How hard is Harvard University to get into?
Harvard University (Harvard) acceptance rate is 3.45% for 2023-2024 admission. A total of 56,937 students applied and 1,965 were admitted to the school. Its acceptance rate is very low, which means it is very hard to get into Harvard.
Harvard's acceptance rate is the lowest among 66 Massachusetts colleges with competitive admission.
The median SAT score is 1550 and the ACT score is 35 at Harvard. Harvard's SAT score is the highest among 42 Massachusetts colleges that consider SAT score for admission.
To apply to Harvard, recommendations and personal statement (or essay) are required to submit. The SAT and ACT score is not required, but considered for admission. In addition, english proficiency test score is also considered.
Admission Statistics
For the academic year 2023-24, Harvard's acceptance rate is 3.45% and the yield (also known as enrollment rate) is 83.72%. 26,301 men and 30,636 women applied to Harvard and 914 men and 1,051 women students were accepted.
Among them, 765 men and 880 women were enrolled in Harvard (Fall 2023).
Data source: IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) (Last update: December 11, 2024)
Median SAT and ACT Score
In 2024, 862 students (52% of enrolled) have submitted their SAT scores and 356 students (22%) have submitted their ACT scores for seeking degrees at Harvard.
The median SAT score is 1,550 with 760 SAT EBRW and 790 SAT Math median scores. The 75th percentile SAT score of EBRW (Evidence-Based Reading / Writing) is 780 and the 25th percentile is 740. The SAT Math 75th percentile score is 800 and 25th percentile is 760 .
The median ACT composite score is 35 with 75th percentile score of 36 and 25th percentile score of 34 at Harvard. The median ACT math score is 35 and the ACT English score is 35.
How competitive is Harvard's score?
The SAT and ACT scores at Harvard University are relatively high compared to similar colleges (SAT: 1,492, ACT: 33 - private (not-for-profit) research university with very high research activity).
The institutional SAT code for Harvard is 3434 and 4-digt code ACT code is 1845.
Data source: IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) (Last update: December 11, 2024)
Application Requirements
It requires to submit High School Record (or Transcript), Recommendations, and Personal statement or essay to its applicants.
The SAT and ACT test score is not reqired, but considered in admission process at Harvard. The english proficiency test is not reqired, but considered.
The next table summarizes the application requirements to apply Harvard University.
For more admission information such as minimum GPA and deadlines, see its online application page .
General Admissions Information
The application fee is $85 for applying undergraduate schools and $105 for for applying graduate schools at Harvard University. The following table provides general admission information for applying to Harvard.