National university
#8 Lowest net price for middle-income families in AmericaHarvard University
Cambridge, MA · Private nonprofit · 4-year
Your real cost
Average price after aid $19,066 a year
Median debt at graduation: $14,000 (all students)
Estimate your own price · the college’s net price calculator
Rankings
Where this college places on our top lists. Lists are worked out from official data and our own research; places in the top quarter of each list are shown. See every list
In America
- Best colleges for marketing in America#1 of 834
- Best colleges for education in America#2 of 1,318
- Best colleges for business in America#5 of 1,563
- Most selective colleges in America#3 of 683
- Best colleges for psychology in America#8 of 1,418
- Best colleges for biology and pre-med in America#8 of 1,358
Show 27 more
- Best colleges in America#11 of 1,829
- Best colleges for art and design in America#8 of 1,187
- Best colleges for English in America#10 of 1,283
- Best colleges for history in America#10 of 1,247
- Colleges with the highest graduation rates in America#15 of 1,829
- Best colleges for mathematics in America#10 of 1,215
- Best colleges for chemistry in America#10 of 1,162
- Best colleges for political science and pre-law in America#10 of 1,116
- Best colleges for computer science in America#7 of 750
- Best colleges for music in America#10 of 1,063
- Lowest net price for middle-income families in America#8 of 682
- Best colleges for engineering in America#9 of 749
- Best colleges for economics in America#10 of 788
- Best mid-size colleges in America#9 of 667
- Best colleges for NCAA Division I athletes in America#5 of 367
- Colleges with the biggest discount off the sticker price in America#12 of 690
- Colleges that spend the most on teaching in America#16 of 704
- Colleges that pay for themselves fastest in America#15 of 598
- Best value colleges in the Northeast in America#9 of 239
- Best colleges in the Boston area#2 of 51
- Colleges where the most freshmen return in America#28 of 693
- Best colleges under $20,000 a year in America#8 of 197
- Best value colleges in America#35 of 674
- Colleges with the most faculty per student in America#37 of 704
- Colleges with the lowest student debt in America#40 of 684
- Colleges with the best earnings for the price in America#44 of 681
- Most affordable colleges with strong academics in America#169 of 690
In Massachusetts
- Best colleges for education in Massachusetts#1 of 48
- Most selective colleges in Massachusetts#1 of 46
- Colleges with the highest graduation rates in Massachusetts#2 of 67
- Best colleges for marketing in Massachusetts#1 of 28
- Best colleges for psychology in Massachusetts#2 of 51
- Best colleges for business in Massachusetts#2 of 50
Show 25 more
- Colleges with the biggest discount off the sticker price in Massachusetts#2 of 47
- Best value colleges in Massachusetts#2 of 46
- Best value colleges in the Northeast in Massachusetts#2 of 46
- Colleges with the best earnings for the price in Massachusetts#2 of 46
- Colleges where the most freshmen return in Massachusetts#2 of 46
- Lowest net price for middle-income families in Massachusetts#2 of 45
- Best colleges in Massachusetts#3 of 67
- Best colleges for art and design in Massachusetts#2 of 44
- Best colleges for biology and pre-med in Massachusetts#3 of 47
- Colleges that spend the most on teaching in Massachusetts#3 of 47
- Best colleges for English in Massachusetts#3 of 46
- Best colleges for history in Massachusetts#3 of 46
- Best colleges for mathematics in Massachusetts#3 of 43
- Best colleges for political science and pre-law in Massachusetts#3 of 41
- Best colleges for chemistry in Massachusetts#3 of 40
- Best colleges for economics in Massachusetts#3 of 39
- Colleges that pay for themselves fastest in Massachusetts#3 of 38
- Colleges with the lowest student debt in Massachusetts#4 of 46
- Best colleges for engineering in Massachusetts#2 of 22
- Best colleges for computer science in Massachusetts#3 of 33
- Best colleges for music in Massachusetts#3 of 31
- Best mid-size colleges in Massachusetts#3 of 30
- Most affordable colleges with strong academics in Massachusetts#5 of 47
- Best colleges for NCAA Division I athletes in Massachusetts#1 of 9
- Colleges with the most faculty per student in Massachusetts#6 of 47
Academic Excellence
Each measure counts for the share shown.
- Graduation rate 35% of scoreThis measure counts for 35% of the Academic Excellence score.98%
- First-year retention 20% of scoreThis measure counts for 20% of the Academic Excellence score.98%
- Entering students' test scores 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.SAT 1,553 · ACT 35
- Student-to-faculty ratio 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.7 to 1
- Instructional spending per student 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.$51,780
Bars show points on each measure’s scale. How Academic Excellence is computed.
Source: College Scorecard (College Scorecard, most recent cohorts (data release 06/10/2026))
What families pay, by income
Average yearly price after grants and scholarships, for students who receive federal aid.
| Family income | Price after aid |
|---|---|
| Up to $30,000 | |
| $30,001–$48,000 | |
| $48,001–$75,000 | |
| $75,001–$110,000 | |
| Over $110,000 |
Full cost of attendance before aid: $85,540 a year.
Use the college’s net price calculator for your own estimate.
Cost and value
Federal data: what families pay after aid, what graduates earn, and what they owe.
| Undergraduate students Fall enrollment (IPEDS) | 9,095 |
|---|---|
| Men and women College Scorecard, fall 2023 | Men 46% · Women 54% |
| First-generation students College Scorecard | 26% |
| First-year students from another state IPEDS, fall 2023 | 83% |
| Total students | 30,386 |
| Average net price (per year) After grants and scholarships, for students receiving federal aid | $19,066 |
| Cost of attendance (per year) | $85,540 |
| Median federal debt at graduation | $14,000 |
| Graduation rate First-time, full-time students finishing within 150% of normal time | 98% |
| Graduation rate for Pell grant recipients College Scorecard, within 6 years | 93% |
| Graduation rate for first-generation students College Scorecard, within 6 years | 87% |
| Borrowers paying down their loans within 3 years College Scorecard, within 3 years | 71% |
| First-year retention | 98% |
| Median earnings 10 years after entry | $101,817 |
| Admission rate | 4% |
| Application fee IPEDS, 2023–24 | $85 |
| Students receiving Pell grants | 16% |
| Average SAT | 1553 |
|---|---|
| SAT reading & writing | 740–780 |
| SAT math | 770–800 |
| ACT composite | 34–36 |
| Test policy | Required |
Value: Exceptional · Top 4% (how it’s computed)
Sources: College Scorecard · IPEDS College Navigator · Net price calculator
College Scorecard, most recent cohorts (data release 06/10/2026); IPEDS 2024-25 directory and institutional characteristics; fall 2023 enrollment.
Earnings by major
Median earnings of bachelor’s graduates a few years after finishing, by major (College Scorecard).
| Major | Median earnings |
|---|---|
| Statistics | |
| Computer science | |
| Applied mathematics | |
| Economics | |
| Cell/Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences | |
| Political science | |
| Natural Sciences | |
| Social sciences | |
| History | |
| Experimental psychology | |
| English |
Also offered (no earnings published yet): African Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Anthropology, Archeology, Area studies, Astronomy and Astrophysics, Behavioral Sciences, Biochemistry, Biology, Biomedical/Medical Engineering, Business administration, Business/Corporate Communications, Celtic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Chemistry, Classics, Cultural Studies/Critical Theory and Analysis, East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Ecology and evolutionary biology, Education (general), Electrical engineering, Engineering Science, Ethnic and gender studies, Film and video, Fine arts, Geology and earth science, German, Human resources, Information technology, Intelligence, Command Control and Information Operations, Leisure and Recreational Activities, Liberal arts, Linguistics, Marketing, Mathematics, Mechanical engineering, Medieval and Renaissance Studies, Microbiological Sciences and Immunology, Middle/Near Eastern and Semitic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Music, Natural resources and conservation, Neuroscience, Philosophy, Physics, Psychology, Public health, Religious studies, Romance languages, Slavic, Baltic and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Sociology, South Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Southeast Asian and Australasian/Pacific Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Sustainability Studies, Theatre, Theology, Turkic, Uralic-Altaic, Caucasian, and Central Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Visual and performing arts.
What students study most
Share of bachelor’s degrees by field, first majors in 2023–24 (IPEDS).
| Field | Share of degrees |
|---|---|
| Social sciences | |
| Biology | |
| Mathematics and statistics | |
| Computer and information sciences | |
| History |
Campus life
| Setting | City |
|---|---|
| Part-time undergraduates | 6% |
| Undergraduates aged 25 and older | 17% |
| On-campus room and board (per year) | $21,190 |
| Sports | NCAA Division I · Ivy Group |
| ROTC | Army · Navy · Air Force |
| Study abroad | Offered |
| Students per faculty member | 7 to 1 |
| Faculty who are full-time | 87%College Scorecard, fall 2023 |
| Endowment per student | $2,072,556IPEDS, 2023, per student |
| Nearest major airport | Boston Logan International Airport (BOS)About 6 miles away |
| Town population | 118,796Census, 2020–2024 |
| Nearest city of 250,000 people or more | BostonAbout 6 miles away |
| Typical weather | 28°F in January · 74°F in JulyNOAA, 1991–2020, from Jamaica Plain, MA, about 5 miles away |
Federal data (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Campus safety reports
On-campus crimes reported in 2024, per 1,000 students.
| Category | This campus | U.S. rate |
|---|---|---|
| Rape | 0.03 | 0.07 |
| Robbery | 0.01 | 0.01 |
| Aggravated assault | 0.04 | 0.04 |
| Burglary | 0.14 | 0.08 |
| Motor vehicle theft | 0.78 | 0.15 |
Numbers reflect what each campus reported. They differ with campus size and how reporting is done, so compare with care. U.S. rate: total reported offenses divided by total students at every institution in the report.
Questions families ask
- What is Harvard University’s Compass Score?
- Exceptional (grade A+). It ranks in the top 1% of rated colleges. The grade comes from outcomes (40%: graduation, retention and earnings), entering students (40%: test scores and selectivity), cost (15%: debt and price after aid) and teaching (5%: class size), all from federal data.
- How much does Harvard University cost after financial aid?
- The average net price is $19,066 a year for students who receive federal aid, after grants and scholarships. What your family pays depends on income; the college’s net price calculator gives your own estimate.
- How hard is it to get into Harvard University?
- Harvard University admitted 4% of applicants in the most recent federal data.
- How do Harvard University’s graduates do?
- 98% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years; the median earnings of former students ten years after entry are $101,817; the median federal debt at graduation is $14,000.
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About this school’s data
- IPEDS unit ID 166027
- Carnegie classification: Doctoral university (very high research)
- Accreditation: New England Commission of Higher Education (U.S. Department of Education DAPIP)
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