Harvard University Complete Information
First-Year Applicants
First-year applicants are students who have never attended Harvard College before. A first-year applicant may be a freshman, a transfer student, or a first-year student who has already participated in another college or university.
Students with grades lower than the bottom 10% of their graduating class at the secondary school they last attended cannot be considered for admission as first-years. No minimum grade point average is required for admission as a first-year applicant.
First-Year Applicants
To be considered for admission, you must be a high school graduate in good academic standing. You must also be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident of the United States to apply.
First-Year Application Requirements
To apply to Harvard University, you must be a high school senior. The application deadline is January 1 (for Early Action) or October 15 (for Regular Decision).
- You must have a minimum GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale. It can include both weighted and unweighted grades for all classes taken in high school, including summer sessions and AP/IB exams if applicable; however, only those courses that count toward your graduation requirements will be considered by our office when calculating your GPA.
- If you are applying with advanced standing, please note that these credits will not be included in cumulative grade point average (GPA) calculation.
- You must have completed the required courses for the most recent year of high school graduation at an accredited secondary institution by December 31 before matriculation into Harvard College.
Application detailed Timeline
The application is available online, and you can submit it anytime during the year. You must pay an application fee of $80 for each school you apply to. If you are applying for financial aid, there is no fee required–but if you are still determining whether or not Harvard will consider your application for financial assistance, there is no harm in paying the application fee anyway, just in case!
The deadline for submitting all materials (including transcripts, test scores and letters of recommendation) is January 1 (or December 31 if applying early). If this is too long from now, and you have already started working on these things with some urgency. Don’t worry! There are several options available which allow students who plan enough time before their deadline arrives:
- Early Action Programs: These programs allow students who have already completed most parts of their applications by mid-November/December but want more time before making final decisions about where they want to attend college next year;
- Regular Decision Programs: These programs give applicants more flexibility when completing their applications because they typically do not require any additional documents be submitted until February 15 at midnight EST;
Restrictive Early Action Plan
The Restrictive Early Action plan is a selective admission option that allows you to apply early and receive an answer by mid-December. This plan is only available to applicants admitted under the Regular Decision plan but who would like to enrol in Harvard College if offered admission.
Applicants must submit their applications online through the Common Application or Coalition Application or a paper application form (PDF). The deadline for submitting all materials is November 1 at 11:59 p.m. EST (4:59 p.m. PST). There is no fee for applying this way with either Common App or Coalition App; however, if you choose not to use these services, an additional $75 fee will be associated with sending your application via postal mail.
The application process consists of writing two essays (one which should highlight something about yourself), submitting your transcript(s), completing a short questionnaire about yourself and providing recommendations from teachers/advisers/counsellors who know you well enough so that they can comment on your academic ability & potential as well as personal characteristics & qualities needed for success at Harvard University.