Harvard University, a private institution, was established in 1636. It has a maximum enrolment of 6,788 students, its location is residential, and the area of the campus is 5,076 acres. Harvard uses a semester-based academic calendar. The ranking of Harvard University in the 2020 version of Best Colleges is National University, # 2. The charges and taxes were $51,925.
Based outside Boston, Cambridge, Massachusetts, Harvard is made up of 13 colleges and institutes, including the top-ranked Business School, Medical School, and the top-ranked Graduate School of Education, the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, the Law School and the John F. Kennedy School of Government. Harvard’s vast library system holds the oldest collection in the United States and the most extensive private collection in the world. Outside reading, Harvard’s athletic teams play in the Ivy League, with an annual football match against rival Yale. On-campus housing is integral part of student life, where first-year students live in the center of the campus, and upper-class men live in 12 undergraduates houses Eight U.S. presidents have graduated from Harvard, including Franklin Delano Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy. Henry David Thoreau and Helen Keller are other notable teachers. In any school in the world, Harvard also has the highest endowment.
Harvard University Ranking
See where this school is in our other rankings to get a broader picture of the institution’s offerings.
- 2 at National Universities
- 34 at Best Undergraduate Teaching (tie)
- 2 at Best Value Schools
- 17 at Most Innovative Schools (link)
- 186 at Top Performers on Social Mobility (tie)
- 25 at Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs (tie)
- 58 at First-Year Experiences (tie)
- 10 at Senior Capstone
- 5 at Writing in the Disciplines (tie)
- 21 at Study Abroad (tie)
- 14 at Undergraduate Research/Creative Projects (tie)
- Harvard University Fee structure
Students with scholarships in hand pay an average of $12,000 annually for Harvard education. 55% of Harvard College students receive need-based scholarship support, and this year’s average grant is more than $53,000. Harvard College’s financial assistance program requires no contribution from Harvard families with an annual income of less than $65,000, calls for 0 to 10 % of income for those with an income of up to $150,000, and requests more from families with an income of more than $150,000. Harvard College offers a simple price calculator that allows interested applicants and their known individuals to enter their financial information to estimate the net price they are expected to pay at Harvard for one year. Use the calculator to calculate in less than 5 minutes the net attendance cost. The overall value of attending Harvard College without financial assistance in 2018-2019 is $46,340 for tuition and $67,580 for college, bed, board, and combined fees.
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How to take admission in Harvard University
First-Year Application Requirements:
- Common Application, Coalition Application, or College Application is mandatory
- Harvard College Questions, Coalition Application, or the Havard supplement of Universal College Application
- An amount of $75 (or request a fee waiver)
- Give ACT or SAT (with or without writing)
- 2 SAT Subject Tests is required, except in the case of financial hardship
- Either AP or other important test results
- The School Report and high school transcript
- is also required
- Midyear School statement (after your first semester grades)
- Final School Report (for admitted students only)
Application Timeline: You may apply to Harvard either under their Early Action program or under the Regular Decision program, both of them allow you to compare admissions and financial assistance offers from other institutions and to wait until 1 May to make the final choice of college.
Early Action candidates can apply by November 1st and receive notification by mid of December. Regular Decision candidates can apply by January 1 and receive the notification by late March.
Harvard University Courses
Harvard University provides several courses with specific requirements, including courses in various subjects. These courses are listed in the Course catalog. The student may take part in these courses as a specialized or exciting subject.
A primary division of subjects are as follows:
- Chemical and Physical Biology
- Environmental Science and Public Policy
- Social Studies
- Special Concentrations
- Folklore and Mythology
- History and Literature
- Study of Religion
Harvard University Admission Eligibility Criteria:
The school has a 5 percent acceptance rate at the lowest acceptance rate in Massachusetts. In recent years, 2,037 out of 39,506 students have chosen to make Harvard an extremely competitive school with little chance of acceptance-even for highest scores and grades applicants. Academically, the requirements for admission test scores are exceptionally high, generally admitting students who score in the top 2%. Harvard University typically accepts and attracts average high school “A” students.
Of those applicants who have been admitted, 83% have chosen to enroll. This indicates that admission to this college is highly preferable and maybe a primary choice for many students. Most newcomers graduated in the top ten percent of their high school class.
Environment at the Harvard University:
Harvard University is one of the oldest higher learning institutions in the United States (founded in 1636), committed to teaching, leadership development, training, etc. It’s one of the Ivy League schools. The main campus of the college is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, a few miles west of downtown Boston, along the Charles River.
What is the entrances gateway:
The Johnston Gate is one of the few entrances to the Harvard Yard in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Completed in 1889 by the Georgian Revival style of McKim, Mead, and White, it opens onto Peabody Street, which is in just the north of Harvard Square. It was a gift from Samuel Johnston (Harvard College class of 1855), costing about $10,000. For several hundred years, every Harvard Commencement Day, the sheriffs of Middlesex and Suffolk Counties arrived at Harvard Yard on horseback, preparing for the Middlesex Sheriff’s ritual call to order by the celebrants. It has become old for them to enter through the Johnston Gate.
Advantages of studying at Harvard University:
- Generous Paid Time Off
- Plan for Tuition Assistance
- Access to Harvard’s Resources and More
- Special Discounts and Services
- Center for Training and Development
- Harvard’s Credit Union
- Health, Dental, Life, and Disability Insurance
- University Retirement Plan
Disadvantages of studying at Harvard University:
- It’s costly.
- The weather is smelling.
- The distance between the classes can be quite large.
- Some of the Freshmen dorms are not conveniently located.
- Many older upper-class suites have more roommates than they were initially designed to house.
Hostel life:
Harvard University has some 22,000 students from all over the Institute, Graduate Schools, and Professional Schools based in Cambridge and Boston. As people refer to Harvard students, they mostly mean a class of around 6,700 students attending Harvard University. Students arrive at the end of August every year.
The diverse student population of Harvard University makes it difficult to identify a typical graduate, and even harder to describe a quintessential Harvard student experience. The University welcomes students from over 50 states and more than 80 countries hailing from numerous public and private institutions, religious backgrounds; and from across the economic spectrum. On the basis of a long tradition and extensive financial assistance programme, Harvard is committed to making educational opportunities accessible to all, with more than 60 per cent of the undergraduate population receiving financial assistance.
In addition to academics, Harvard students are active on and off-campus with more than 400 official student organizations, including extracurricular, co-curricular and athletic programs. Whether at Harvard Stadium, playing field or cheering on The Harvard Crimson, volunteering through organizations such as PBHA, promoting entrepreneurial development at the Harvard Innovation Center, writing or editing at The Harvard Crimson or Harvard Lampoon, or studying at one of the many laboratories, Harvard students are continually learning — and continuously busy!
The House System:
The Harvard Housing System is designed to provide full collegiate experience for all four years of undergraduate education. As a freshman, students live in one of the Harvard Yard dormitories, a chief location, and dine in the historic and picturesque Annenberg dining hall. After their first year at Harvard, students are placed in one of the 12 houses on campus and are still living there for the rest of their life at Harvard. More than 97% of Harvard undergraduates have chosen to live on campus for all four years, creating an active campus community and undergraduate experience.
Experience of alumni:
Alumni learned to be competitive at Harvard University. It was a challenging world and rising to meet its demands; they found within themselves a potential that they had not previously considered. This gave them the confidence to pursue and succeed in what was considered a somewhat untraditional career path. The relationships they have formed with professionals and trainees from all over the world have become enduring relationships and creative professional collaborations.
With an enduring commitment to excellence, Harvard University offers unparalleled student experience across a wide range of academic settings.
This blog deals with Harvard University’s history, infrastructure, and education. This article on Harvard University addresses different important things like admission process, fee structure, eligibility criteria, weather, hostel life, alumni experience, and more. It helps to equate the university with others based on the ranking and performance of the universities.
Other Top Universities in the USA
So how did you like the Harvard University? Are you planning to take an admission in the University? Check out the perks and cons of other Universities in the USA here.
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