Harvard University: Rankings, Cost, Programs, Placements

Yes, Harvard University admission requirements for international students includes English language requirements, which can be fulfilled by submitting one of the following globally recognised English proficiency exam scores;

Note: Applicants must meet the English proficiency requirement prior to registering for course (s). Therefore, they are encouraged to submit documents before the start of registration.

The English language proficiency scores must be submitted by the following deadlines:

• Fall term: Aug 24, 2024
• January term: Dec 14, 2024
• Spring term: Jan 11, 2025

Note: Documents submitted post this deadline may not be eligible for review at Harvard University. Hence, students must be mindful of the same and apply to the university within the deadline, along with submitting all the relevant documents required by Harvard.

Harvard University has a great reputation because of its esteemed faculty, multi-talented, top-rated facilities and high-achieving students, tremendous endowment fund and international prestige. In short, Harvard University is known for its world-renowned faculty, state-of-the-art resources and individualized instruction. It is also a diverse university and students at Harvard represent all fifty states and more than 140 nationalities around the globe. These students from over the world and the U.S. bring their talent, intelligence, and curiosity to Harvard.

Harvard University provides students the opportunity to apply under either Restrictive Early Action or Regular Decision program, both of which allow the candidate to compare admission and financial aid offers from other institutions and to wait until May 1 to make a final college choice.

• For the Restrictive Early Action, the final date to apply is Nov 1, 2024
• For the Regular Decision Program, the final date to apply is Jan 1, 2025

Students can apply to Harvard using the Common Application or the Coalition Application.

Most of the Harvard University graduates get placed in industries such as Business Development, Education, Operations, Research, Media & Communication, Engineering, and more, as per the historical data of the university's alumni. Given below is a graphical representation of the top industries in which the Harvard University graduates work:

Note: In the above pie chart, Others include Entrepreneurship, Sales, Consulting, Marketing, and Human Resources.

Harvard University is culturally a very rich institution and admits diverse students with far-ranging talents and interests from every part of the globe. Total student head count is 25,266 and international students make up about 15.4% of Harvard University total student population.

Harvard University admission statistics:

Harvard University offers a wide-number of part-time courses for their international students. In order to pursue these courses, candidates must complete an application for part-time study and meet one of the following conditions:

• needs to care for small children at home; or
• experiences personal ill health or severe illness of other family members; or
• is under extreme financial strain and has dependents; or
• is a master’s student in their final term of enrollment.

Harvard University was founded in the year 1636, making it the the oldest university in the United States. It was established post the approval of the Great and General Court of the Governor and Company of the Massachusetts Bay in New England. Initially, the university was named Colledge. In 1638, it was renamed to Cambridge.

In 1638, John Harvard, an English clergyman donated his library consisting of around 400 books and half his estate to the university. As a token of appreciation, the university was renamed as Harvard University.

Harvard University is the the oldest institute of higher education in the US. It was established in 1636. In short, Harvard is devoted to excellence in teaching, learning, and research, and to developing leaders who make a difference in the world. Due to the world-renowned faculty, state-of-the-art resources, and individualized instruction, Harvard University is one of the best places to pursue higher studies. A few reasons to makes this one-of-a-kind university the best place for studies are:

• With extracurricular activities, Harvard has various clubs and organizations for students. Many of these are involved in their particular field such as Crimson with Journalism, the Institute of Politics with Government, and the Lampoon with comedy
• Harvard’s library system is the the largest private library system in the world with 17 million volumes. So, students do not have to go anywhere else in order to find a particular book or paper
• Harvard is right outside Boston, so there are ample things in Boston as well as in the campus itself. In the context of weather, most of the time it is Fall weather. But in Jan and Feb, it does snow.

In the context of undergraduate courses, Harvard College is a close-knit undergraduate community within Harvard University. With world-class faculty, commitment to bright, talented students, and groundbreaking research opportunities, Harvard is more than just place to get education. In other words, it is a place where students come to get transformed. From the viewpoint of Harvard University campus life, there are 500+ student organizations and 3,400+ students participating in the Arts. Also, note that nearly 80% of Harvard students participate in athletics. Furthermore, from physical health to mental and emotional wellness, the student wellness remains an important priority.

Being one of the elitist and the oldest institutes in the world, Harvard University seems like a dream place for higher studies. A few reasons which make Harvard a great place to study are:

• If the students’ family make less than USD 85,000, then students might study for free at Harvard. On an average 24% of families pay nothing. Note that 100% of students can graduate debt-free. The financial aid works as per need-blind admissions and 100% need-based aid. Do check how the financial aid works at Harvard
• Harvard has the largest endowment of any college or university in the US with USD 5.9 billion (the university’s annual operating expenses in the 2023 fiscal year)
• Another reason that makes Harvard a big deal is that it has produced more US presidents than any other US institution. A few of the renowned personalities who went to Harvard are Barack Obama, Bill Gates, Ratan Tata, John F. Kennedy, Mark Zuckerberg, Natalie Portman, etc.

If students are pursuing UG courses, then their course duration would be 4-year. Hence, it would take 4 years to stay at this university. For the PG course, the duration varies from course to course. But, on an average students can expect to stay between 1 year – 3 years at Harvard. From the table given below, check the course duration at Harvard:

Harvard University application requirements is the same for US residents as well as overseas applicants. Hence, in order to apply for Harvard University admissions, all the first-year candidates must complete the Common Application or the Coalition Application along with the required supplements. Harvard is unbiased and has no preference. Each application is treated equally by the Admissions Committee of Harvard University.

Harvard University accepts international applications through two application types: Restrictive Early Action or Regular Decision program. Once an applicant has applied for Harvard University admissions, it takes the university about 6 - 8 weeks to take a decision and notify the students. Listed below are the Harvard University decision dates for international students:

• Restrictive Early Action candidates will receive notification by Mid-Dec, 2024.
• Regular Decision candidates will receive notification by the Mar-End, 2025.

Harvard University is one of the most competitive universities worldwide and as mentioned, getting into it extremely difficult. For the Class of 2025, the university received 8,149 applications for the MBA program. Out of these, only 938 students managed to get an admission offer.

In order to secure an enrollment in the Harvard MBA program, candidates must fulfill the admission requirements listed below:

• College/university transcripts: Since Harvard is a very selective university, students must possess exceptional academic grades, and be at the top of their class.
• GPA requirements: On a the US 4.0 scale, the average GPA of the students admitted in the Harvard MBA course is 3.73.
• Letters of recommendation: Candidates must submit two very strong letters of recommendation within the deadlines as it is one of the most crucial factors for admissions.
• Statement of purpose: In order to connect with the admissions committee and stand out among all the deserving candidates, an essay/statement of purpose plays the deciding role.
• Proof of English language proficiency: Candidates who submit very high English proficiency exam scores stand a good chance to get enrolled in Harvard University.
• Resume/CV: It is an applicant's resume that makes them shine apart. Candidates must keep in mind that they need to be an all rounder to get into the university. Hence, activities outside also play a very important role.
• GMAT/GRE score: Harvard does not have a minimum GMAT/GRE score requirement. However, the average GMAT score submitted by the admitted applicants is in the range 500 - 790. Whereas, the average GRE score is around 163 each for median verbal and median quantitative.
• Work experience: On an average, the applicants who get admitted in MBA at Harvard have a work experience of 5 years.

Harvard is launching a Mignone Center for Career Success for undergraduate students, which will emphasize on career advising. Also, the university offers a variety of summer programs for research opportunities. When it comes to the placement cell, Harvard has an Office of Career Services (OCS), which provides public service-themed events throughout the year, along with daily walk-in hours. Some other facilities provided by the OCS include post-graduate fellowships, summer internships, in-depth consultations, domestic and international internship opportunities, and more.

Harvard University is a part of the prestigious Ivy League universities, which offers more than 50 fields of study to undergraduates and over 100 graduate courses. On an average, the annual tuition fees required to pursue a degree course at Harvard is around 40 L, which makes it an expensive study-abroad option for Indian students. However, the return on investment is quite impressive as Harvard University offers package in crores to top-tier students. Check out the table listed below for course-specific fees requirements:

The Harvard Business School at Harvard University offers need-based and merit scholarships to international students. The average range of scholarship amount offered is USD 46,000 per academic year. The Harvard MBA Scholarship has the following eligibility criteria:

• Excellent academic background;
• Scholarship can be offered to students with any nationality; and
• Students can apply only after receiving an offer from the Harvard MBA course. 

This scholarship will offer financial aid for up to 75% of the tuition fees and travel as well as accommodation expenses will be covered.