Harvard University

What the IPEDS & College Scorecard Data Shows for Harvard University

Harvard University operates as a private nonprofit institution located in Cambridge, Massachusetts (city: midsize), with a total reported enrollment of 7,601 students of which 12,135 are undergraduates. Institution-level records in the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) classify each school by Carnegie category, ownership sector, and urban/rural locale, which is how this profile’s peer group and cost cohort are determined. Harvard University is categorized as “15” under the Carnegie classification system, a meaningful signal when comparing like-to-like institutions.

Selectivity and financial signals give context to what applicants can expect. The reported admission rate is 3.6%, drawn from the most recent IPEDS Fall enrollment survey, with an average SAT of 1,553 and an ACT midpoint of 35. The average net price after grants and scholarships is $19,066, with published in-state tuition of $61,676 and a Pell grant recipient share of 16.4%. Median federal student debt at graduation is $14,000, drawn from the U.S. Treasury-matched College Scorecard file.

Outcomes reveal whether the investment pays back. The 4-year completion rate is 97.5%, and the first-year retention rate is 98.3%. Graduates earn a median of $101,817 ten years after enrolling, compared with $99,572 six years post-enrollment. Within three years of entering repayment, 42000.0% of borrowers are making progress on their federal loans, and 87.5% of graduates earn above the high-school threshold. Treating these numbers as a single snapshot alongside the cost cohort is the standard approach for evaluating ROI under the College Scorecard methodology.