Harvard's traditional excellence has drawn students from all 50 states and more than 80 countries. The students come from many walks of life and diverse backgrounds.
Harvard has been educating future leaders for endeavors including academics and the arts, as well as public service and private industry.
Students who graduate from Harvard College have high rates of admission for Harvard's Graduate School as well as many other top university graduate schools.
The application process has many requirements. The following is a list of required documentation to submit along with the application:
Application
It is acceptable to use the Common Application or the Universal College Application.
$75 Application Fee or Waiver
The fee can be submitted online with the application, or you can send a check to:
Harvard College Admissions
86 Brattle Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
Harvard Supplement
The Harvard Supplement can be filled out online while filling out the application. It can also be printed and mailed to the admissions office.
SAT I or ACT and Three SAT II Subject Tests
The scores from these tests must be officially submitted.
There are no cut-off scores. Harvard does not admit by the numbers. Test scores for the middle 50 percent of recently admitted classes range from 700 to 790 on the SAT critical reading section and 690 to 790 on the SAT math section, according to Harvard's Website.
Harvard's school code for submitting scores is 3434 for the SAT I and SAT II and 1840 for the ACT.
Secondary School Report and Mid-year School Report
These reports must be filled out by your school guidance counselor. The secondary school report needs to be submitted with the application and the mid-year school report should be submitted in February.
Two Teacher Evaluations
The evaluations must be completed by two teachers in different subjects.
There are no rigid grade requirements for Harvard, but most admitted students rank in the top 10 to 15 percent of their graduating classes.
There is no single academic path for students to follow to be admitted to Harvard College. However, Harvard recommends four years of English, including writing; four years of science, which could include biology, chemistry, physics and an advanced course in one of the subjects; three years of history, including American and European; and four years of a foreign language.
It is recommended that students take the most demanding classes available.
Harvard College does not have an admissions formula for accepting new students. Academic accomplishment in high school is still important, but other criteria are also evaluated. These criteria include community involvement, leadership, extracurricular activities and other personal qualities.
Harvard seeks to enroll well-rounded students, who have participated in different roles in the community or academic research and study. Harvard also admits students with demonstrated excellence in one particular area, academic or extracurricular. Like other colleges, Harvard wants a diverse, interesting student body.