Harvard University (Cambridge, MA, United States)

University overview

Editorial View

Location, editorial summary, and verified institutional context.

Often referred to as the pinnacle of American higher education, Harvard University was founded in 1636 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, which is across the Charles River from Boston. Yes, Harvard students are really smart, and many of them are rich. It’s not uncommon to study at Harv...

Visit official website

Colleges Like This

Admissions

Verified Data

Selectivity, enrollment funnel, and reported test score ranges from verified federal data.

Institution type

Private nonprofit

Carnegie

A Doctoral University (which undergraduates attend) with very high research activity

Setting

Midsize city

Admit rate (4%)

Yield estimate (84%)

Applicants

57,786

Admits

2,318

Enrolled

1,951

SAT ERW: 730–780

SAT Math: 750–800

ACT: 33–36

Academics

Verified Data

Enrollment scale, calendar structure, and outcome-linked academic signals.

Total students

1,951

1,951 students

Calendar

semester

Academic calendar

Graduation rate

97%

Reported outcomes

Retention rate

96%

First-year retention

Carnegie classification

A Doctoral University (which undergraduates attend) with very high research activity

Cost and affordability

Verified Data

Tuition, net price, and aid signals sourced from federal reporting where available.

Average net price

N/A

After grants and scholarships for in-state students where reported.

In-state tuition$15

Out-of-state tuitionN/A

Institutional grant aid$56

Pell share22%

Compare affordability

Campus life

Verified Data

Culture percentile bands describe student life intensity across common fit dimensions.

Campus culture bands are not yet available for Harvard University. Theme attributes and athletics may still appear under Special Features.

Rankings and recognition

Verified Data

CollegesRef does not invent magazine-style ranks. This section surfaces verified classification data and editorial context only.

Carnegie classification

A Doctoral University (which undergraduates attend) with very high research activity

Institutional classification used for academic peer grouping.

Athletics

NCAA Division I

NCAA division where available from verified imports.

Editorial spotlight

Harvard University — editorial overview (Cambridge, MA)

Outcomes and after college

Verified Data

Verified outcomes from imported federal datasets. Editorial interpretation may supplement these facts elsewhere on the profile.

Median earnings

N/A

Median earnings where reported by federal outcomes data.

Retention rate

96%

First-year student retention.

Graduation rate

97%

Students graduating within 150% of normal time.

Student reviews

Editorial View

User-submitted reviews are not fabricated for launch. This report card summarizes verified data signals until moderated student voices are available.

Data report card

Admissions selectivityA

Graduation outcomesA

RetentionA

Editorial depthB+

Harvard University

CollegesRef matching

Find colleges like Harvard University

Compare similar schools by admissions, cost, outcomes, and campus fit — with explainable scores, not black-box rankings.

Special features

Verified Data

Curated theme attributes and athletics context that distinguish campus character.

A Member of the Ivy League

Athletics

NCAA Division I

Sources and data freshness

Verified Data

Legacy CLGS import

CollegesRef separates verified federal and institutional data from editorial interpretation. Personalized AI matching is available via Colleges Like This.

Similar schools