Harvard University

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 HarvardHarvard 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.

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.

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 comedyHarvard’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 paperHarvard 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.

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:CoursesDuration & EligibilityMBA/PGDM( 6 courses)Duration: 9 months-2 yearsExam Accepted: IELTS: 7 - 7.5, TOEFL: 100 & Above, Duolingo: 125 & AboveMS (16 courses)Duration: 1 year-3 yearsExam Accepted: TOEFL: 80 - 103, IELTS: 6.5 - 7.5, Duolingo: 125 & AboveBBA (1 course)Duration: 4 yearsExam Accepted: TOEFLMD (1 course)Duration: 4 yearsExam Accepted: IELTS: 7.5 & Above, TOEFL, PTE, Duolingo: 103 & AboveBA (24 courses)Duration: 4 yearsExam Accepted: TOEFL, SATBE / BTech (5 courses)Duration: 4 yearsExam Accepted: TOEFLBSc (17 courses)Duration: 4 yearsExam Accepted: TOEFLMIM (4 courses)Duration: 9 months-2 yearsExam Accepted: IELTS: 7 - 7.5, TOEFL: 100 & Above, Duolingo: 125 & Above, PTE: 70 & Above, GMAT, GRELLM (1 course)Duration: 1 yearExam Accepted: TOEFL: 100 & AboveMA (16 courses)Duration: 12 months-3 yearsExam Accepted: TOEFL: 80 - 100, IELTS: 6.5 - 7, PTE: 70 & Above, Duolingo: 125 & Above, GRE

As it is widely known that to get into Harvard is quite selective at the time of admission. Even though academic achievement is one of the important factor that is considered during the admission process, there are some other factors that are considered for granting admission. As such there is no formula for gaining admission to Harvard. Apart from the academic accomplishment, the Admissions Committee considers the following factors too:Community involvement;Leadership;Distinction in extra-curricular activities;Personal qualities;Character of applicants;Teachers, counselors, alumni viewpoints for a student;Applicants’ ability to overcome adversity; and more.Speaking of the selectivity of Harvard, according to Harvard Magazine, 1,937 of the 54,008 applicants to class were granted admission for the Class of 2028 admissions, which is equivalent to 3.6%.

The University of Pennsylvania and Harvard University, both are the most reputed institutions in the USA. There is no comparison between them. However, students can decide where to go as both of them are extremely popular and can lead to a successful career. Students with extremely excellent performance can make a place in either of two as their acceptance rates are very low. The Harvard University acceptance rate is 3.41% which is the second the lowest in history and UPenn acceptance rate is 7%. Both universities provide a wide range of programs in over 100 specializations and their tuition costs are high. Students can check the below comparison table and decide where they must apply:ParticularsUPennHarvard UniversityAcceptance Rate7%3.41%Tuition CostBetween INR 18L and INR 72L for Masters and INR 51L and INR 57L for undergraduate programs. Between INR 18L and INR 72L for Masters and INR 45L and INR 49L for undergraduate programs. CoursesUG=90+, PG=100+UG=50+, PG=100+

Stanford University and Harvard University are both a part of the top 5 universities in the world and students across the world desire to study here. In QS World University Rankings, Harvard has secured the rank #4 in Best Global Universities. Whereas, Stanford has been ranked #6 in the same category.However, in the ranking awarded by Times Higher Education (THE), Stanford beats Harvard. Students can refer to the table below for Harvard1 University rankings and Harvard University rankings as mentioned in the prominent bodies:Ranking Body, Category & YearStanford University RankingsHarvard University RankingsQS Rankings - Best Global Universities 2025#6#4THE - World University Rankings 2025#6#3US News & World Report - Best Global Universities 2024#3#1

MIT, Stanford University as well as Harvard University are the most prestigious universities in the world. In terms of rankings, MIT University has an upper hand among all the three universities. However, Stanford University offers the best placement package.Mentioned below is the comparison between all the universities on the basis of some parameters, which can help students choose a university for themselves:ParametersMITHarvard UniversityStanford UniversityQS World University Ranking 2024 - Best Global Universities#1#4#5Average Package (Base Salary)USD 168,095 or INR 1.39 CrUSD 175,000 or INR 1.5 CrUSD 189,010 or INR 1.6 CrMBA FeesINR 35 L - 73 LINR 18 L - 62 LINR 32 L - 1 Cr