joint law program allows you to earn a JD degree at Harvard and an LLM degree at Cambridge in just 3.5 years[15].
Harvard University has an extensive database of online courses (400+) in 11 subject areas which last from 2 to 17 weeks. Many are provided free of charge. At the same time, the cost of paid courses varies from 30 USD to 6,680 USD.
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[16]. 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.
| Annual family income | The amount paid by parents | Part-time work | Scholarship |
|---|---|---|---|
| <65,000 USD | 0 USD | 3,500 USD | 73,891 USD |
| 150,000 USD | 15,000 USD | 3,500 USD | 58,891 USD |
| 200,000 USD | 38,000 USD | 3,500 USD | 35,891 USD |
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.
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[17]. 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[18].
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.
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