
Harvard usually ranks number-one or number-two out of all schools in the U.S., so it's a good place to start when looking at the facts of admission.
Harvard has an endowment of over $35 billion, and so has more financial resources than any other university—not just in the U.S., but in the world.
What that means for you is that Harvard offers a world-class faculty, high-level research, state-of-the-art facilities, and free tuition for students from families with modest income.
On the other hand, Harvard has the lowest acceptance rate of any U.S. university.
Let’s look at some stats from 2012:
- Six percent of applicants were admitted
- SAT scores required: 700/800 in critical reading, 710/790 in math, and 710/800 in writing.
- Costs included $39,966 for tuition and fees, $1,000 for books, $13,630 for room and board, $2,454 for miscellaneous expenses, for a total cost of $57,050.
- How did financial aid stack up? 77% of new students received financial aid, with $41,555 in grants and $4,237 in loans.