Harvard University

Harvard University, founded in 1636, is the oldest institution of higher education in the United States. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the campus hosts one of the world's most respected academic brands.

Harvard's 12 schools — including Harvard Business School, Harvard Law School and Harvard Medical School — offer programs at the bachelor, master and doctoral levels across 100+ disciplines.

Alumni include 8 U.S. Presidents, 161 Nobel laureates and countless Pulitzer Prize winners. Harvard ranks consistently in the QS World University Rankings top 5 and operates one of the largest research budgets of any university worldwide.

Harvard offers an academic ecosystem of 12 schools spanning more than 100 disciplines:

• Undergraduate: Harvard College — 50+ concentrations, joint concentrations and a liberal-arts core (4 years)
• Graduate / Doctoral: Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alongside Business, Law, Medicine, Public Health, Education, Design and Government (Kennedy School)
• Professional programs: 30+ master-level offerings including MBA, JD, MD, MPP, MPH and EdM

The academic year runs in two semesters from September to May. Harvard's "shopping week" lets students sample classes during the first week before locking in their schedule.

Harvard's financial aid program is among the most generous in the world:

• Need-based Financial Aid: 55% of undergraduates receive an average of $60,000/year; 20% pay nothing at all.
• Harvard College / Griffin Graduate School Fellowships: Full 5–6-year funding for PhD students (tuition + stipend + health insurance)
• Knox Memorial Fellowship: Graduate study at Harvard for graduates from the United Kingdom and Ireland
• HBS Fellowships: 50% of MBA students receive $30,000+ annually
• External funding: Coordinated application support for Fulbright, Rhodes and Gates Cambridge

Harvard's "demonstrate need, get help" policy keeps admission decisions need-blind for applicants.

Harvard hosts 450+ student clubs and organizations, including the Harvard Crimson newspaper (since 1873), Hasty Pudding Theatricals (the oldest theatre group in the U.S.), the Harvard Lampoon and On Harvard Time.

Athletics includes 42 NCAA Division I teams. The annual Harvard-Yale football game ("The Game") is one of the deepest traditions in student life, played at Harvard Stadium — the oldest concrete stadium in the U.S. still in use.

Harvard Square, with its cafés, bookstores and live music venues, sits at the heart of student social life.

Harvard graduates rank at the top of the global job market. McKinsey, Goldman Sachs, Google, Meta and Tesla each hire hundreds of Harvard interns and graduates every year.

The Office of Career Services (OCS) provides career advising, CV reviews, mock interviews and networking events. The Crimson Careers portal curates 12,000+ active job listings.

The Harvard Alumni Association has 400,000+ members and runs regional clubs in 200+ countries, forming a deeply active networking network. The average starting salary for graduates is $95,000+.

Harvard's academic infrastructure is world-class:

• Harvard Library: 79 individual libraries with 20+ million print volumes — the largest academic library system in the world
• Houghton Library: Rare books and manuscripts, including a Gutenberg Bible
• Harvard Art Museums: Fogg, Busch-Reisinger and Sackler — 250,000+ objects, free for students
• Peabody Museum: Anthropology and archaeology with a global scope
• Athletic facilities: Harvard Stadium, Bright-Landry Hockey Center, Blodgett Pool, Harvard Boathouse
• Innovation Labs: Harvard i-lab entrepreneurship hub, MIT/Harvard Broad Institute genomics research center

Each House has its own dining hall, library, music room and gym.

Harvard admission is highly competitive — the undergraduate acceptance rate hovers at 3–4% in recent years.

Undergraduate: Apply via the Common Application or Coalition App. Restrictive Early Action deadline is 1 November, regular decision is 1 January. SAT or ACT (test-optional but a strong score helps), two teacher recommendations, a personal essay and any school-specific supplements are required.

Graduate: Deadlines fall between December and February depending on the program. Standard requirements include undergraduate GPA, GRE/GMAT, TOEFL/IELTS, a statement of purpose and 2–3 reference letters.

Doctoral: A master's degree, research proposal, prior contact with faculty advisers and supporting publications are typical.

Undergraduates spend their first year in Harvard Yard freshman dorms. After that, students live for three years in one of 12 upper-class Houses, each with its own dining hall, library and social spaces.

Graduate students have access to Harvard-subsidized apartments across Cambridge and Boston, ranging from $1,800–$2,400/month for studios to $2,400–$3,200/month for one-bedrooms.

For off-campus options, the Harvard Off-Campus Housing Office maintains an official listing of landlords and roommate matches.

Harvard University
Massachusetts Hall
Cambridge, MA 02138, USA

Phone: +1 (617) 495-1000
Undergraduate Admissions: college@harvard.edu
Graduate Admissions: Program-specific — see the admissions page
Web: https://www.harvard.edu

International Office: Harvard International Office (HIO), 1350 Massachusetts Avenue, Smith Campus Center 864 — for visa, orientation and residency questions. Open: Monday–Friday 9:00-17:00.

For Turkey-based applicants, free consultation is available via Averroes Study: program selection, application preparation, visa process and accommodation referrals.

Harvard's campus sits in Cambridge along the Charles River, just 5 km from downtown Boston. Historic landmarks such as Harvard Yard, Memorial Hall and Widener Library form the academic core.

Cambridge and Boston together form one of the densest academic regions in the world, home to MIT, Berklee College of Music, Boston University, Tufts and dozens more top institutions.

The MBTA Red Line subway connects campus to downtown Boston in 15 minutes; Logan International Airport is a 25-minute ride.