Harvard University

Cambridge, MA · Private · 7,601 undergrads

Admit rate: 3.6% (56,937 applicants)
SAT middle 50%: 1510–1580 (ACT 34–36)
Undergraduates: 7,601 (14.6% international)
Average net price: $19,066 (per year after aid)
Graduation rate: 98% (within 6 years)

Deadlines

Restrictive Early Action: Nov. 1, 2026
Regular Decision: Jan. 1, 2027

Essays

Contribution (150 words)

Harvard has long recognized the importance of enrolling a student body with a diversity of perspectives and experiences. How will the life experiences that shaped who you are today enable you to contribute to Harvard?

Disagreement (150 words)

Describe a time when you strongly disagreed with someone about an idea or issue. How did you communicate or engage with this person? What did you learn from this experience?

Activities (150 words)

Briefly describe any of your extracurricular activities, employment experience, travel, or family responsibilities that have shaped who you are.

Future (150 words)

How do you hope to use your Harvard education in the future?

Roommates (150 words)

Top 3 things your roommates might like to know about you.

Editor's notes

Don't save your best material for the personal statement and rush the five short answers. Harvard's CDS lists every main factor, essays included, as 'Considered' with none weighted above the others, so the short answers are read with the same care as the rest. Make each one carry something your Common App essay doesn't.
Apply REA only if your file is ready by Nov. 1. Harvard says there's no early advantage and points out that Regular Decision gives your teachers more time to know you and lets senior-year work count.
Send a test score. Harvard requires the SAT or ACT and says outright that scores predict Harvard grades better than high school grades do. Alternatives are for students who truly can't reach a test center.
If an alumnus emails about an interview, say yes. You can't request one, so the invitation is the only way it happens.