More selective than 100% of Massachusetts colleges we cover.
College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $85,540. College Scorecard.
Higher than 98% of Massachusetts colleges we cover and 99% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 90% of Massachusetts colleges we cover and 98% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
Harvard University acceptance rate & admissions
Of 56,937 applicants, Harvard University admitted 1,965 and 1,645 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class). The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1510–1580 on the SAT or 34–36 on the ACT.
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
Harvard University tuition, cost & net price
What families actually pay per year, by income
Average net price after grants and scholarships for students who receive federal aid. Tap your income band.
College Scorecard, latest reported year (federal aid recipients)
Sticker price (before aid)
IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard
College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal
What Harvard University costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of Harvard University took 4.4 years on average to finish, so the yearly price adds up to the total below. Payback compares former students' earnings with what high school graduates earn in Massachusetts. The figures follow your residency and income choices above.
| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0–30k | $8,697 | $37,919 | under 1 year |
| $30–48k | $2,991 | $13,041 | under 1 year |
| $48–75k | $2,091 | $9,117 | under 1 year |
| $75–110k | $9,941 | $43,343 | under 1 year |
| $110k+ | $53,337 | $232,549 | 3.8 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.4 years, the average time graduates took (66% finished in 4 years; students who entered fall 2017, IPEDS). Years to pay back = cost to finish ÷ the earnings gain: median earnings of former students 10 years after starting ($101,817) minus $39,880 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in MA (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $61,937 a year. Before taxes, loan interest and earnings given up while in school. Method
College Scorecard (net price, earnings); IPEDS Graduation Rates (time to finish); U.S. Census Bureau ACS (high school earnings). Calculated by EducationGuide.
Harvard University majors, earnings & careers
Harvard University offers 66 bachelor's majors across 11 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Humanities & Languages · 22
- Science & Math · 16
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 8
- Arts & Design · 5
- Business & Finance · 5
- Engineering · 4
- Technology & Computing · 2
- Education · 1
- Health & Medicine · 1
- Trades & Applied Technology · 1
- Non-degree / basic skills · 1
Highest-earning majors at Harvard University
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Statistics | $230,876 | — |
| Computer Science | $203,169 | — |
| Applied Mathematics | $170,689 | — |
| Economics | $155,592 | $6,617 |
| Cell / Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences | $117,816 | — |
| Political Science | $95,838 | — |
| Natural Sciences | $95,507 | $23,681 |
| Social Sciences | $78,996 | $19,937 |
Quick list of all 66 majors
- African Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics—
- Anthropology—
- Applied Mathematics$170,689
- Archeology—
- Area Studies—
- Astronomy and Astrophysics—
- Behavioral Sciences—
- Biochemistry—
- Biology—
- Biomedical Engineering—
- Business / Corporate Communications—
- Business Administration—
- Cell / Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences$117,816
- Celtic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics—
- Chemistry—
- Classics—
- Computer Science$203,169
- Cultural Studies / Critical Theory and Analysis—
- East Asian Languages (Chinese / Japanese / Korean)—
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology—
- Economics$155,592
- Education—
- Electrical Engineering—
- Engineering Science—
- English$50,428
- Environmental Science / Conservation—
- Ethnic / Gender Studies—
- Film and Photography—
- Geology / Earth Science—
- German—
- History$70,679
- Human Resources—
- Information Technology—
- Intelligence, Command Control and Information Operations—
- Leisure and Recreational Activities—
- Liberal Arts / General Studies—
- Linguistics—
- Marketing—
- Mathematics—
- Mechanical Engineering—
- Medieval and Renaissance Studies—
- Microbiological Sciences and Immunology—
- Middle / Near Eastern and Semitic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics—
- Music—
- Natural Sciences$95,507
- Neuroscience—
- Philosophy—
- Physics—
- Political Science$95,838
- Psychology—
- Psychology (Research)$70,167
- Public Health—
- Religious Studies—
- Slavic, Baltic and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics—
- Social Sciences$78,996
- Sociology—
- South Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics—
- Southeast Asian and Australasian / Pacific Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics—
- Spanish / French / Romance Languages—
- Statistics$230,876
- Studio Art—
- Sustainability Studies—
- Theatre—
- Theology / Ministry—
- Turkic, Uralic-Altaic, Caucasian, and Central Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics—
- Visual and Performing Arts—
— means too few graduates to report earnings.
College Scorecard field of study, latest release
All majors by area with earnings 1 and 4 years out, and debt →Computer Science → Software developer
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 10.2% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Statistics → Statistician
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 11.0% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Living in Boston
Overall prices in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH area.
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
2 bedrooms $2,383. Housing costs 48% above the U.S. average.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 49 inches of rain a year, 49 inches of snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
Highest: hurricane (relatively high); river flooding (relatively high).
FEMA National Risk Index, Middlesex County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Middlesex County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare Harvard University with similar schools
Similar private colleges in Massachusetts by selectivity, graduation rate and size. Tap “Why?” to see where the price difference comes from.
| School | Acceptance | You'd pay | Graduation | Earnings, 10 yrs | Price gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harvard University | 4% | $19,066 | 98% | $101,817 | This school |
| Tufts University | 11% | $39,998 | 94% | $83,214 | |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 5% | $20,111 | 96% | $143,372 | |
| Boston College | 16% | $41,704 | 91% | $103,937 | |
| Williams College | 8% | $17,716 | 94% | $88,665 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
Harvard University would cost you $20,932 less per year than Tufts University, on average.
- Lower sticker price at Harvard University, mostly from lower tuition & fees (−$9,028).
- Harvard University gives aided families $18,172 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, Massachusetts resident | Harvard University | Tufts University | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $61,676 | $70,704 | −$9,028 |
| Books & supplies | $1,000 | $1,000 | $0 |
| Housing & meals | $20,374 | $17,660 | +$2,714 |
| Personal & travel | $6,255 | $1,796 | +$4,459 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$3,765 | −$2,860 | −$905 |
| Sticker price | $85,540 | $88,300 | −$2,760 |
| Average grants | −$66,474 | −$48,302 | −$18,172 |
| You pay | $19,066 | $39,998 | −$20,932 |
“+” means Harvard University costs more; “−” means it costs less. Grants are the sticker price minus the net price. Cost items: IPEDS, on-campus budget. Sticker and net price: College Scorecard, latest reported year; the adjustment reconciles the two. Net price is an average for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, not a quote.
Common questions about Harvard University
What is the Harvard University acceptance rate?
Harvard University accepts 4% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 1,965 of 56,937 applicants were admitted. The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1510–1580 on the SAT or 34–36 on the ACT.
How much does Harvard University cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $85,540 a year. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $19,066 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $8,697 and families earning $110k+ pay $53,337.
How much do Harvard University graduates earn?
Former Harvard University students earn a median $101,817 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the Harvard University graduation rate?
98% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 98% return for their second year.
How long does a Harvard University degree take to pay off?
For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at Harvard University costs about $9,117 after grants ($2,091 a year for 4.4 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $101,817 ten years after starting, $61,937 more than high school graduates in Massachusetts ($39,880), so the cost is repaid in under 1 year of that gain, before taxes and interest (EducationGuide calculation).
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Sources on this page: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS; U.S. Census Bureau (ACS); Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections); Bureau of Economic Analysis; HUD; NOAA; FEMA; Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By); Wikidata. “Colleges we cover” means colleges awarding bachelor's degrees to at least 100 undergraduates. Averages are not quotes; confirm costs with the school. How we score
Data: download this school's data (JSON) · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “Harvard University: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/harvard-university (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).