by our College Data Analytics TeamThe majority of students will not be asked to pay the complete price tag of a school. Rather, they are presented a financial aid deal that includes a mix of loans, grants, scholarships, and possibly work-study opportunities. The total cost of going to Harvard University can seem overwhelming, but bear in mind that many students are given some form of financial aid.
Just what financing solutions does Harvard deliver, and just what are you going to be eligible for? Keep scrolling for answers. Read on to see just how much financial aid could be open to you.
Your financial aid package, which may contain grants and scholarships, will be determined on your financial need. Continue reading to find information to help you understand just how much assistance you can expect to receive from Harvard University.
Financial aid, in the form of loans, grants, work-study, and scholarships, is one way colleges reduce the cost of attendance so most students can actually afford to attend. Note that some aid is more valuable than the rest, and individual awards are far from uniform.
Among first-time, full-time freshmen at Harvard University, 72% of the incoming full-time class was awarded financial aid some 1180 first-years).
| Type of Aid | % of Freshmen Receiving | Average Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Grant or scholarship aid (all sources) | 56% | $68,015 |
| Institutional grants & scholarships | 56% | $65,260 |
| Federal Pell grants | 20% | $5,909 |
| State/local grants | 3% | $2,710 |
| Federal student loans | 4% | $5,250 |
Gift aid — grants and scholarships — beats loans every time because none of it has to be repaid. At Harvard, approximately 50% of undergraduates were awarded grant or scholarship aid averaging $59,539 (among about 4505 awardees).
| Award | % of Undergrads Receiving | Average Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Grant or scholarship aid (all sources) | 50% | $59,539 |
| Federal Pell grants | 16% | $5,744 |
| Federal student loans | 4% | $7,926 |
For on-campus title-IV students, average grant aid came to $66,474.
The figures below show the average net price — cost after all grant and scholarship aid — broken out by family income.
| Family Income | Average Net Price |
|---|---|
| $0 – $48,000 | $2,623 |
| $30,001 – $75,000 | $2,297 |
| Over $75,000 | $39,265 |
These figures reflect what title-IV aid recipients pay after grant and scholarship aid is applied.
The net price strips out grant and scholarship aid from the sticker price to show roughly what families really pay.
| Cohort | Average Net Price |
|---|---|
| On-campus title-IV students | $19,066 |
| Off-campus title-IV students | $16,816 |
For a personalized estimate based on your family’s financial situation, use Harvard’s net price calculator: college.harvard.edu/financial-aid/net-price-calculator.
The median federal debt load at Harvard comes to $12,500 of federal borrowing.
| Metric | Amount |
|---|---|
| Median federal debt (all student-aid borrowers) | $12,500 |
| Median federal debt (graduates only) | $14,000 |
| Typical 10-year monthly payment (graduates) | $148.42/mo |
The 10-year payment estimate assumes a standard federal repayment plan and the median graduate debt amount.
Percentiles reveal the spread — half of all borrowers fall between the 25th and 75th percentiles. The figures below chart the debt distribution at Harvard.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $2,700 |
| 25th percentile | $4,379 |
| 75th percentile | $16,135 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $29,889 |
The figures below break down median federal debt by income tier, first-generation status, and dependency.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $12,500 |
| Middle income | $13,250 |
| High income | $11,535 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Median Debt
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $12,736 |
| Continuing-generation students | $11,535 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $8,067 |
| Independent students | $17,977 |
The Department of Education computes summary indicators that describe debt outcomes at a glance. Harvard.
Stafford loans make up the bulk of federal direct lending to undergraduates. These figures summarize annual Stafford program activity at Harvard:
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Stafford loan recipients | 25887 |
| Total Stafford loan amount | $809,345,210 |
Military-affiliated students can tap the Post-9/11 GI Bill and DoD Tuition Assistance.
GI Bill volume
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| GI Bill recipients | 394 |
| Total GI Bill amount | $9,293,345 |
| Average GI Bill amount per recipient | $23,587 |
Active-duty Tuition Assistance recipients
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| DoD Tuition Assistance recipients | 57 |
| Total DoD amount | $165,973 |
| Average DoD amount per recipient | $2,912 |
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.