R1 ResearchPrivate nonprofitMedical

Harvard University

Cambridge, Massachusetts·Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above·New England·harvard.edu
6-yr Graduation
98%
+5.5pp vs R1 Research
Total enrollment
30,259
peer median 22,846
Avg net price
$16,816
-$13k vs R1 Research
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Admissions & acceptance rate

First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.

Applied
54,008
54,008 candidates competed
Admitted
1,970
3.6% acceptance rate
Enrolled
1,647
83.6% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.

Overall completion
98%+5.5pp vs R1 Research
4-year graduation
56%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
98%
Full-time retention
98%

Pell equity

5.0pp gap
Pell recipients
95%
Non-Pell
100%

Non-Pell students graduate at a 5.0-point higher rate than Pell recipients.

Program outcomes

Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.

Of 206 Title IV programs, 44 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 1 fails. 161 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
206
Passing
44
21.4% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
1
0.5% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.5%
-0.1pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

206programs
  • Passing44 · 21.4%
  • No Data161 · 78.2%
  • Failing1 · 0.5%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
1
Recoverable
0
At Risk
0
Watch
0
Safe
44
No data
161

Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.

Earnings premium gap

Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.

45
Museology/Museum Studies
Master's Degree · Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies
-7.3%
$49,683 vs $53,607
Theological and Ministerial Studies
Master's Degree · Theology And Religious Vocations
+38.7%
$61,789 vs $44,535
Architectural Sciences and Technology
Master's Degree · Architecture And Related Services
+41.5%
$85,062 vs $60,112
Theological and Ministerial Studies
First Professional Degree · Theology And Religious Vocations
+42.7%
$63,549 vs $44,535
English Language and Literature General
Bachelor Degree · English Language And Literature/Letters
+44.9%
$50,428 vs $34,808
Natural Resources Conservation and Research
Master's Degree · Natural Resources And Conservation
+58.1%
$84,831 vs $53,672
City/Urban Community and Regional Planning
Master's Degree · Architecture And Related Services
+71.3%
$102,979 vs $60,112
Education General
Graduate Certificate · Education
+78.0%
$82,596 vs $46,391

Debt vs earnings

Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.

24
Dentistry
First Professional Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
159%
$240,397 debt · $151,692 earn
Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences
Graduate Certificate · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
150%
$297,700 debt · $198,324 earn
Medicine
First Professional Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
78%
$83,975 debt · $108,149 earn
Architectural Sciences and Technology
Master's Degree · Architecture And Related Services
69%
$58,733 debt · $85,062 earn
Natural Resources Conservation and Research
Master's Degree · Natural Resources And Conservation
66%
$55,864 debt · $84,831 earn
Public Policy Analysis
Master's Degree · Public Administration And Social Service Professions
53%
$69,350 debt · $129,978 earn
Theological and Ministerial Studies
First Professional Degree · Theology And Religious Vocations
52%
$33,000 debt · $63,549 earn
Law
First Professional Degree · Legal Professions And Studies
47%
$137,424 debt · $291,490 earn

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

New England Commission of Higher Education

Accredited since 1929Next review Jun 2028

Programmatic accreditations · 18

Action history · 45

  1. Aug 2025Loss of Accreditation or Preaccreditation: Voluntary Withdrawal
    American Dental Association, Commission on Dental Accreditation · Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology- (OMP)
  2. Jul 2025Deferral of Action
    American Psychological Association, Commission on Accreditation · Clinical Psychology (CLPSY) - PhD Doctoral programs
  3. Jun 2025Renewal of Accreditation
    Council on Education for Public Health · Public Health (PHG) - Graduate level school of public health
  4. Feb 2025Renewal of Accreditation
    Commission on Accrediting of the Association of Theological Schools · Theology (THEOL) - Freestanding schools, as well as programs affiliated with larger institutions, offering graduate professional education for ministry and graduate study of theology
  5. Jan 2025Grant Substantive Change: Program
    American Dental Association, Commission on Dental Accreditation · Dental Public Health

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$2,895
$30–48k$2,496
$48–75k$2,167
$75–110k$13,937
$110k+$53,571

Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.

Avg net price (private)
$16,816
-$12,740vs R1 Research median $29,556
Federal loans
4.9%
In-state tuition
$59,076
Out-of-state
$59,076

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

In AY 2024–25, 1,826 students received $11.1M in Pell grants, alongside $102.5M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
1,826
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$11.1M
$11,065,100 total
Direct Loans
$102.5M
4,006 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

1k
20
2k
21
2k
22
2k
23
2k
24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$857K
207 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$2.2M
386 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$51.2M
2,386 loan awards
Parent PLUS$4.7M
132 loan awards
Grad PLUS$43.5M
895 loan awards

Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Of 2,065 borrowers who entered repayment, 7 (0.3%) defaulted within three years below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
0.3%
-2.0pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
2,065
Defaulted
7
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
0.8%
2017
1.1%
2018
0.9%
2019
0.3%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at Harvard

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs255
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

7,376 total completions
01Business
1,52020.6%
02Social Sciences
1,16315.8%
03Health Professions
83511.3%
04Legal Professions
80710.9%
05Education
75910.3%
06Biological Sciences
74410.1%
07Public Admin
4335.9%
08Multi/Interdisciplinary
3825.2%
09Engineering
3705.0%
10Mathematics
3634.9%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

Fall total
30,259
12-mo unduplicated
37,558
Undergraduate
12,135
Graduate
25,423

Gender split

Men
46%17,161
Women
54%20,397

Race / ethnicity composition

White
32.8%
Asian
22.4%
Non-resident
13.5%
Hispanic
11.8%
Black
9.3%
Two or more
7.4%
Unknown
2.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.1%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.

Athletes
1,023
570 M · 453 W
Women athletes
44.3%
Athletic aid
$0
Total student aid
Budget
$43.6M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$0
$0
Recruiting expense
$1.2M
$576K
Head-coach salaries
$176K
$135K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 21

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
118 M · 123 W
$2.5M
Rowing
78 M · 74 W
$3.4M
Football
111 M ·
$4.3M
Lacrosse
53 M · 29 W
$3.0M
Swimming and Diving (combined)
38 M · 35 W
$1.4M
Soccer
31 M · 28 W
$1.5M

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
9.53
292 offenses · 30,631 students

3-year trend

3.622 yrs ago5.901 yr ago9.53Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
587
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
50
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
20
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
5

Criminal offenses by type

Motor vehicle theft
144
Aggravated assault
59
Burglary
31
Robbery
28
Rape
17
Fondling
7
Arson
6

By location

292total
  • On campus202
  • Non-campus3
  • Public property87

Includes 81 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).

VAWA offenses

10
Domestic violence
4
Dating violence
4
Stalking
18 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

  • Race5
  • Religion2
  • Sexual orientation2
  • Gender identity1

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons20
Drugs13
Liquor00

Residence-hall fires

  • Dunster House1 fire
    A student used a lighter to set fire to another student's pillow in the hallway of their residence hall.Damage $0-$99
  • Mather House1 fire
    ElectricalDamage $1,000-$9,999
  • Vanderbilt Hall1 fire
    CookingDamage $1,000-$9,999

Data quality: 1 report was later determined unfounded across the reporting period and are excluded from the totals above.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

Student-to-faculty
7.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
2,093

Harvard vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions Harvard selected for federal comparison reporting.

GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
This institutionPeer median

A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.

Carnegie
SubjectHarvard University
98%30,259$16,816R1 Research
Northeastern University
91%5.2%32,553$32,116R1 Research
Boston University
89%11.1%37,737$26,996R1 Research
Boston College
91%16.4%15,432$39,866R1 Research
Tufts University
94%11.5%13,599$35,435R1 Research
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
96%4.5%11,886$19,813R1 Research
Peer group median93%11.1%22,846$29,556

Frequently asked questions about Harvard University

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Harvard.

What is the graduation rate at Harvard University?

Harvard University reports a 6-year graduation rate of 98% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend Harvard University?

Harvard University reports a total enrollment of 30,259 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at Harvard University?

The average net price at Harvard University is $16,816 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at Harvard University?

Harvard University's yield rate is 83.6%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is Harvard University located?

Harvard University is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138.

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