Harvard University
Cambridge, Massachusetts · Private · 7,601 undergraduates · harvard.edu
Test policy (fall 2027)
Test required
Send an SAT or ACT score
Admit rate
4.2%
of 47,893 applicants
SAT (middle 50%)
1510 to 1580
of enrolled freshmen
Annual cost (2027-28)
$98,940Est.Estimate
before aid
Your chances and merit aid at Harvard University
See where you stand for admission, how much merit aid you could get, and what you'd pay after it.
We started you at a typical enrolled freshman here. Move the sliders to match you.
Your admission chances
4.2% of applicants admitted
Reach
It admits only 4.2% of applicants, so it's a reach for everyone.
75% of freshmen had a weighted high school GPA of 4.0 or higher (average 4.22).
Estimated merit aid
a year
Your cost after merit aid
$98,940
a year in 2027-28, from a $98,940 sticker price
What to do with your 1550
Send your score
This college requires an SAT or ACT score.
Reach, target and likely are a rough guide from your test score and how selective the college is. Admissions also weigh your courses, grades, essays and activities. Merit aid figures are estimates, before any need-based aid.
Admissions
Test policy for fall 2027
Test required
You must send an SAT or ACT score.
- You can type your scores into the application; official reports come later.
- Only in exceptional cases when the SAT/ACT are not accessible: AP exam results, IB actual or predicted scores, GCSE/A-Level actual or predicted results, or national leaving exam results or predictions.
Source: Application Requirements - Harvard College · Checked October 16, 2026
Application deadlines
- Nov1Restrictive Early Action · November 1, 2026Not binding, but limits other early applications.
- Jan1Regular Decision · January 1, 2027The standard deadline.
Who gets in
4.2%
of applicants were admitted: 2,003 of 47,893 for fall 2025.
Restrictive Early Action
Not binding. Apply by 11/1, hear by 12/16.
Test scores of enrolled freshmen (fall 2025)
The shaded part shows the middle half of enrolled freshmen who sent scores: a quarter scored below it and a quarter above. 79% of them sent SAT scores and 27% sent ACT scores.
SAT total 1510 to 1580
Reading and Writing 720 to 770
Math 730 to 790
ACT composite 33 to 35
Source: Common Data Set 2025-26
High school GPA of enrolled freshmen
Average GPA: 4.22
- 4.075%
- 3.75 to 3.9920%
- 3.50 to 3.743.5%
- 3.25 to 3.491%
- 3.00 to 3.240.2%
- 2.50 to 2.990.2%
- Below 2.500.1%
Cost and financial aid
The sticker price is what a year costs before any aid. Most students pay less after grants and scholarships.
Sticker price for 2027-28Estimate
$98,940
a year
- Tuition$71,180
What families actually pay
What a year cost on average after grants and scholarships, for freshmen who got federal aid in 2023-24, by family income.
- $0 to $30,000$2,542
- $30,001 to $48,000$2,070
- $48,001 to $75,000$4,126
- $75,001 to $110,000$9,995
- Over $110,000$51,128
Financial aid
100%
of a student's financial need is covered, on average
$72,749
average need-based grant to freshmen, money you don't repay
0.2%
of freshmen got merit aid without financial need, $4,728 on average
- FAFSA
- Required for need-based aid. It's the free federal aid form.
- CSS Profile
- Required. It's a second, more detailed aid form some colleges use for their own grants.
- Aid priority date: 2/1
- Send your aid forms by this date to be first in line for the college's grant money.
- Also asks for
- Tax forms/documentation of income, business/trust/farm documents if applicable
Source: Common Data Set 2025-26
After college
Graduate within 6 years
97%
Come back for a second year
98%
Typical earnings
$121,957
a year, 10 years after starting here
- Harvard University$181,244
- All colleges$89,628
Median yearly earnings of graduates five years after finishing a bachelor's in this major. 12 majors here have earnings data.
Keep exploring
Figures marked Estimate are our estimates, not numbers the college published. Check each college's own site before you apply. SAT is a trademark of College Board, and ACT is a trademark of ACT, Inc. Sharp is not affiliated with either, or with Harvard University. The Harvard University logo is a trademark of the college.