by our College Data Analytics TeamHarvard University is a private not-for-profit institution in Cambridge, Massachusetts enrolling 7,601 undergraduates. It accepts 4% of applicants and has an on-time graduation rate of 98%, above the national average of 33%. College Factual ranks it #26 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in its 2027 Best Colleges ranking (top 1%), and its Value for Your Money analysis rates it a Fair Price.
Source: IPEDS 2025; College Scorecard July 2026; College Factual rankings 2027. Data as of: July 2026.
Harvard University ranks #26 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in College Factual’s 2027 Best Colleges ranking, placing it in the top 1%.
College Factual analyzes over 2,000 colleges and universities in its annual rankings and ranks them in a variety of ways, including most diverse, best overall quality, best for non-traditional students, and much more.
Harvard University was awarded 1639 badges in the 2027 rankings.
College Factual ranked Harvard as #26 out of 5,159 colleges and universities in the country on its 2027 Best Colleges list. This puts it in the top 1% of all schools in the nation!
Harvard also holds the #3 spot on the Best Colleges in Massachusetts ranking.
See all of the rankings for Harvard University.
Harvard University has a very low acceptance rate of 4%, making it one of the most selective out of all the colleges and universities in the nation. It’s probably a good idea to apply to other schools in addition to Harvard just in case you don’t make the cut.
About 54% of students accepted to Harvard submitted their SAT scores. When looking at the 25th through the 75th percentile, SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing scores ranged between 740 and 780. Math scores were between 770 and 800.
Harvard received ACT scores from 19% of accepted students. When looking at the 25th through the 75th percentile, ACT Composite scores ranged between 34 and 36.
Learn more about Harvard University admissions.
The student to faculty ratio at Harvard is an impressive 7 to 1. That’s quite good when you compare it to the national average of 15 to 1. This is a good sign that students at the school will have more opportunities for one-on-one interactions with their professors.
When estimating how much access students will have to their teachers, some people like to look at what percentage of faculty members are full time. This is because part-time teachers may not have as much time to spend on campus as their full-time counterparts.
The full-time faculty percentage at Harvard University is 87%. This is higher than the national average of 47%.
The freshmen retention rate of 98% tells us that most first-year, full-time students like Harvard University enough to come back for another year. This is a fair bit higher than the national average of 68%. That’s certainly something to check off in the good column about the school.
Students are considered to have graduated on time if they finish their studies within four years. At Harvard the on-time graduation rate of first-time, full-time students is 98%. That is great when compared to the national average of 33.3%.
Find out more about the retention and graduation rates at Harvard University.
During the most recent academic year, there were 7,601 undergraduates at Harvard.
Get more detailed information on the diversity at Harvard University.
The average net price of Harvard is $17,140. The affordability of the school largely depends on your financial need since net price varies by income group. See the table below for the net price for different income groups.
| $0-30 K | $30K-48K | $48-75 | $75-110K | $110K + |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $8,697 | $2,991 | $2,091 | $9,941 | $53,337 |
The net price is calculated by adding tuition, room, board and other costs and subtracting financial aid. Note that the net price is typically less than the published price for a school. For more information on the sticker price of Harvard, see our tuition and fees and room and board pages.
While almost two-thirds of students nationwide take out loans to pay for college, the percentage may be quite different for the school you plan on attending. At Harvard, approximately 4% of students took out student loans averaging $7,926 a year. That adds up to $31,704 over four years for those students. The student loan default rate is 1.4%. This is significantly lower than the national default rate of 10.1%, which is a good sign that you’ll be able to pay back your student loans. Get more details about paying for Harvard University.
The pay for some majors is higher than others, but on average, students who graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Harvard University make about $101,817 a year during their first few years of employment after graduation. That’s great news for Harvard University students since it is 107% more than the average college graduate’s salary of $49,219 per year.
See which majors at Harvard University make the most money.
Harvard University is an private not-for-profit institution located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The surrounding area of the school is a good match for students who enjoy city life. Get more details about the location of Harvard University.
Contact details for Harvard University are given below.
| Contact Details | |
|---|---|
| Address: | Massachusetts Hall, Cambridge, MA 02138 |
| Phone: | 6174951000 |
| Website: | www.harvard.edu |
| Wikipedia: | en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvard_University |
| Facebook: | facebook.com/harvard |
| Twitter: | twitter.com/harvard |
In the most recent reporting year, students from 28 majors graduated from Harvard University. The following table lists the most popular undergraduate majors along with the average salary graduates from those majors make.
| Most Popular Majors | Completions | Average Salary of Graduates |
|---|---|---|
| Multi-Disciplinary Studies | 11,456 | NA |
| Management Sciences & Methods | 984 | NA |
| Law | 603 | $184,307 |
| Educational Assessment | 578 | NA |
| Economics | 464 | $89,515 |
| Sustainability Science | 422 | NA |
| General Social Sciences | 392 | $42,926 |
| Public Health | 387 | $122,245 |
| Computer Science | 358 | $140,072 |
| Business Administration & Management | 303 | $76,078 |
1,373 students took at least one online class at Harvard University.
Online learning options are becoming more and more popular at American colleges and universities. Online classes are great for students who have busy schedules or for those who just want to study on their own time.
Learn more about online learning at Harvard University.
Interested in comparing Harvard? Pit them head to head with College Combat, our free tool for head-to-head college comparisons.
Footnotes
*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.
References