Harvard University, established in 1636, is the oldest and one of the most famous institutions in the United States. A statue of John Harvard, College’s first patron, stands in front of University Hall in Harvard Yard and is perhaps the University’s best-known landmark. This Ivy League university carries its legacy from over 375 years not only in the United States but globally as well. Harvard currently has 12 degree-granting Schools in addition to the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study. The University has grown from nine students with a single master in the mid-1600s to an enrollment of more than 20,000-degree candidates including undergraduate, graduate, and professional students.
With a campus size of 5457 acres, Harvard is based in Massachusetts, Cambridge. Organized around ancient city greens, tree-lined squares, and also the sedgy banks of the Charles River, Cambridge is one among metropolitan Boston’s very important urban centers. Harvard is at the center of Cambridge, giving individuals immediate access to the city’s dense mixture of retailers, restaurants, and diversion. Cambridge is an element of Boston’s comprehensive public transit. With buses, cabs, and a subway stop right in the middle of Harvard sq., you’ll simply get anyplace you would like to travel. Downtown Beantown is simply a 12-minute ride from the field.
Harvard has a diverse student population from over 50 states and 80 countries and currently more than 36,000 students are studying at Harvard out of which 6,699 are enrolled in Harvard College, 13,120 as graduate and professional students, and 16,193 in Harvard Extension School. Harvard has the oldest academic library in the world consisting of 20.4 million volumes, 180,000 serial titles, an estimated 400 million manuscript items, 10 million photographs, 124 million archived web pages, and 5.4 terabytes of born-digital archives and manuscripts. Approximately 70 percent of the students receive some sort of financial aid at Harvard, and about 60 percent receive need-based scholarships and pay an average of $12,000 per year.
Harvard has an alumni base of more than 2.79 lakh in the US and 59,000 spread across 202 countries. It has about 2,400 world-class faculty members and more than 10,400 academic appointments in affiliated teaching hospitals. Harvard has 48 Nobel Laureates, 32 heads of state, 48 Pulitzer Prize winners who have been affiliated as students, faculty, or researchers.
Here you’ll find our tuition and fees for the 2020-2021 academic year with more emphasis on architecture, as well as for the upcoming year. Once enrolled, bills are generated monthly beginning in July prior to a students’ first semester.
Harvard University Architecture Entry Requirements
The following information concerning Harvard University Architecture entry requirements , Harvard University Architecture Tuition fee is listed below as part of the academic-year budget.
The public health crisis occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic has caused unprecedented social and economic disruption worldwide, in the United States, and in the Boston/Cambridge area. Anticipating that continued in-person, on-campus instruction would increase the risk of infections in our community, the University acted promptly in March 2020 to “de-densify” its campus and transition to online instruction. Harvard reached this decision after careful (but time-pressed) deliberation, drawing on insights and expertise from public health experts worldwide — including on the Harvard faculty.
As we looked ahead to the fall 2020 and beyond, we are planning for several contingency scenarios that would protect the health and safety of our community, preserve our ability to adapt to evolving circumstances, and ensure the continuity of our teaching and research mission.
The GSD continues to retain the discretion to apply its considered judgment to the question of how best to pursue its educational programs during the COVID-19 crisis, which may include, among other things, making recourse to online instruction and instituting compulsory testing and tracing programs as required conditions for accessing the Harvard campus or Harvard facilities.
Student Activity Fee
The student activity fee supports the GSD Student Forum and student organization activities. The $85 activity fee for the fall 2020 semester will be waived*.
2020-2021 | |
---|---|
Tuition | $53,420 |
Student Activity Fee | $85* |
Health Services | $1,206 |
Health Insurance | $3,922 |
*The $85 activity fee for the fall 2020 semester is being waived
Student Activity Fee
The student activity fee supports the GSD Student Forum and student organization activities.
Health Fees
The health services and health insurance fees are charged to all enrolled students. See Harvard University Health Services for more information about the health fees, and for the option to waive health insurance if you have your own coverage.
Paying for Your Program
Here you’ll find tuition details, financial aid application instructions, and work opportunities. Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.
Financial Aid Handbook
The financial aid handbook covers policies and procedures related to financial aid at the GSD. The information is geared to recipients of federal awards and/or GSD grant.
College tuition prices have skyrocketed over the past several decades, a situation that’s contributed to record-breaking levels of student debt. According to the Federal Reserve, Americans owed over $1.5 trillion in student loans in the fourth quarter of 2018.
But tuition rates and published sticker prices are not entirely indicative of the cost of college today.
Private non-profit, four-year schools have some of the highest four-year graduation rates and graduate some of the highest-earning students — but they also have the biggest sticker prices.
During the 2018-2019 school year, the reported tuition at private non-profit four-year schools was an average $35,830. But in reality, many students end up paying far less after grants and scholarships are factored in. The average net price of tuition and fees in 2019 is $14,610.
And that applies even at ratified institutions like Harvard University. Though tuition at Harvard is $47,730, and the cost of attendance can be as much as $78,200, many students end up paying significantly less.
According to Harvard’s website, tuition costs for the 2019-2020 school year total $47,730, fees are $4,195, and room and board costs $17,682 for a subtotal of billed costs of $69,607.
After estimating personal expenses like text books ($4,193) and travel costs ($0-$4,400), Harvard estimates total billed and unbilled costs of about $73,800-$78,200 per year to attend the prestigious school — up from $71,650-$76,650 the previous year.
Harvard Architecture Acceptance Rate
Acceptance Rate
2,055Applied 350Accepted 254Enrolled 17%
Applying
85Application Fee – DomesticYesElectronic
applications accepted?
Application Deadlines
Type | Domestic | International | Priority date |
---|---|---|---|
Fall deadline | December 15th | Not reported | No |
Entrance Requirements
Exam | Details | |
---|---|---|
Master’s Degree Exam | GRE General Test | Improve your score! Practice |
Doctoral Degree Exam | GRE General Test | Improve your score! Practice |
International Students
Exam | Details | |
---|---|---|
TOEFL: Required | TOEFL Paper score: 600 TOEFL IBT score: 104 |
Harvard University Tuition Fees for International Students
But the school reports that about 70% of Harvard students receive some form of financial aid, and claims that students whose parents make less than $65,000 are not expected to contribute any funds, and that “90% of American families would pay the same or less to send their children to Harvard as they would a state school.”
About 55% of Harvard students receive need-based scholarship aid with average grant totals around $53,000.
The school states that families with students who receive scholarship funds pay an average of $12,000 towards their education per year and that students from families that earn between $65,000 and $150,000 typically contribute between 0% to 10% of their income towards the cost of attending Harvard each year.
Harvard, like many other schools, offers a net price calculator to help students estimate how much their families would be expected to pay.
Harvard University is one of the oldest and most famous universities in the United States, whose graduates become the political and scientific elite of the world. The university is located in a science camp called Cambridge, which is located in Massachusetts. Harvard is part of the association of 8 private universities in the United States called “Ivy League”, which is famous for its elitism and high standards of education.
Advantages of Harvard UniversityDisadvantages of Harvard UniversityContents
Tuition at Harvard University
Type of studies | Age | Duration | Average cost/year |
---|---|---|---|
Bachelor’s | 17+ | 4 years | 49,653 USD |
Master’s | 20+ | 1-2 years | 47,600 USD |
Doctoral | 21+ | 3-year | 44,420 USD |
Studying at Harvard bachelor’s programs has a fixed cost of 49,653 USD per year. As for graduate schools, the amount can be from 29728 to 73,440 USD per year, while some schools set a lower cost starting from 2nd-3rd year of study. Despite the extremely high prices, it should be noted that Harvard offers a large number of scholarships and grants, and 70% of students receive financial assistance. The reason for this is the policy of the university, which does everything in its power to give talented students the opportunity to get the desired education.
Master’s programsDoctoral programsAdditional costs
Faculties of Harvard University
Harvard University is the strongest educational and research center, which has equally excelled in teaching the humanities, natural and technical sciences.
In total, there are 11 academic departments at Harvard — 10 faculties and the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study.
The largest division is Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS). This is the only faculty that offers training at two levels of training — undergraduate and graduate. Within the framework of the FAS, the following departments are present:
- Harvard College for Bachelor’s;
- Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS) for master’s and doctoral students;
- School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (awarding degrees on behalf of the college and GSAS);
- Continuing Education Department (includes Harvard Summer School and Continuing Education School).
The remaining faculties and the corresponding schools that teach design, education, medicine, dentistry, theology, law have only master’s and doctoral programs. Harvard Business School, in which students can earn an MBA or a Ph.D. in business, is also highly renowned. A place of honor is occupied by the School of Management named after John F. Kennedy and Harvard School of Public Health of T. H. Chan.
The infrastructure of Harvard University
The main campus of Harvard University is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, at Harvard Yard. There are administrative offices, some libraries and academic buildings and the majority of freshman dormitories. Students of the second and subsequent years of study live in the residential houses nearby, each of which represents more than a place of residence. Separate master classes and seminars, various cultural and recreational events are held there, students have the opportunity to communicate with teachers in an informal setting, for example, at lunch in the common dining room.
You can find unique educational resources at Harvard. The Harvard Library, the largest academic library in the world, has over 20 million volumes, 180,000 periodicals, 400 million manuscripts, 10 million photographs, and more than 5 terabytes of digital archives. All this is within the framework of almost 80 library branches, which are available to every university student.
Harvard University has also opened many world-famous museums, covering more than 28 million works of art, artifacts, unique samples and materials. Here are the Peabody Museum of Archeology and Ethnology, Harvard Museum of Natural History, Harvard Museum of Art. Many collections are of key importance in the research activities of the university.
In 2008, Harvard also launched the Common Spaces Program, which aims to strengthen the academic community. As part of this initiative, new spaces are being created and existing spaces for the interaction of students and teachers are being improved.
Harvard UniversityCost and living conditions for students at Harvard University
The process of admission to Harvard University
Harvard Universityonly accepts applicants that are 17 years or older. The admission committee puts extra attention on the average mark of the graduate (as a matter of fact, the minimum requirement has not been established, but most applicants have a GPA of more than 3.8/4.0). Additional advantages can be leadership qualities, social activity and participation in volunteer projects.
Stages of admission to Harvard — Bachelor’s
At the bachelor’s level, Harvard University organizes a single admission to Harvard College, without distinguishing between academic programs and setting quotas for certain academic areas. The choice of a specialty takes place later during the studies at the university.
The admission process includes the following steps:
- Passing the SAT/ACT exams (required) and TOEFL (optional);
- Preparation of documents, including a letter of motivation;
- Payment of a registration fee (75 USD) or a fee waiver request;
- Submission of Common Application, Coalition Application or Universal College Application;
- Tracking the application and uploading the missing documents on the Applicant Portal before one of the two deadlines (Early Action, or Regular Decision);
- Passing an interview (the presence of this stage depends on the location of the candidate: often a representative of Harvard may not be in the country/region, but this should not affect the final decision
- Obtaining an admissions decision along with information on financial assistance;
- Confirmation of intention to study at Harvard;
- Sending a final report with a transcript of ratings;
- Applying for student visa.
Harvard undergraduate admission calendar
Applications are submitted in 2 calls, but only once a year. Deadlines do not change over time.
Stage | Early Action | Regular Decision |
---|---|---|
Examinations (one year before the studies start) | March — September | March — November |
Deadline | November 1 | January 1 |
Admissions decision | mid-December | End of March |
Student’s decision | until May 1 | until May 1 |
Final report from school | until July 1 | until July 1 |
The start of the program | September | September |
Harvard College admission statistics
Total number of applicants | 43330 |
---|---|
Admitted (received an invitation) | 2009 (4.6%) |
Enrolled (accepted the invitation) | 1650 (3.8%) |
Foreigners | 13% |
Accepted from the waiting list | 65 |
Receive financial assistance | 55% |
Approximate area of specialization | Proportion of enrolled students |
---|---|
Social Sciences | 24.5% |
Biological Sciences | 18.4% |
Humanities | 15.7% |
Engineering | 12.3% |
Computer Science | 8.3% |
Physical Sciences | 7.4% |
Mathematics | 7.1% |
Undecided | 5.4% |
SAT / ACT statistics for Harvard students
Graduate programs
Unlike bachelor’s studies, the process of entering Harvard master’s and doctoral programs is quite fragmented. The key steps include:
- Choose the right program on the university website;
- Pass standardized tests and a language exam;
- Prepare documents: collect letters of recommendation, write a statement of purpose, etc.;
- Submit an online application (the form is individual for each school and posted on the corresponding website);
- Pay a registration fee (80-105 USD depending on the school);
- Pass an interview, sometimes it is required to send a written reflection report on its results within the 24 hours;
- Obtain an admissions decision along with information on financial assistance;
- Confirm your intention to study at Harvard;
- Apply for a student visa.
Harvard Master’s/Doctoral calendar
Each school independently determines application deadlines for its programs. As a rule, applications are accepted from September to December. Most deadlines are in early December — mid-January. However, some schools additionally set earlier or later deadlines. For example, Harvard Business School also accepts applications until September (one year before the start of training) and until April (several months before the start of training). Exact dates can be found on school websites.
Application documents for Master’s/Doctoral study programs
Minimum English proficiency for admission to Harvard graduate programs
School at Harvard University | TOEFL iBT | IELTS | Others |
---|---|---|---|
The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences | 80 | 6.5 | – |
Harvard Business School | 109 | 7.5 | PTE 75 |
School of Dental Medicine | 95 | – | – |
Graduate School of Design | 92 | – | – |
John Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences | 80 | 6.5 | – |
School of Divinity | 100-105 | 7.5-8 | – |
Graduate School of Education | 104 | 7.5 | TWE 5.0, TOEFL PBT 613 |
Law School | 100 | – | – |
Radcliffe Institute of Advanced Study | 100 | 7.0 | PTEA 70 |
Kennedy School | 100-103 | 7.0 | TOEFL PBT 600 |
T.H. Chan School of Public Health | 100 | 7.0 | TOEFL PBT 600 |
Harvard University Fees
Harvard Medical School (HMS) has a number of admission requirements that leave little chance for foreign applicants. First of all, it is necessary to master a number of compulsory prerequisite courses and already have a bachelor’s degree in science, as well as spend a minimum a year studying in English in Canada or the USA. Then a prerequisite is passing the international medical exam — MCAT. However, even this does not guarantee a successful admission, since Harvard does not recognize all foreign qualifications. Students with a degree in accredited higher education institutions of the USA and Canada have the priority right to enrollment, because high-quality medical education is impossible without a high level of English proficiency.
The study process at Harvard
Harvard university academic calendar
Undergraduate studies: types and structure of courses, and exams
The main feature of Harvard bachelor’s studies is that students choose their future specialization only in the second year of study. For the first two and a half semesters, the college gives young people the opportunity to adapt to the new environment by attending any of the 3,700 possible courses. Then students are invited to choose one of 50 concentrations or to build their own unique special concentration.
Within the specialization, Harvard students also define a learning path: non-honors or honours. The latter involves taking more courses and compulsory writing of the thesis to obtain a degree (AB — Bachelor of Arts or SB — Bachelor of Science).
Thus, in addition to specialized disciplines, the Harvard training program includes several general compulsory elements known as Harvard College requirements:
- General Education (one course from four subject groups: Aesthetics & Culture; Ethics & Civics; Histories, Societies, Individuals and Science & Technology in Society);
- Distribution (one course for each of the three areas of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS): Arts and Humanities; Social Sciences and Engineering, and Applied Sciences);
- Quantitative Reasoning and Data (familiarization course with mathematical, statistical and computer methods of data processing);
- Expository Writing (semester course in academic writing in the first year of study);
- Language (one year foreign language course).
In addition, students can choose electives as a part of their secondary field (in American Universities more commonly known as minor), study additional foreign languages, conduct research or projects on their own, and take courses at Harvard schools and other Boston universities.
During the academic year, students traditionally attend lectures, seminars and workshops, undergo Hour and Midterm Examinations and have a Final Examination Period at the end of each semester.
Starting from the 1st year and throughout the entire period of study, students are accompanied by mentors and advisors that can be teachers, doctoral students, senior students and activists who can help with the choice of specialization, curriculum adjustment and immersion in the social life of the university.
In some areas, students have the opportunity to get a master’s degree already in the fourth year of bachelor’s studies. The program is implemented as part of the Higher School of Arts and Sciences and is called the Fourth Year Master’s Degree.
Graduate schools: features and structure of courses, and exams
Graduate programs at Harvard have a different structure, depending on the school and the specialization of training. The master’s programs last 1-2 (less often 3) years and involve the acquisition of theoretical and practical knowledge in a particular profession. Doctoral studies are mainly based on research (5-6 years), but there are also practice-oriented doctoral programs (3-4 years), including internships in partner organizations (for example, EdLD). Before entering, students can familiarize themselves with the curricula of all programs that are publicly available on the school websites — sections Academics, Program Overview, Curriculum.
MBA programs at Harvard
Harvard Business School is consistently ranked among the top 10 best business schools in the world. A distinctive feature of the institution is the orientation towards practice and interaction between students. Enrolling at Harvard Business School is not easy, as excellent grades are not critical to enrollment. The admission committee draws extra attention to the achievements of the applicant, experience in the business sector, participation in charity events and other activities.
Harvard Business School offers a two-year MBA program (50% of students receive financial assistance, several doctoral programs (100% funding over 5 years, and also provides the opportunity to receive two degrees at the same time as a part of cooperation with other schools (Joint Degree Programs), for example, an MBA and Master of Public Policy (MPP) from the Harvard Kennedy School. Joint programs are also being implemented with law, medical and dental schools.
Harvard Business School also conducts courses in marketing, leadership, finance and entrepreneurship.
International exchange programs at Harvard University Double degree programs at Harvard University Online courses at Harvard University
Scholarships and grants at Harvard University
It is believed that only a select few can afford studying at Harvard University, but this is not entirely true: 20% of families pay absolutely nothing, and 55% of students receive material support. The university takes into account the financial capabilities of each student, regardless of citizenship, and, if necessary, is ready to partially or fully cover the costs of studying and living. The scheme is simple: if a student successfully passed the competition for admission, but cannot afford to cover all the costs of studying, then the university gives a 100% guarantee of material assistance.
The amount of assistance at the bachelor’s level is determined as follows: the student’s parents (or himself) must contribute a certain amount of tuition (depending on the total income of the family), the student’s personal investments (for example, from part-time work), as well as help from third-party funds (if any). After calculating the total amount, the university decides on the appointment of financial assistance to the student. To receive full funding, it is enough to provide documents confirming that the annual income of parents is less than 65,000 USD per year.
Annual family income | The amount paid by parents | Part-time work | Scholarship |
---|---|---|---|
<65,000 USD | 0 USD | 3,500 USD | 73,891 USD |
150,000 USD | 15,000 USD | 3,500 USD | 58,891 USD |
200,000 USD | 38,000 USD | 3,500 USD | 35,891 USD |
Calculator Scholarship size for master’s and doctoral programs, in turn, is also calculated based on student income over the past three years. An additional factor is the school itself and the sources of its financing. The proposed scholarship does not always fully cover all expenses. Details should be specified on the websites of schools in the section Financial Aid.
Prospects after graduating from Harvard University
Like any other top university, Harvard University helps its students in finding suitable employment. On the campus of the university, there is the Office of Career Services, which organizes various events for students and announces them on its website. University employees are engaged in the selection of paid internships, the search for interesting vacancies, the organization of courses and workshops, as well as events where students from the first year can get acquainted with potential employers. As a rule, Harvard graduates do not have problems finding a job. According to statistics, more than 60% of students find work during the training period (mainly on internships). In the international QS 2020 ranking, Harvard takes 5th place, while having 100% reputation indicators among employers and graduate performance.
Scientific achievements of Harvard University
Today Harvard University is one of the most elite and renowned universities in the world. The university is famous for its business school and developments in various fields of science, most of which are funded by the government.
- In 2017, a group of Harvard scientists was able to turn hydrogen into metal for the first time in history — its use in rocket science will open new frontiers in space exploration.
- In 2017, Harvard bioengineers invented a plastic robot that can prevent heart attacks and automatically support heart function.
- In 2014, Harvard researchers found confirmation of the cosmic inflation theory that describes the Big Bang.
- The university is working on the creation of the “elixir of youth”, the first test results were successful.
- In 2014, Harvard scientists created an inexpensive detector for monitoring diabetes and other diseases. The detector costs about 25 USD and weighs 2oz, it will be used in the poorest regions of the planet.
- Harvard scientists, in collaboration with researchers of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, invented a method for storing solar energy in molecules, which would later allow the use of clean energy for domestic purposes (cooking, heating water, heating private houses and apartments).
- A team of researchers from Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is working together to reprogram the cells of living organisms to create effective cell therapy that will allow tissues to regenerate faster after serious damage, which could be the solution to the problem of thyroid disease or diabetes.