Harvard University (Cambridge, MA) — Cost, Earnings & Admissions

Stats

College Scorecard figures, each with where this school sits nationally among institutions that report the same measure. A dash means the school does not report it.

Cost

Average net price: $16,816812th cheapest of 1,985 reporting
In-state tuition & fees: $59,0761,934th cheapest of 2,042 reporting
Out-of-state tuition & fees: $59,0761,934th cheapest of 2,042 reporting
Cost of attendance: $82,8421,951st cheapest of 1,985 reporting
Median graduate debt: $14,000268th lowest of 1,880 reporting

Outcomes

Median earnings, 10 years after entry: $101,81733rd highest of 1,969 reporting
Median earnings, 6 years after entry: $99,57214th highest of 1,964 reporting
Graduation rate (4-year): 97.3%21st highest of 2,031 reporting
Full-time retention: 98.6%62nd highest of 1,853 reporting

Admissions

Acceptance rate: 3.5%4th most selective of 1,608 reporting
Average SAT: 15532nd highest of 1,024 reporting
Median ACT: 351st highest of 954 reporting

Campus

Undergraduates: 7,755326th largest of 2,162 reporting
Student-faculty ratio: 7.0:1146th smallest of 2,159 reporting
Pell Grant share: 15.8%1,903rd highest of 2,140 reporting

Nearest large-hub airport: 6 mi (BOS)

On 18 of our 111 lists

Every published ranking this school appears on, with its rank there.

Applying

REANov 1
RDJan 1

Common App member: Yes
Application fee: $90
Personal essay: Required
Writing supplement: No

Deadlines and essay flags come from the Common App Requirements Grid, joined by school name. Always confirm against the school’s own admissions page before applying.

Admitted class profile (Fall 2024 entering class (Class of 2029))

ACT composite (median): 35
Top 10% of high-school class: 94%
States represented: 50
International: 15%
First-generation: 20%

Sources: bpb-us-e1.wpmucdn.com, college.harvard.edu

Best-paying fields of study

Median earnings one and two years after graduating, by field. Showing 12 of 59 reported programs.

Field	Level	1 yr	2 yr
Computer Science	bachelors	$142,198	$128,737
Applied MathematicsMathematics & Statistics	bachelors	$104,749	$90,856
StatisticsMathematics & Statistics	bachelors	$86,867	$128,716
EconomicsSocial Sciences	bachelors	$81,333	$78,971
Engineering ScienceEngineering	bachelors	$70,456	—
Research and Experimental PsychologyPsychology	bachelors	$61,020	$57,318
Political Science and GovernmentSocial Sciences	bachelors	$57,318	$57,017
Neurobiology and NeurosciencesBiological Sciences	bachelors	$54,713	$41,565
SociologySocial Sciences	bachelors	$54,254	$56,641
History	bachelors	$50,231	$49,644
Social Sciences, GeneralSocial Sciences	bachelors	$50,231	$52,107
Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population BiologyBiological Sciences	bachelors	$46,673	$42,682

Campus facts

Founded in 1636source
Motto: "Veritas"source
Athletic nickname: "Crimson"source
Competes in Ivy Leaguesource
Mascot: John Harvardsource
Campus size: about 209 acressource
Formerly known as "Harvard College"source
Religious affiliation: Nonsectariansource
Athletic conference: FCSsource
A [[National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program institutionsource
A Space-grant]]}} institutionsource
Football rivalry: Dartmouth–Harvard (since 1882)source
Football rivalry: Harvard–Penn (since 1881)source
Football rivalry: Harvard–Princeton (since 1877)source
Football rivalry: The Game (since 1875)source
31 Nobel laureates affiliatedsource
Fight song: "* *"[[Ten Thousand Men of Harvard]]""source
Notable alum: Barack Obamasource
Notable alum: Noam Chomskysource
Notable alum: John Adamssource
Notable alum: Mark Zuckerbergsource
Notable alum: John Quincy Adamssource

Athletics — 21 sports

NCAA Division I-FCS · NCAA Division I

Athletic scholarships allowed · Athletic aid $0 (M $0 · W $0)

Self-reported EADA participants (2024-2025). Athletic aid is institution-level, not per sport.

Campus news

Coffee refill? Go for it, says American Heart Association, with note of caution.Harvard Gazette · Jul 29, 2026
Henry Chu named curator of Nieman Foundation for JournalismHarvard Gazette · Jul 29, 2026
The best medicine may be freeHarvard Gazette · Jul 28, 2026
How AI may change public policy, how we leadHarvard Gazette · Jul 28, 2026
You’re getting a divorce. What happens to the frozen embryo?Harvard Gazette · Jul 28, 2026

Heard this week

Public forum titles that mention this school. Not official, not advice, and not a ranking input.

If a teen actually cured cancer do you think they can still be rejected from Harvard?r/ApplyingToCollege · Aug 28, 2026
Harvard Tiktok First Gen Contraversy and Question on First Gen Definition (Olivia Zhang)r/ApplyingToCollege · Aug 27, 2026

From the weekly discussion digest · Public forum titles from the last 7 days. Not official campus news, not admissions advice, and not a ranking input. Threads are linked outbound; we do not quote bodies or verify claims.