Harvard University vs. Stanford University

Call it effectively tied. Harvard posts the lower headline rate, admitting about 3.6% of applicants to Stanford's 3.8% in the most recent cycle, but that gap is too small to separate them. Stanford draws the larger pool, more than 60,000 applications against Harvard's 54,000-plus, and enrolls a bigger first-year class (about 1,839 to Harvard's 1,647). Admitted scores land almost on top of each other: a middle-50% SAT of 1510–1580 and ACT of 34–36 at Harvard, versus 1520–1570 and 34–36 at Stanford.

Stanford, by a wide margin in degree mix. Computer science ranks as its single most-conferred field at about 20% of degrees, and engineering adds another 17%, putting well over a third of Stanford degrees in CS and engineering. Harvard lists no engineering field among its top majors, and its computer science sits fourth at about 11% of degrees, trailing the social sciences, biological sciences, and mathematics. An undergraduate set on CS or engineering fits Stanford's structure far better.

Each school peaks somewhere different. Harvard leads with the social sciences at about 27% of degrees, then the biological sciences (13%), mathematics and statistics (12%), and computer science (11%), a social-sciences-and-quantitative blend. Stanford leads with computer science at about 20%, then interdisciplinary programs (18%), engineering (17%), and the social sciences (15%). Harvard's catalog leans toward the social and natural sciences, while Stanford's leans toward computing and engineering.

For families with need, treat it as a tie: both meet 100% of demonstrated financial need. Harvard's published tuition and fees run a bit lower, about $64,796 to Stanford's $68,574, and a larger share of Harvard first-years receive aid, about 56% versus 44% at Stanford. Stanford's average need-based package runs slightly larger, roughly $77,279 to Harvard's $74,387. Harvard also charges nothing to families earning under $85,000, so for aided families the meet-full-need policy outweighs the sticker gap.

Only Stanford reports Greek life. About 22% of men join fraternities and 28% of women join sororities there, so it shapes a real slice of campus social life. Harvard's Common Data Set lists no fraternity or sorority figures, and its social life runs through the undergraduate house system instead. Both house essentially all undergraduates on campus, so the contrast lies in the social structure rather than where students live.

Yes, both require standardized testing, and neither runs test-optional. Harvard asks every applicant to submit SAT or ACT scores, with enrolled students posting a middle-50% SAT of 1510–1580 and ACT of 34–36. Stanford reinstated its testing requirement starting with Fall 2026 applicants after several test-optional years, and its enrolled middle 50% scored 1520–1570 on the SAT and 34–36 on the ACT. Each school reads the full application alongside those scores.