Today's Harvard

There has never been a more exciting time to be at Harvard. Founded in 1636, America's first college has been transformed in recent years by new initiatives that have greatly enhanced the undergraduate experience. Today's students come from all over the nation and the world to attend an extraordinary institution that combines many aspects of a small residential college with the resources of an unparalleled research university.

ACADEMIC LIFE:

• A new Program in General Education
• A quadrupling of the number of freshman seminars to nearly 130
• A curriculum unsurpassed in breadth and depth across the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences, including the new School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
• Nearly 3500 courses, 45 fields of study, and a median class size of 12
• Greatly expanded study abroad opportunities
• The world's largest university library system
• Unmatched access to university research centers, institutes, museums and faculty

RESIDENTIAL LIFE:

• A welcoming community in historic Harvard Yard where students enjoy the personal attention and support of a specially designed freshman year
• A “home away from home,” created by America's first of its kind residential House system, offering a “small college” experience led by a senior faculty member and a staff of experienced resident advisers
• A doubling of the number of freshmen advisers to over 400, nearly 200 Peer Advising Fellows, 60 resident proctors, and a newly restructured Office of Career, Research and International Opportunities that helps students prepare for virtually any opportunity after graduation
• Close student and faculty collaboration in coursework and research, with $4.5 million earned by students pursuing research during the school year and summer
• Over 400 extracurricular activities and forty-one intercollegiate athletic teams
• A remarkable 97-98% graduation rate

FINANCIAL AID:

• A new sweeping financial aid initiative that makes Harvard affordable for all, including international students
• Loans are not required; home equity is not used in aid calculations
• Over 70% of our students receive some form of financial aid
• The majority of families receiving financial aid contribute 0-10% of their annual income (if they do not have unusual financial assets)
• Aid available for some families with incomes above $200,000 facing unusual financial challenges
• A new online Net Price Calculator provides a personalized financial aid estimate

In addition to our outstanding faculty – actively involved in the teaching of undergraduates – perhaps our greatest asset is our student body. Remarkably diverse in their achievements and backgrounds, Harvard students come from public, private, and parochial schools, from every state and many foreign countries, as well as from all socio-economic, ethnic, and racial backgrounds.

We hope you will take the time to visit our extensive on-line resources, come to Cambridge for a group information session and a tour, or stay overnight to sample life as a Harvard student firsthand. Perhaps you will discover that the vibrant atmosphere of the Harvard campus provides the right college match for you.

When you come, we hope you will explore the Boston area, often referred to as America's premier “college town” with 200,000 college students in 50 institutions. Full of history and colonial charm, Cambridge and Boston have been renewed and re-vitalized with a superb public transportation system that make all of its attractions easy to reach.

While Harvard honors the College Board's new Score Choice program and even allows you to submit tests taken in January for consideration, we hope you will have completed and submitted at least one component of the required tests (SAT or ACT with Writing and two College Board Subject Tests) by the November series. This will allow us to begin our evaluation process for those submitting applications by December 1 or thereafter.