Colleges / Harvard University
College · Private nonprofit · Cambridge, MA · City
Harv

Harvard University

Cambridge, MA

AddressMassachusetts Hall, Cambridge, MA 02138
Websitewww.harvard.edu
Price calculatorRun your numbers →
Admit rate4%
6-yr median pay$100k
Net price / yr$19k
Undergrad size7,601
§ I · The real read

What it's actually like.

The bet

Net price of $19k/yr for a shot at a $100k first-5-year salary. Math out whether that works for you — it does for some people, not for others.

Getting in

Admit rate of 4% means this is a reach for most people, even strong applicants. Admitted students average SAT 1553 · ACT 35.

If you get in

7,601 undergrads. Small. You will know your cohort.

Where you live

City campus — public transit, off-campus food, weekends happen nearby.

§ II · Cost & aid

Sticker vs. real.

Sticker cost of attendance is $86k/yr. After need-based aid, the average student pays $19k/yr. Merit aid varies. Run your EFC calculator before you rule anything out.

Sticker · 4 yrs$342k
Before any aid.
Net · 4 yrs$76k
What the average student pays.
Typical aid$266k
Difference over 4 years — higher for lower-income households.
Payback0.8x
4-yr net price ÷ first-5-year salary. Lower is better.

Where the money goes · annual sticker.

Tuition · in-state
$61.7k
Room & board
$21.2k
Books & supplies
$1,000

How students pay for it.

Pell grants16%
Share of undergrads on federal Pell grants.
Federal loans4%
Share taking out federal student loans.
Median debt · grads$14k
What the median student owes at graduation. Non-completers: $11k.
3-yr default0%
Low — grads tend to pay on time.
§ III · Outcomes

Do people finish? Do they land?

1-yr retention98%
Very high — students stay.
Graduation · 6 yr98%
Most finish on time.
6-yr median pay$100k
Cross-major. Your major's number can be very different.
10-yr median pay$102k
Ten years out — where grads tend to land career-wise.
Transfer out0%
Share of full-time students who transfer to another school.
§ IV · Campus & identity

Setting, size, and who this school is.

Setting
City
Control
Private nonprofit
Undergrad size
7,601
Location
Cambridge, MA
Region
New England (CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, VT)
Carnegie class
Doctoral Universities: Very High Research Activity (R1)
Size & setting
Four-year · large · highly residential
Undergrad program
Four-year · full-time, more selective, lower transfer-in
Accreditor
New England Commission on Higher Education
§ · Who studies here

The student body at a glance.

  • White31%
  • Asian22%
  • International15%
  • Hispanic12%
  • Black9%
  • Two or more races7%
  • Unknown3%
First-gen students26%
Share whose parents didn't complete college.
Part-time6%
Mostly a full-time student body.
Median family income$33k
Of enrolled students' households — useful for aid context.
§ V · Majors offered here · 66

What you can study.

Colleges / Harvard University
College · Private nonprofit · Cambridge, MA · City
Harv

Harvard University

Cambridge, MA

AddressMassachusetts Hall, Cambridge, MA 02138
Websitewww.harvard.edu
Price calculatorRun your numbers →
Admit rate4%
6-yr median pay$100k
Net price / yr$19k
Undergrad size7,601
§ I · The real read

What it's actually like.

The bet

Net price of $19k/yr for a shot at a $100k first-5-year salary. Math out whether that works for you — it does for some people, not for others.

Getting in

Admit rate of 4% means this is a reach for most people, even strong applicants. Admitted students average SAT 1553 · ACT 35.

If you get in

7,601 undergrads. Small. You will know your cohort.

Where you live

City campus — public transit, off-campus food, weekends happen nearby.

§ II · Cost & aid

Sticker vs. real.

Sticker cost of attendance is $86k/yr. After need-based aid, the average student pays $19k/yr. Merit aid varies. Run your EFC calculator before you rule anything out.

Sticker · 4 yrs$342k
Before any aid.
Net · 4 yrs$76k
What the average student pays.
Typical aid$266k
Difference over 4 years — higher for lower-income households.
Payback0.8x
4-yr net price ÷ first-5-year salary. Lower is better.

Where the money goes · annual sticker.

Tuition · in-state
$61.7k
Room & board
$21.2k
Books & supplies
$1,000

How students pay for it.

Pell grants16%
Share of undergrads on federal Pell grants.
Federal loans4%
Share taking out federal student loans.
Median debt · grads$14k
What the median student owes at graduation. Non-completers: $11k.
3-yr default0%
Low — grads tend to pay on time.
§ III · Outcomes

Do people finish? Do they land?

1-yr retention98%
Very high — students stay.
Graduation · 6 yr98%
Most finish on time.
6-yr median pay$100k
Cross-major. Your major's number can be very different.
10-yr median pay$102k
Ten years out — where grads tend to land career-wise.
Transfer out0%
Share of full-time students who transfer to another school.
§ IV · Campus & identity

Setting, size, and who this school is.

Setting
City
Control
Private nonprofit
Undergrad size
7,601
Location
Cambridge, MA
Region
New England (CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, VT)
Carnegie class
Doctoral Universities: Very High Research Activity (R1)
Size & setting
Four-year · large · highly residential
Undergrad program
Four-year · full-time, more selective, lower transfer-in
Accreditor
New England Commission on Higher Education
§ · Who studies here

The student body at a glance.

  • White31%
  • Asian22%
  • International15%
  • Hispanic12%
  • Black9%
  • Two or more races7%
  • Unknown3%
First-gen students26%
Share whose parents didn't complete college.
Part-time6%
Mostly a full-time student body.
Median family income$33k
Of enrolled students' households — useful for aid context.
§ V · Majors offered here · 66

What you can study.