is harvard accredited

Prestigious, Private Ivy League Academics at Harvard

Harvard University appears in our ranking of the Top 50 Best Master’s in Management Online Programs.

Ranked #1 nationally by Times Higher Education, Harvard University is a top-tier private, nonsectarian AAU member in Cambridge that grants 55 bachelor’s, 54 master’s, and 123 doctoral degrees, including 37 online options, at a 6:1 student-teacher ratio. For example, the Bachelor of Liberal Arts (ALB) shapes a 128-credit, transfer-friendly program overseen by Dr. Alan Garber online for 13 concentrations like Biology, Literature, and Government that require GPAs above 3.0 through the capstone project. Chaired by Dr. Frank Doyle, the SB in Electrical Engineering plots a 128-credit, ABET-accredited curriculum where undergrads can conduct Kavli Institute research, exchange to the University of Oxford, present at the Sophomore Forum, join the SWE Chapter, and intern at General Electric.

Online on Canvas, the Harvard Extension School led by Dr. Huntington Lambert delivers a Master of Liberal Arts (MLA) with 24 concentrations, such as Digital Media Design, International Relations, and Journalism, that require 12 seven-week courses that cost about $35,00 total. Directed by Dr. Michelle Ann Williams, the Ph.D. in Public Health follows an 80-credit, CEPH-accredited Cambridge sequence of five years with opportunities to secure Longwood Medical Area internships, research in the Global Health Institute, and join Delta Omega.

Other Harvard degrees include the AB in Applied Mathematics, AB in Romance Languages, SB in Economics, SB in Astrophysics, AM in Middle Eastern Studies, AM in Music, LLM in Law, Ph.D. in Virology, Ph.D. in Film, Ph.D. in Education, and DMD in Dentistry.

About Harvard University

Harvard University originated on September 8, 1636, when the Great and General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony voted to create the new United States’ first higher learning institute. In 1639, it was named for scholar John Harvard who died of tuberculosis the year prior. In 1692, President Increase Mather helped end the Salem Witch Trials with his Cases of Conscience. In 1816, Harvard formed its Divinity School for theological instruction. In 1830, Harvard was privatized when Democratic-Republicans blocked funding. In 1870, Richard Theodore Greener became Harvard’s first African-American graduate. In 1877, Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis finished Harvard Law School. During the 1890s, President Charles W. Eliot worked to secularize Harvard’s former Christian education. In 1910, the Harvard Extension School was launched for working adults. One decade later, the Harvard Graduate School of Education was opened. By 1945, women were equally admitted to Harvard Medical School.

Endowed for $39.2 billion, Harvard University now employs 4,671 faculty teaching 6,699 undergrad and 13,120 post-grad Crimson plus 16,193 Extension School students from its 5,457 acres in Greater Boston with 450+ clubs like the Debating Union. In 2019, Harvard received the Cambridge Historical Commission’s Preservation Award. In 2016, Harvard won the NACUFS Gold Level Sustainability Award. The U.S. News & World Report named Harvard third for business, fourth for history, sixth for statistics, and eighth for English degrees. On Niche, Harvard boasts America’s third-best academics, 12th best professors, and 16th best student life. The Princeton Review noticed Harvard University for the 10th best career placement. WalletHub honored Harvard for the 21st best educational outcomes and 76th most campus safety. Town and Country magazine selected Harvard as the hardest college to get into.

Harvard University Accreditation Details

On April 19, 2018, Harvard University satisfactorily completed a comprehensive evaluation by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) Commission on Institutions of Higher Education (CIHE) to retain Level VI accreditation through 2027-28 under its 29th president, Dr. Lawrence S. Bacow, who earned the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award. Located 16.5 miles north via Interstate 95 in Burlington, this splendid six-state Northeast Region accreditor is recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education and Massachusetts Department of Higher Education (MADHE). The Office of Institutional Research also lists these accreditations:

  • Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business
  • National Architectural Accrediting Board
  • Landscape Architectural Accreditation Board
  • American Bar Association Section on Legal Education
  • Council on Education for Public Health
  • Association of Theological Schools
  • Liaison Committee on Medical Education
  • Commission on Dental Accreditation
  • Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology

Harvard University Application Requirements

Admission at Harvard University is classified “most selective” by Peterson’s because only 2,037 of the 39,506 Fall 2017 applicants were victorious for tough 5 percent acceptance odds. First-year Crimson need to exhibit academic and extracurricular achievement during a challenging, college-prep high school curriculum. Advanced Placement exams graded 5 will transfer four credits. The Class of 2021 presented a mean secondary GPA of 4.04. The middle 50th percentile had SAT scores of 710-800 on Reading and 720-800 on Math. Mid-range ACT scores were 32-35. Eligible transfers must have completed at least one continuous year full-time at accredited colleges with GPAs above 3.0. Non-U.S. residents often need a minimum 100 TOEFL iBT or 600 TOEFL pBT score. Graduate programs always require four years of qualifying bachelor’s education. Successful post-grads typically have 3.3 or greater GPAs. On average, students submit a 160 GRE Verbal and 166 GRE Quantitative mark. Harvard Business School features a median 729 GMAT score. Juris Doctor cohorts also achieve a mean 173 LSAT score.

Harvard University set freshman deadlines of November 1st for Early Action and January 1st for Regular Decision. Undergrad AB/SB transfers are processed until March 1st for Fall only. Graduate programs have wide-ranging deadlines. For instance, the AM in Anthropology closes on December 15th. Ph.D. in Earth & Planetary Sciences cohorts must apply by January 2nd. The Ph.D. in Neuroscience seeks candidates until December 1st. Harvard Law School entrants are welcome through February 1st. Incoming MD applicants must file before October 15th. Accordingly, complete the Harvard, Common, or Coalition Application for $75 ($105 if graduate). Forward official transcripts to 86 Brattle Street in Cambridge, MA 02138. Send testing results with SAT/GRE code 3434, ACT code 1840, and MCAT code 3456. Contact (617) 495-1551 or [email protected] to learn supplemental steps.

Tuition and Financial Aid

For 2019-20, Harvard University is charging traditional full-time undergrads $47,730 annually. Mandatory student fees are $4,195 each year. Residing at the Cambridge campus’ dorms like Canaday Hall adds $10,927 for yearly housing. Standard meal plans for Barker Center Cafe are $6,755 extra. Harvard budgets $4,193 for personal expenses and $4,400 for travel. Annual bachelor’s attendance equals about $78,200 on-site or $60,518 at home. Online Bachelor of Liberal Arts students spend $1,840 per four-credit course. Master of Liberal Arts education costs $2,840 each course or $35,000 total online. Traditional graduate tuition averages $46,384 by year full-time. Master’s and doctoral students cover $1,178 in annual fees. One exception is Harvard Medical School, which bills $63,400 each year. Harvard Law School is priced $65,875 yearly.

According to the NCES College Navigator, the Griffin Financial Aid Office in Agassiz House links 43 percent of full-time Harvard Crimson to tuition assistance averaging $47,145 apiece for $203.24 million combined. University funds include the William Stoughton Scholarship, Baxendale Scholarship, Franklin Reynolds Scholarship, Henry L.F. Kreger Scholarship, Ernest Frederick Slater Scholarship, Peter Brooks Saltonstall Memorial Scholarship, Horace Cecil Fisher Scholarship, Judson Bemis Scholarship, Thomas Hooker Flint Scholarship, James Rumrill Scholarship, Calvin & Lucy Ellis Scholarship, and Charles Downer Scholarship. The Middle Income Initiative waives full tuition for Harvard Medical School students with family income below $100,000. Since 1916, the Cambridge Community Foundation has developed nearly 80 programs like the Diane Bushner Memorial Scholarship and Alfred Della Paolera Scholarship. Federal resources, such as the Pell Grant and Stafford Loan, require FAFSA applications coded E00468. The Gilbert Matching Student Grant gifts up to $2,500 for Massachusetts residents taking 12+ credits at GPAs above 2.0.

Explore 12 premier schools conferring innovative Ivy League degrees with Forbes’ seventh-best value at the Harvard University website.