Harvard is more than a university
– it's a tradition. No other American institution of
higher learning has such a prominent place in the
nation's history or imagination.
Harvard, founded in
1636, is the oldest university in the United States (and
the oldest corporation in the Americas). It is perhaps
the U.S. university that is both closest to the British
model of university education, yet distinctly American
in identity and outlook.
Harvard was founded as a small
institution with the mission of educating Protestant
clergy. It grew as the United States did, expanding in
size and scope, and diversifying its student and
teaching communities. Today a Harvard degree commands
respect not only in the United States, but around the
world – Harvard counts seven U.S. presidents among its
alumni, and over 40 Nobel laureates among its current
and former faculty.
Harvard is located in Cambridge,
Massachusetts, on a campus just across the Charles River
from Boston. This is a highly urban setting that joins
colonial-era buildings and landmarks with Massachusetts'
burgeoning hi-tech industry. Harvard is a large
university, with high-profile graduate and professional
programs. Almost two-thirds of its approximately 19,500
students are enrolled in its professional and graduate
schools (which include the world-renowned Medical
School, the Business School,
the Law School, the John F. Kennedy School of
Government, the Divinity School, the School of Public
Health, and the Graduate School of Education).
Despite
the university's size, the Harvard educational
experience is usually an intense and companionable one,
with students benefiting from low student-to-faculty
ratios and opportunities to get involved with the local
community. Connections made at Harvard often last a
lifetime, with graduates becoming part of a vigorous
network of over 270,000 alumni.
Harvard reinstated its Early Action
admissions program in 2011 for the class of 2016. Early
Action candidates apply by November 1 and decisions are
made by December 15.
Regular decision
Regular decision application deadline: January 1.
Decisions are mailed by April 1.
Transfers
Harvard is considering candidates for Fall 2010
matriculation.
Test scores
Harvard requires scores from the
SAT or the ACT (with Writing) plus 3 SAT Subject Tests.
There is no
preference between the SAT I and ACT.
Applicants should take the ACT by mid-February and/or the SAT I and II by mid January.
The
Common
Application is used together with supplemental forms.
Average financial aid package for 2010-2011: $41,300
In March 2004, Harvard announced the Harvard Financial Aid Initiative,
a financial aid program designed to
broaden the diversity of the undergrad student body.
Under this program, Harvard no longer
requires households earning less than $60,000 per year
to pay toward students' tuition or room and board.
International students qualify for the same amount of
financial assistance under this program that U.S.
citizens do.
