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Table of Contents

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Introduction

Financial Aid & Admissions

Harvard's Campus

Your First-Year

Dorms, Houses, Dining

Academic Experience

Outside the Classroom

Day-in-the-Life Snapshots

Alumni Life

Harvard, Defined

Harvard College is a close-knit undergraduate community within Harvard University. With world-class faculty, groundbreaking research opportunities, and a commitment to a diverse environment of bright, talented students, Harvard is more than just a place to get an education — it’s where students pursue limitless possibilities.

Harvard, Defined

"At Harvard College we bring together the world’s most promising minds to seek truth through the civil and rigorous exchange of ideas."

Dean David deming,Danoff Dean of Harvard College

Meet the Dean!

Financial Aid

You Can Afford Harvard

Understanding Harvard Financial Aid

100%

of students can graduate debt-free

Quick Financial Aid Facts

85% of American families would qualify for free tuition.

100%

of demonstrated financial need is met for each admitted student

Nearly 1/4 of our students’ families pay nothing for them to attend.

$0

is the total parent contribution for families with an income under $100,000

Financial aid is available for foreign students on the same basis as American students.

Financial Aid

Financial Aid

Net Price Calculator

Typical Income Thresholds

Less than $100,000 family income, with typical assets: Free Financial aid covers tuition, fees, food, housing, and more.Less than $200,000 family income, with typical assets: Free Tuition, Plus Financial aid covers the full cost of tuition, with additional aid possible.

Financial aid will be available to many students from families with incomes above $200,000, depending on individual circumstances. Learn more on our Financial Aid Page.

See Chart of Typical Costs

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Financial Aid

Timeline of Financial Support

“Affordability” means more than tuition, housing, and food. Here are a few examples:

Breaks

Pre-arrival

All 4 years

$2,000 Start-Up Grant for move-in expenses*

”Student Events Fund” to cover campus event costs*

Travel allowance to/from campus included in financial aid budget

First winter

Junior yeaR

Summers

$2,000 Launch Grant for career-search related expenses*

Funding for study abroad/unpaid internships

Winter coat funding*

*Given to students on full financial aid

The Admissions Process

Applying to Harvard College

Application Tips

extracurricular activites and athletics

Standardized test scores

Essays

Harvard College holds an expansive view of excellence and takes into account many factors when building a class.

Admission Review:

GPA/Transcript

Life Experiences

Awards

Leadership

Teacher and CounselorRecommendations

Alumni Interviews

The Admissions Process

Speak Your Truth

“Whole-person review means that members of the admissions committee take time to read every aspect of your application. When we finish, we hope to understand your story, not just your list of achievements.”

Joy St. John ,Director ofAdmissions

Anj '28

The Admissions Process

Application Timeline

January 1

November 1

Mid-December

First-year Restrictive Early Action (REA) and financial aid application* deadline

Decision notification for first-year REA applicants

First-year Regular Action application deadline

February 1

Late March

March 1

Decision notification for first-year Regular Action applicants

Transfer application and financial aid application* deadline

First-year Regular Action financial aid application deadline*

Mid-June

*Students can apply for financial aid at any point in the application process, after being admitted, after enrolling, or during their Harvard career. Financial aid deadlines listed above generally ensure that financial aid information will be available at the same time as the admissions decision release.

Decision notification for transfer applicants

The Admissions Process

Application Requirements

Learn More About Requirements

• Application: Common Application, Coalition/Scoir Application, or QuestBridge Application
• Harvard College Questions for the Harvard supplement
• Secondary School Report (including a counselor letter of recommendation)
• Official transcript(s)
• Two teacher letters of recommendation
• Standardized test scores (SAT or ACT)
• Application fee (or request a fee waiver)
• Midyear School Report (after your first-semester or trimester senior grades are available)
• Final School Report (for admitted students only)

HarvarD campus

Harvard's Campus

Kayaking in Boston

Quick Facts

24 theaters212 storefronts 7.7 miles from the airport 5 professional sports teams50+ colleges & universities

~3 miles from downtown Boston

“[The T] came in handy whenever I wanted to go to downtown Boston or to many of the towns connected by the railway tracks and roads in Greater Boston.”

David ’25, Kisumu, Keny

Harvard Square subway stop, 8 bus routes

“Harvard is situated in the heart of Cambridge, a quaint college town beside the great city of Boston…there is so much to do right at [our] doorstep.”

Raymond ’25,Uniontown, PA

“I rotate between riding my bike, taking the T or the bus, or even just taking a long walk into Boston.”

Adriana ’26, Kalaheo, HI

75+ Historical Landmarks

98/100 biking and walking score

HarvarD's Campus

Ways to Explore Campus

Harvard Square gives you a city feel just a few steps outside campus.

Take a Virtual Tour

Dorm Tour

Pizza Taste Test

The New England Aquarium

Your First Year

Your Home from the Start

The First-Year Residential Experience

~1,650

first-year students

First-year students live in one of 17 dorms in Harvard Yard, eat meals in their own dining hall, and are matched with a team of residential, academic, and peer advisors who ensure nobody goes through the transition to college alone.

First-Year Dorm Tour

Your First Year

First-Year Student Guidance

Form friendships with passionate and talented individuals from all over the world.

Your First Year

Enjoy allfour seasonsin picturesque New England.

Residential Life

12 Houses — 12 Harvard Homes

Housing Day!

After the first year, each student moves into a “House” and will live there for the next three years. These Houses are dorm complexes where students live, dine, study, plan events, and play intramural sports.

Aileen ‘27

Fields of Study

Explore Your Academic Options

Learn More Online

We offer 50 Concentrations (majors), 49 Secondary Fields (minors), and a special option that allows students to design their own Concentration.*

Computer Science Earth and Planetary Sciences East Asian Studies Economics Educational Studies Electrical Engineering Energy and the Environment Engineering Sciences English Environmental Science and Engineering Environmental Science and Public Policy

Ethnicity, Migration, Rights Folklore and Mythology Germanic Languages and Literature Global Health and Health Policy Government History History and Literature History and Science History of Art and Architecture Human Developmental and Regenerative Biology

Human Evolutionary Biology Integrative Biology Linguistics Mathematics Mechanical Engineering Mind, Brain, Behavior Molecular and Cellular Biology Music Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations Neuroscience Philosophy Physics

Psychology Romance Languages and Literature Slavic Literatures and Cultures Social Studies Sociology South Asian Studies Statistics Studies of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Theater, Dance, and Media

African and African American Studies Anthropology Applied Math Art, Film, and Visual Studies Astrophysics Biomedical Engineering Chemical and Physical Biology Chemistry Chemistry and Physics Classics Comparative Literature Comparative Study of Religion

Concentrations, Explained

*This list includes all Concentrations and a selection of Secondary Fields.

Fields of Study

First-Year Seminars

Students have until mid-October of their second year to declare a concentration.

General Education

Guess the Concentration

Harvard Curriculum

The Academic Experience

World-Renowned Faculty

7:1

average student-to-faculty ratio

Harvard’s liberal arts and sciences curriculum will help you build a broad intellectual foundation, encouraging you to think critically, reason analytically, and write clearly. Your academic experience will expose you to the world’s richness and complexity as you explore big ideas, ask difficult questions, and spark discovery.

Hear From Our Professors

Harvard Curriculum

CollegeCurriculum

3,700+

courses Offered

1 QUANTITATIVE

1–2 WRITING

6–11 ELECTIVE

• Double Concentration
• Joint Concentration
• Secondary Field
• Intellectual Exploration
• First-Year Seminars
• Study Abroad
• Lemann Program on Creativity and Entrepreneurship
• Mindich Program in Engaged Scholarship
• Language Citation
• Concurrent Master’s Degree

0–2 FOREIGN LANGUAGE

3 DISTRIBUTION 1 course from each category:

• Arts and Humanities
• Science and Engineering
• Social Sciences

4GENERAL EDUCATION 1 course from each category:

• Aesthetics and Culture
• Ethics and Civics
• Histories, Societies, Individuals
• Science and Technology in Society

Generally, students take 4 courses a semester for a total of 32 during their time at Harvard.

10–14 CONCENTRATION

• 10–14 courses average
• 50 different Concentrations

Academic Resources

Support Surrounds You at Harvard

“Before coming to Harvard, I would have never known how accessible academic help is on campus. Knowledgeable tutors are accessible for any subject, and the best part is that they are free!”

Kira ’26, Irvington, NY

Hear from First-Generation Students

Residential pre-professional tutors

first-generation college student support

“The Mignone Center for Career Success (MCS) helped me feel prepared…They’re a huge reason I was able to get a consulting internship my junior summer.”

Audrey ’26, Dublin, CA

academic resource center

math question center

Find Success at the Mignone Center

Mignone Center for Career Success

writing center

academic coaches

Community and Wellness

Be Your Best Self

Wellness at Harvard

90+

student wellness groups

Harvard is here for you.

Harvard has a wide array of support to help you stay healthy and attend to your physical, mental, and spiritual well-being.

Extracurriculars and Athletics

Beyond the Classroom

Filling Out Your Harvard Experience

500+

Student Activities

Clubs and Organizations

At Harvard, you will be able to find nearly any activity you might want to explore.

Day-in-the-Life Snapshots

Lisa '26

double concentration in Computer Science and Art, Film, and Visual Studies

“I love Harvard’s wide range of extracurricular opportunities — I've been able to find students who share similar passions, making it easy to explore and discover new ones together.”

Day-in-the-Life Snapshots

Brice '25

Read About Brice's Gap Year

Mechanical Engineering Concentrator

“Coming here has made me realize that I do belong here. There’s lots of people doing lots of different things, but I think at the end of the day, we all get together and realize we’re part of something bigger and something really unique.”

Day-in-the-Life Snapshots

Sara '27

History and Literature Concentrator

“The nice thing about picking a small major is you have those small class sizes, and I think it's awesome to find community in those.”

Alumni Life

A Lifetime of “Go, Crimson!”

Regular networking events and special events for recent graduates

Alumni reunion celebrations every 5 years

400K+

Harvard alumni around the world

98% graduation rate — among the highest at American colleges and universities

250+

Harvard Clubs and Shared Interest Groups to join

Volunteer and student mentorship opportunities

Apply

Phone: +1 617-495-1551Email: college@fas.harvard.eduAddress: 86 Brattle Street, Cambridge, MA 02138Website: college.harvard.edu

Want to ask current students your questions? Contact our Recruitment Ambassadors at askastudent@fas.harvard.edu.

“Our mental health resources are amazing! Aside from Counseling and Mental Health Services, we have third-party counseling, student-run counseling groups, and so much more.”

Helen ’26, Denver, CO

“Harvard puts forth great effort into ensuring that students have the ability to nurture a wonderful living community, regardless of their dorm or House.”

Riccardo ’25,Morrisville, NC

“Something that I have gotten into recently is working with the Farlow Herbaria on campus. I thought that it was so special that I just reached out and then immediately got involved. They welcomed me in immediately and I have been collaborating with them since then!”

Adrianna ‘26

“Last spring, I was able to go on a weekend wellness retreat in the Harvard Forest. [It was] a great mental reset.”

Adriana ’26,Kalāheo, Hawaii

Harvard Billed Costs

Tuition

Fees

Housing

Food

0-100K 100K-125K 125K-150K 150K-175K 175K-200K 200K-225K 225K-250K 250k-275K 275K-300K

$86,926

Tuition Free

Family Annual Income ($)

0-100K 100K-125K 125K-150K 150K-175K 175K-200K 200K-225K 225K-250K 250k-275K 275K-300K

“As someone very passionate about making outdoor recreation accessible to all, participating on the First-Year Outdoor Program Steering Committee taught me ways to bring in the voices of previously excluded communities.”

Rafid ’25Montclair, NJ

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“Being authentic both leading up to and during your application process will help you so much! Doing things you genuinely are interested in and passionate about in high school not only allow you to maximize your happiness during those years, but also to authentically talk about these experiences in your essays, interviews, and applications, generally.”

Anj ’28,

“[I found] my community in affinity groups. Once I found GAASA (Generational African American Students Association), I found a place like home.”

Grace ’26, Cheverly, MD

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Yep, you read that right. Interactivity and animation can turn even the most boring content into something super fun. In Genially, we use AI (Awesome interactivity) in all our designs so that you can level up with interactivity and turn your content into something that engages and provides value.

“I am on the board of the Creative Writing Collective. I was able to invite out one of my favorite authors, Margot Livesey, and it was easily the highlight of my first year. Hearing her words in her voice, alongside her writing journey and her inspiration behind her characters, setting, etc., helped me to look at my own writing through a different lens. Total fangirl moment.”

Helen ’26, Denver, CO

“Every student you talk to will say that their House is the best House. Cabot House (my House) is the absolute best because of all the common spaces that we share. My favorite part of my House is the Cabot Cafe. It's a place where we get to study together and enjoy our time!”

Aileen ‘27

Animate your content and take it up a notch.

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