What is the Harvard acceptance rate?
The most recent Harvard acceptance rate is 3.7%, for students who entered in fall 2026 as the Class of 2030. Harvard received 55,104 first-year applications, admitted 2,037 students and enrolled 1,648, according to its admissions statistics page, which notes that the admitted count includes students admitted from the waiting list. Harvard publishes the counts but not a rate, so the 3.7% is by our calculation. Of the admitted students, 80.9% enrolled, the share known as yield, according to the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences. For the Class of 2029, which entered in fall 2025, Harvard admitted 2,003 of 47,893 applicants, 4.2%, and 83.6% of those admitted enrolled, according to its Common Data Set 2025-2026.
Harvard also reports that it admitted 103 students from the waiting list for the Class of 2030, up from 75 for the Class of 2029. According to its profile of the class, 17% are first-generation college students, compared with 20% of the Class of 2029, and an estimated 21% are eligible for federal Pell Grants. Harvard counts 15% of the class as international, a figure based on each student’s permanent address when applying rather than citizenship, and the class includes 12 enrolling veterans.
When does Harvard publish its admissions figures?
Harvard released its Class of 2030 figures on October 27, 2026, on its admissions statistics page and in an announcement from the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. Harvard states that “Beginning with the Class of 2029, Harvard will share annual admissions data in the October/November timeframe, following the University’s mandatory reporting to the U.S. Department of Education,” (Harvard College FAQ), and its admissions statistics page adds that data on each admitted class “will be released the fall after the students enroll and arrive on campus.”
Harvard also no longer reports the separate results of its early and regular rounds, saying a single annual release “will provide the most complete view of the newly enrolled class” (Harvard College FAQ). The Class of 2030 profile therefore gives one set of figures for the whole class, and the last round-level results Harvard published are for the Class of 2028.
How has the Harvard acceptance rate changed?
| Entering class | Applied | Admitted | Acceptance rate | Enrolled | Yield |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2026 (Class of 2030) | 55,104 | 2,037 | 3.7% | 1,648 | 80.9% |
| Fall 2025 (Class of 2029) | 47,893 | 2,003 | 4.2% | 1,675 | 83.6% |
| Fall 2024 (Class of 2028) | 54,008 | 1,970 | 3.6% | 1,647 | 83.6% |
| Fall 2023 (Class of 2027) | 56,937 | 1,965 | 3.5% | 1,645 | 83.7% |
| Fall 2022 (Class of 2026) | 61,221 | 1,984 | 3.2% | 1,646 | 83.0% |
From fall 2022 to fall 2025, applications fell from 61,221 to 47,893, a drop of 21.8% by our calculation, while the number admitted stayed between 1,965 and 2,003, so the acceptance rate rose from 3.2% to 4.2%. The largest one-year fall, 11.3%, came for fall 2025, the first class that Harvard required to submit SAT or ACT scores after its April 2024 announcement. For fall 2026, applications rose 15.1% to 55,104, the first increase in the table, and with 2,037 students admitted the rate fell to 3.7%. Harvard’s announcement of the Class of 2030 figures gives no reason for the increase, and we do not attribute either change to a single cause.
For the full Ivy League picture, see our guide to Ivy League acceptance rates.
How does Harvard compare with Stanford, Yale and Penn?
The table compares fall 2025, the latest entering class covered by the Common Data Sets of all four universities. For that class, Stanford had the lowest acceptance rate of the four and Penn the highest. The Common Data Set uses shared definitions, which makes it the closest like-for-like comparison available, although a university’s own class profile can differ slightly. Harvard’s fall 2026 rate of 3.7% comes from its own class profile, so it is not shown here.
| University | Applied | Admitted | Acceptance rate | Enrolled |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stanford | 60,646 | 2,302 | 3.8% | 1,839 |
| Harvard | 47,893 | 2,003 | 4.2% | 1,675 |
| Yale | 50,264 | 2,387 | 4.7% | 1,633 |
| Penn | 72,544 | 3,570 | 4.9% | 2,420 |
How does Restrictive Early Action work at Harvard?
Harvard offers Restrictive Early Action, a nonbinding early round. Applicants apply by November 1 and receive a decision by mid-December, and admitted students have until May 1 to decide (Harvard first-year applicants). Restrictive Early Action applicants generally may not apply early to other private colleges in the same cycle. Our guide to restrictive early action explains the rules at Harvard, Yale, Stanford and Princeton.
The last early round for which Harvard published results was for the Class of 2028: Harvard admitted 692 of 7,921 Restrictive Early Action applicants, 8.7% by our calculation (Harvard Gazette, December 14, 2023). Deferred early applicants were reconsidered in the regular round, and Harvard did not publish how many of them it admitted, so a regular round rate cannot be calculated from the published figures. In our view, the early rate is higher in part because the early pool is self-selected and includes recruited athletes, so it is not a measure of how much applying early helps a given student.
When are the Harvard application deadlines for fall 2027?
| Application round | Application due | Decision released | Binding? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Restrictive Early Action | November 1, 2026 | By mid-December 2026 | No |
| Regular Decision | January 1, 2027 | By the end of March 2027 | No |
What SAT scores and grades do Harvard students have?
For students who enrolled in fall 2025, Harvard’s Common Data Set reports these middle 50% ranges, the 25th to 75th percentile of students who submitted each score:
| Measure | 25th percentile | Median | 75th percentile | Share who submitted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing | 720 | 750 | 770 | 79% submitted the SAT |
| SAT Math | 730 | 770 | 790 | |
| ACT Composite | 33 | 35 | 35 | 27% submitted the ACT |
Harvard reports an average high school GPA of 4.22 for the class, with 99.1% of students reporting a GPA, and 74.7% of those who reported one were in the Common Data Set’s top band, a GPA of 4.0. Of students whose schools reported class rank, 25% of the class, 95% ranked in the top tenth of their class and 99% in the top quarter. Our guides to Harvard GPA requirements and Ivy League SAT score ranges put these figures in context.
Does Harvard require the SAT or ACT?
Yes. Harvard announced on April 11, 2024 that it would again require standardized tests, starting with students applying to enter in fall 2025 (Harvard Gazette). Its application page states that “Harvard requires the submission of standardized testing.” In “exceptional cases when those tests are not accessible,” applicants may submit AP, IB, GCSE or A-Level results or a national leaving exam instead (Harvard first-year applicants). Our list of colleges that require the SAT or ACT shows where Harvard stands among its peers.
What is the Harvard transfer acceptance rate?
For fall 2025, Harvard received 2,042 transfer applications, admitted 13 students and enrolled 12, an acceptance rate of 0.6% by our calculation (Harvard Common Data Set 2025-2026, section D2). By our calculation, that is less than one sixth of the fall 2025 first-year rate of 4.2%.
How does the Harvard waitlist work?
Harvard keeps a waiting list and does not rank it. For fall 2026, Harvard admitted 103 students from the waiting list, according to its Class of 2030 profile, up from 75 for fall 2025 in its Common Data Set 2025-2026; neither source reports how many students were offered a place on the list. In our view, with more than four in five admitted students enrolling, waiting list admission at Harvard should be treated as possible but unlikely. Our Harvard waitlist guide covers what a waitlisted student can still do.
How much does Harvard cost for families?
Harvard’s financial aid page states that families with incomes of $100,000 and below, with typical assets, pay nothing; families with incomes of $200,000 and below receive at least free tuition; and families above $200,000 may qualify for aid depending on their circumstances. Harvard reports that 39% of the Class of 2030 attend tuition-free and 22% attend for free, compared with 45% and 26% of the Class of 2029. Families with higher incomes can read our analysis of Harvard financial aid for high-earning families.
What does the Harvard acceptance rate mean for applicants?
In the view of Oriel Admissions, the 3.7% rate says less about any one student than the profile behind it. Nearly every enrolled student has top grades and, since fall 2025, a strong SAT or ACT score, so grades and scores qualify an applicant without setting them apart. What distinguishes admitted students is usually depth: sustained work in a few areas, clear evidence of how a student thinks, and recommendations that confirm both. Our guide to getting into Harvard and our Harvard vs Stanford comparison cover strategy in more detail.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Harvard Acceptance Rate
Harvard admitted 2,037 of 55,104 first-year applicants for fall 2026, the Class of 2030, an acceptance rate of 3.7% by our calculation from its admissions statistics. The rate was 4.2% for fall 2025 and 3.2% for fall 2022.
Harvard admitted 2,037 of 55,104 applicants to the Class of 2030, which entered in fall 2026, or 3.7% by Oriel Admissions calculation. Harvard released the figures on October 27, 2026, and the admitted count includes 103 students admitted from the waiting list.
Harvard no longer publishes early round results. The last published figures, for the Class of 2028, show 692 students admitted from 7,921 Restrictive Early Action applicants, or 8.7% by our calculation.
Harvard does not publish a minimum score. For students who enrolled in fall 2025, the middle 50% ranges were 720 to 770 in SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing, 730 to 790 in SAT Math and 33 to 35 on the ACT, according to the Common Data Set.
Harvard reports an average high school GPA of 4.22 for students who enrolled in fall 2025, and 74.7% of those who reported a GPA were in the top band of 4.0. In the view of Oriel Admissions, grades at this level qualify a Harvard applicant but rarely set one apart.
Yes. Harvard has required the SAT or ACT since students applying for fall 2025 entry. AP, IB, GCSE, A-Level or national exam results are accepted only in exceptional cases when the SAT and ACT are not accessible.
Harvard admitted 103 students from its waiting list for fall 2026, the Class of 2030, according to its admissions statistics, up from 75 for fall 2025. The waiting list is not ranked.
Harvard admitted 13 of 2,042 transfer applicants for fall 2025, an acceptance rate of 0.6% by our calculation, and 12 of them enrolled, according to its Common Data Set 2025-2026.
Sources: Harvard Common Data Set 2025-2026, Harvard Common Data Set 2024-2025, Harvard Common Data Set 2023-2024, Harvard Common Data Set 2022-2023, Harvard College admissions statistics, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences, October 27, 2026, Harvard College: when Harvard releases admissions data, Harvard College: why Harvard no longer releases round data, Harvard College first-year applicants, Harvard Gazette, December 14, 2023, Harvard Gazette, April 11, 2024, Harvard College financial aid, Stanford Common Data Set 2025-2026, Yale Common Data Set 2025-2026, Penn Common Data Set 2025-2026. Read October 26 and 27, 2026.
About Oriel Admissions
Oriel Admissions is a college admissions consulting firm advising families nationwide on elite university admissions strategy, with offices in Princeton, New Jersey and New York. Our team pairs deep admissions expertise with a distinctive 360 approach spanning academic planning, extracurricular strategy, essays and application execution. To discuss your strategy, schedule a consultation.
