Harvard University : Overview, Courses, Scholarships & Rankings
About Harvard University
Under old elms in a red-brick yard, students trade ideas that roll from class to lunch to late-night study. Harvard is known for rigorous teaching and research across the humanities, social sciences, sciences and engineering. You'll find quiet stacks and light-filled studios, galleries and maker spaces, plus advising, tutoring and health support that keep people grounded. It's a lot, in the best way.
Campus life leans lively and curious. Residential houses build tight-knit communities with quirky traditions, and there's plenty of a cappella, theater, debate and pick-up games by the river. Career services and faculty mentors help students test-drive paths through internships and research, with alumni connections reaching into government, media, tech, finance and nonprofits around Boston and beyond. The setting in Cambridge means cafés, bookstores, labs and museums close by. Notable alumni include Barack Obama, John F. Kennedy, Natalie Portman and W. E. B. Du Bois.
Key Institutional Details
Contact & Profile
Academic & Institutional
Academic Programs & Fields of Study
Harvard University offers 173 degree programs across 27 major academic fields, graduating approximately 11,140 students annually. The most popular fields by graduate volume are Business (15 programs, 2,081 graduates), Social Sciences (11 programs, 1,240 graduates), Health (19 programs, 893 graduates), Education (8 programs, 811 graduates) and Law (2 programs, 804 graduates). Explore program details, award levels, and graduate demographics below.
Business (15 programs, 2,081 graduates)
Business Administration, Marketing and Entrepreneurship
| Program Name | Graduates | Gender Distribution | Award Levels | CIP Code |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods | 1,023 |
|
Master's
Doctorate (R)
|
52.1399 |
| Organizational Behavior | 238 |
|
Postbac Cert.
Master's
Residency
|
52.1003 |
| Business Administration and Management | 225 |
|
Master's
|
52.0201 |
| Finance, General | 162 |
|
Postbac Cert.
Master's
|
52.0801 |
| Real Estate | 78 |
|
Postbac Cert.
|
52.1501 |
| Business Communications | 66 |
|
Postbac Cert.
Other Award
|
52.0501 |
| Project Management | 57 |
|
Postbac Cert.
Residency
|
52.0211 |
| Management Science | 54 |
|
Postbac Cert.
|
52.1301 |
| Investments and Securities | 51 |
|
Postbac Cert.
|
52.0807 |
| Marketing Management | 35 |
|
Postbac Cert.
|
52.1401 |
| Business Administration | 32 |
|
Master's
|
52.0101 |
| Nonprofit and Organizational Management | 25 |
|
Postbac Cert.
|
52.0206 |
| Business Economics | 18 |
|
Postbac Cert.
Master's
|
52.0601 |
| Entrepreneurship Studies | 16 |
|
Postbac Cert.
|
52.0701 |
| Research and Development Management | 1 |
|
Master's
|
52.0210 |
Social Sciences (11 programs, 1,240 graduates)
Sociology, Anthropology and Political Science Studies
| Program Name | Graduates | Gender Distribution | Award Levels | CIP Code |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Econometrics and Quantitative Economics | 423 |
|
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctorate (R)
|
45.0603 |
| Political Science and Government | 250 |
|
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctorate (R)
|
45.1001 |
| Social Sciences | 163 |
|
Bachelor's
|
45.0101 |
| Research and Quantitative Methods | 139 |
|
Master's
|
45.0102 |
| International Relations | 125 |
|
Postbac Cert.
Master's
|
45.0901 |
| Sociology | 56 |
|
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctorate (R)
|
45.1101 |
| Anthropology | 48 |
|
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctorate (R)
|
45.0201 |
| National Security Policy | 21 |
|
Postbac Cert.
|
45.0902 |
| Urban Studies and Affairs | 12 |
|
Master's
|
45.1201 |
| Anthropology | 2 |
|
Doctorate (R)
|
45.0202 |
| Political Science and Government | 1 |
|
Doctorate (R)
|
45.1099 |
Health (19 programs, 893 graduates)
Healthcare Professions, Medical Sciences and Clinical Practice
| Program Name | Graduates | Gender Distribution | Award Levels | CIP Code |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Health | 356 |
|
Master's
Doctorate (R)
|
51.2201 |
| Medicine | 182 |
|
Doctorate (P)
|
51.1201 |
| Bioethics and Medical Ethics | 73 |
|
Master's
|
51.3201 |
| Medical Informatics | 52 |
|
Master's
Doctorate (R)
|
51.2706 |
| Medical Science | 35 |
|
Master's
|
51.1401 |
| Dentistry | 33 |
|
Doctorate (P)
|
51.0401 |
| Pre-Medicine | 26 |
|
Postbac Cert.
|
51.1102 |
| Health Administration and Management | 24 |
|
Master's
|
51.0701 |
| Health Services Administration | 24 |
|
Master's
|
51.2211 |
| Environmental Health | 19 |
|
Master's
|
51.2202 |
| Oral Biology and Maxillofacial Pathology | 16 |
|
Master's
|
51.0503 |
| Advanced General Dentistry | 14 |
|
Post-Master's
|
51.0502 |
| International Public Health | 12 |
|
Master's
|
51.2210 |
| Health Behavior | 9 |
|
Postbac Cert.
|
51.2212 |
| Dental Clinical Sciences | 8 |
|
Post-Master's
Doctorate (R)
|
51.0501 |
| Pediatric Dentistry | 5 |
|
Post-Master's
|
51.0509 |
| Dental Public Health and Education | 2 |
|
Master's
Post-Master's
|
51.0504 |
| Public Health | 2 |
|
Master's
|
51.2299 |
| Orofacial Pain and Temporomandibular Disorders | 1 |
|
Post-Master's
|
51.1404 |
Education (8 programs, 811 graduates)
Educational Sciences, Teaching Methods and Pedagogy
| Program Name | Graduates | Gender Distribution | Award Levels | CIP Code |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Learning Sciences | 293 |
|
Master's
|
13.0607 |
| Educational Evaluation and Research | 288 |
|
Master's
|
13.0601 |
| Instructional Technology | 180 |
|
Postbac Cert.
Master's
|
13.0501 |
| Mathematics Teacher Education | 16 |
|
Master's
|
13.1311 |
| General Education | 11 |
|
Master's
Doctorate (R)
|
13.0101 |
| School Counseling and Guidance | 9 |
|
Postbac Cert.
|
13.1101 |
| Multicultural Education | 8 |
|
Doctorate (R)
|
13.0202 |
| Curriculum and Instruction | 6 |
|
Postbac Cert.
|
13.0301 |
Law (2 programs, 804 graduates)
Legal Studies, Jurisprudence and Professional Law Practice
| Program Name | Graduates | Gender Distribution | Award Levels | CIP Code |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Law | 622 |
|
Doctorate (P)
|
22.0101 |
| Advanced Legal Research and Studies | 182 |
|
Master's
Doctorate (R)
|
22.0201 |
Interdisciplinary (10 programs, 784 graduates)
Cross-Disciplinary Studies and Integrated Research Programs
| Program Name | Graduates | Gender Distribution | Award Levels | CIP Code |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sustainability Studies | 379 |
|
Postbac Cert.
Master's
Residency
|
30.3301 |
| Museum Studies | 85 |
|
Postbac Cert.
Master's
|
30.1401 |
| Systems Science and Theory | 82 |
|
Master's
|
30.0601 |
| Behavioral Sciences | 80 |
|
Postbac Cert.
Master's
|
30.1701 |
| Cultural Studies and Critical Theory | 67 |
|
Postbac Cert.
Master's
Other Award
|
30.2601 |
| Natural Sciences | 46 |
|
Bachelor's
|
30.1801 |
| Intercultural and Diversity Studies | 37 |
|
Postbac Cert.
|
30.2301 |
| Data Science | 4 |
|
Residency
|
30.7001 |
| Ancient Studies and Civilization | 2 |
|
Doctorate (R)
|
30.2201 |
| Classical and Ancient Studies | 2 |
|
Doctorate (R)
|
30.2202 |
Biological Sciences (21 programs, 780 graduates)
Life Sciences, Biotechnology and Biomedical Research
| Program Name | Graduates | Gender Distribution | Award Levels | CIP Code |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Epidemiology | 134 |
|
Master's
Doctorate (R)
|
26.1309 |
| Neuroscience | 90 |
|
Bachelor's
|
26.1501 |
| Evolutionary Biology | 77 |
|
Bachelor's
Master's
|
26.1303 |
| Cell and Molecular Biology | 73 |
|
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctorate (R)
|
26.0406 |
| Biomedical Sciences | 56 |
|
Doctorate (R)
|
26.0102 |
| Biology and Biological Sciences | 53 |
|
Postbac Cert.
Master's
Doctorate (R)
|
26.0101 |
| Biostatistics | 50 |
|
Master's
Doctorate (R)
|
26.1102 |
| Biotechnology | 50 |
|
Postbac Cert.
Master's
Doctorate (R)
|
26.1201 |
| Developmental Biology | 37 |
|
Bachelor's
Doctorate (R)
|
26.0404 |
| Infectious Disease and Global Health | 27 |
|
Master's
|
26.0509 |
| Neurobiology and Anatomy | 27 |
|
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctorate (R)
|
26.1503 |
| Systematic Biology | 18 |
|
Master's
Doctorate (R)
|
26.1308 |
| Biochemistry | 16 |
|
Master's
Doctorate (R)
|
26.0202 |
| Computational Biology | 16 |
|
Master's
|
26.1104 |
| Bioinformatics | 12 |
|
Postbac Cert.
Master's
|
26.1103 |
| Virology | 11 |
|
Doctorate (R)
|
26.0504 |
| Immunology | 11 |
|
Doctorate (R)
|
26.0507 |
| Biological and Biomedical Sciences | 10 |
|
Master's
Doctorate (R)
|
26.9999 |
| Biophysics | 9 |
|
Master's
Doctorate (R)
|
26.0203 |
| Genome Sciences and Genomics | 2 |
|
Doctorate (R)
|
26.0807 |
| Microbiology and Immunology | 1 |
|
Doctorate (R)
|
26.0508 |
Computer & IT (7 programs, 515 graduates)
Computer Science, Information Technology and Cybersecurity
| Program Name | Graduates | Gender Distribution | Award Levels | CIP Code |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Computer Science | 290 |
|
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctorate (R)
|
11.0701 |
| Computer and Information Sciences | 67 |
|
Postbac Cert.
Master's
|
11.0101 |
| Information Systems Security and Auditing | 57 |
|
Postbac Cert.
Master's
|
11.1003 |
| Web and Multimedia Management | 41 |
|
Postbac Cert.
Other Award
|
11.1004 |
| Computer Programming | 35 |
|
Postbac Cert.
Other Award
|
11.0201 |
| Information Science | 21 |
|
Master's
|
11.0401 |
| Data Modeling and Database Administration | 4 |
|
Residency
|
11.0802 |
Public Services (5 programs, 433 graduates)
Public Administration, Social Work and Community Services
| Program Name | Graduates | Gender Distribution | Award Levels | CIP Code |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Administration | 263 |
|
Master's
|
44.0401 |
| Public Policy Analysis | 156 |
|
Master's
|
44.0501 |
| Education Policy Analysis | 9 |
|
Doctorate (R)
|
44.0502 |
| Health Policy Analysis | 3 |
|
Master's
|
44.0503 |
| Public Policy Analysis | 2 |
|
Doctorate (R)
|
44.0599 |
Engineering (8 programs, 370 graduates)
Engineering Sciences and Applied Technology Solutions
| Program Name | Graduates | Gender Distribution | Award Levels | CIP Code |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engineering Science | 182 |
|
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctorate (R)
|
14.1301 |
| Computer Engineering | 60 |
|
Master's
|
14.0901 |
| Software Engineering | 33 |
|
Master's
|
14.0903 |
| Mechanical Engineering | 33 |
|
Bachelor's
|
14.1901 |
| Engineering Physics | 29 |
|
Master's
Doctorate (R)
|
14.1201 |
| Biomedical Engineering | 20 |
|
Bachelor's
Master's
|
14.0501 |
| Electrical and Electronics Engineering | 10 |
|
Bachelor's
|
14.1001 |
| Operations Research | 3 |
|
Doctorate (R)
|
14.3701 |
Admission Requirements & Test Scores
Comprehensive overview of admission criteria, standardized test score ranges, and application requirements for prospective students at Harvard University.
Application Requirements
Data based on IPEDS for 2022-2023 academic year. Test score ranges represent the middle 50% of admitted students (25th-75th percentile). Requirements may vary by program.
Tuition, Fees & Estimated Costs
Overview of tuition rates, housing, and other annual education expenses for undergraduate and graduate students
Financial Aid & Student Support
Summary of scholarships, grants, student loans, and financial aid statistics for undergraduate students
Student Success Metrics
Graduation rates and post-graduation earnings to help assess student outcomes and long-term value of education.
Loan Burden & Repayment Outcomes
Breakdown of loan repayment rates and student debt levels by income and dependency status.
Frequently Asked Questions
Find answers to the most common questions about Harvard University
How much does it cost to attend Harvard University?
The annual tuition at Harvard University is $59,076 for in-state students. When including room and board, books, and other expenses, the total estimated cost is approximately $86,705 for in-state students. Additional costs include room and board $20,374 (on-campus) and books and supplies $1,000.
Data based on IPEDS program completions for 2022-2023 academic year. Tuition and cost estimates are approximate and may not include all fees, personal expenses, or transportation costs.
What academic programs and degree levels does Harvard University offer?
Harvard University offers 173 academic programs across 27 major fields of study, with available degree levels: Associate's, Bachelor's, Postbac Cert., Master's, Post-Master's, Doctorate (Research), Doctorate (Professional), Other Award.
Most popular program areas include:
- Business Administration, Marketing and Entrepreneurship (15 programs)
- Sociology, Anthropology and Political Science Studies (11 programs)
- Healthcare Professions, Medical Sciences and Clinical Practice (19 programs)
- Educational Sciences, Teaching Methods and Pedagogy (8 programs)
- Legal Studies, Jurisprudence and Professional Law Practice (2 programs)
Data based on IPEDS program completions for 2023-2024 academic year. Numbers reflect programs where students graduated, not all offered programs.
What is the acceptance rate for Harvard University?
Harvard University has an 3.5% acceptance rate and a 83.7% yield rate, making it highly selective.
Admission statistics breakdown:
- Total applicants: 56,937
- Students admitted: 1,965
- Students enrolled: 1,645
Data based on IPEDS for 2022-2023 academic year. Admission statistics may vary by program and application cycle.
What financial aid and scholarships are available at Harvard University?
Harvard University provides financial aid to 18% of first-time, full-time students, with average grants of $64,942 and average loans of $8,729.
Average financial aid amounts by type:
- Pell grants: $5,438
- State/Local grants: $2,708
- Institutional grants: $62,073
- Federal loans: $5,101
The university supports 932 students with grants and 145 students with loans annually.
Data based on IPEDS for 2022-2023 academic year. Financial aid amounts and percentages may vary by program, enrollment status, and individual circumstances.
What is the average salary for Harvard University graduates?
Harvard University graduates earn a median salary of $99,572 after 6 years and $101,817 after 10 years.
The salary range 10 years after graduation spans from $65,309 (25th percentile) to $200,054 (75th percentile), with top earners reaching $250,000 (90th percentile).
Data based on IPEDS for 2022-2023 academic year. Salary data reflects graduates who received federal financial aid (approximately 60% of all graduates). Actual earnings may vary significantly based on program, location, and individual circumstances.
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