Harvard University vs. Yale University

The two campuses sit a couple of hours apart on the same New England rail line, and they swap students for the same football game every November, so picture where you'd actually live for four years. Harvard drops you into Cambridge, across the river from Boston, with the Yard and Widener Library under the kind of snow that defines a real winter. Yale keeps you in New Haven, smaller and more self-contained, where you'd belong to one of the residential colleges from the day you arrive and orbit it the whole time. That college system shapes Yale's strengths. Interdisciplinary programs, history, and the humanities grow straight out of it. Harvard leans the other way once you get past the social sciences both schools share: its next tier runs quantitative, biology and math and computer science and the physical sciences, and the catalog points you toward pre-professional work. One more practical split: Harvard makes you sit the SAT or ACT, while Yale lets an AP or IB score stand in. If you want a tight residential home base and the humanities to run your four years, New Haven is your campus.

Want to compare other schools? Open the interactive comparison tool →

HarvardCambridge, MA

Acceptance rate

Total applicants, admitted students, and enrolled students for the most recent admission cycle.

4.2%acceptance rate
Applied
47,893
Admitted
2,003
Enrolled
1,675

Early action

Harvard offers Restrictive (single-choice) Early Action — non-binding, but you may not apply early to other private colleges.

Early Decision
Not offered
Early Action
Not offered
Restrictive EA
Single-choice

Standardized tests

Harvard requires standardized test scores for all applicants.

SAT Accepted?

ACT Accepted?

Test Optional?

2024–25 CDSHarvard's 2025-2026 Common Data Set hasn't published this section yet, so this figure is shown from the 2024-2025 edition instead.

SAT Scores

4001600
25th Percentile
1510
50th Percentile
1550
75th Percentile
1580

ACT Scores

136
25th Percentile
33
50th Percentile
35
75th Percentile
35

Class rank

Where Harvard's enrolled first-years placed in their high school graduating class.

Top tenth of class95%
Top quarter of class99%
Top half of class100%

Based on the 25% of enrolled students who reported a class rank. Harvard does not publish an average GPA.

Admissions factors

How Harvard weighs each part of your application.

→ Importance

Rigor of High School Record

Academic GPA

Standardized Test Scores

Application Essay

Recommendations

Extracurricular Activities

Character / Personal Qualities

Talent / Ability

First Generation

Level of Applicant's Interest

Class Rank

Volunteer Work

Work Experience

Geographical Residence

State Residency

Alumni Relation

Racial / Ethnic Status

Religious Affiliation

Cost of attendance

Estimated full-time annual cost from Harvard's Common Data Set.

2024–25 CDSHarvard's 2025-2026 Common Data Set hasn't published this section yet, so this figure is shown from the 2024-2025 edition instead.
$90,426
Tuition & Fees
$64,796
Room & Board
$22,130
Other Expenses
$3,500
Total
$90,426

Private universities charge the same tuition regardless of state residency.

What families actually pay

$0–30k~$9k
$30–48k~$3k
$48–75k~$2k
$75–110k~$10k
$110k+~$53k

Average net price — what was left to pay after grant aid — for students receiving federal financial aid.

% of undergrads with Pell grants16.4%

Source: College Scorecard (2026)

Financial aid

Need-based aid statistics for full-time first-year students.

Receiving Aid
56%
Avg. Package
$74,285
Avg. Need Met
100%

Popular majors

Bachelor's degrees awarded in the past year by academic major.

Social Sciences
Mathematics
Biological Sciences
Computer Science
History
Physical Sciences
Other
Social Sci
27%
Math & Stats
14%
Bio Sci
13%
Comp Sci
11%
History
7%
Phys Sci
6%
Other
22%

Student-faculty ratio

The number of students for every one faculty member, indicating the average level of access students have to instructional staff.

7:1

Student outcomes

First-years who return98%
Graduate within six years97%
Median earnings, 4 yrs after graduation~$135k
Median federal loan debt at graduation~$14k

Median yearly income of former students who received federal aid, across every major, measured four years after graduating (2017–18 and 2018–19 graduates, earnings measured 2022–2023). Debt covers federal loans of students who completed.

Source: College Scorecard (2026)

Programs

Harvard’s most popular programs and median pay after graduation. Income data from the US Department of Education’s College Scorecard.

  • Economics

    242 degrees (2023-24)

    ~$156kmedian pay, 4 yrs after graduation~$7k median debt
  • Computer Science

    184 degrees (2023-24)

    ~$203kmedian pay, 4 yrs after graduation
  • History

    141 degrees (2023-24)

    ~$71kmedian pay, 4 yrs after graduation~$13k median debt
  • Political Science

    139 degrees (2023-24)

    ~$96kmedian pay, 4 yrs after graduation
  • Neuroscience

    89 degrees (2023-24)

    ~$47kmedian pay, 1 yr after graduation
Show all 19 programs

Median pay data is measured from graduates who received federal student aid.

Source: College Scorecard (2026) · IPEDS (2023-24) · ABET

Campus life

On-campus housing and Greek life participation rates.

First-Years On Campus
100%
In Fraternities
N/A
In Sororities
N/A

Place

How the federal government classifies the area around the campus, and what a normal year of weather looks like there.

Setting
Midsize city
Location
Cambridge, MA

Average temperature

Monthly high and low, °F
3723J
3925F
4631M
5641A
6750M
7660J
8266J
8065A
7358S
6248O
5238N
4229D
Snow a year
49 in
Precipitation a year
44 in
Days at 90°F or above
14
Days below 32°F
92

Thirty-year averages, measured at the nearest weather station rather than on campus — they describe the area, not the campus.

Source: IPEDS (HD2024) · NOAA 1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, BOSTON LOGAN INTL AP, MA US station, 5.6 mi from campus

Enrollment by gender

46%
54%
Male
3,117
Female
3,621

Student diversity

Racial and ethnic breakdown of enrolled undergraduate students.

White28.9%
Other26.4%
Asian and Pacific Islander25.3%
Hispanic10.9%
Black8.2%
Native American<1%
YaleNew Haven, CT

Acceptance rate

Total applicants, admitted students, and enrolled students for the most recent admission cycle.

4.7%acceptance rate
Applied
50,264
Admitted
2,387
Enrolled
1,633

Early action

Yale offers Restrictive (single-choice) Early Action — non-binding, but you may not apply early to other private colleges.

Early Decision
Not offered
Early Action
Not offered
Restrictive EA
Single-choice

Standardized tests

Yale requires standardized test scores for all applicants.

SAT Accepted?

ACT Accepted?

Test Optional?

SAT Scores

4001600
25th Percentile
1470
50th Percentile
1530
75th Percentile
1560

ACT Scores

136
25th Percentile
33
50th Percentile
34
75th Percentile
35

Class rank

Where Yale's enrolled first-years placed in their high school graduating class.

Top tenth of class97%
Top quarter of class99%
Top half of class100%

Based on the 31% of enrolled students who reported a class rank. Yale does not publish an average GPA.

Admissions factors

How Yale weighs each part of your application.

→ Importance

Rigor of High School Record

Academic GPA

Standardized Test Scores

Application Essay

Recommendations

Extracurricular Activities

Character / Personal Qualities

Talent / Ability

First Generation

Level of Applicant's Interest

Class Rank

Volunteer Work

Work Experience

Geographical Residence

State Residency

Alumni Relation

Racial / Ethnic Status

Religious Affiliation

Cost of attendance

Estimated full-time annual cost from Yale's Common Data Set.

$98,900
Tuition & Fees
$72,500
Room & Board
$21,600
Other Expenses
$4,800
Total
$98,900

Private universities charge the same tuition regardless of state residency.

What families actually pay

$0–30k~$18k
$30–48k~$16k
$48–75k~$18k
$75–110k~$13k
$110k+~$46k

Average net price — what was left to pay after grant aid — for students receiving federal financial aid.

% of undergrads with Pell grants20.4%

Source: College Scorecard (2026)

Financial aid

Need-based aid statistics for full-time first-year students.

Receiving Aid
54%
Avg. Package
$74,353
Avg. Need Met
100%

Popular majors

Bachelor's degrees awarded in the past year by academic major.

Social Sciences
Biological Sciences
Interdisciplinary
Computer Science
Mathematics
History
Other
Social Sci
23%
Bio Sci
10%
Interdisc.
10%
Comp Sci
9%
Math & Stats
8%
History
6%
Other
34%

Student-faculty ratio

The number of students for every one faculty member, indicating the average level of access students have to instructional staff.

8.8:1

Student outcomes

First-years who return99%
Graduate within six years96%
Median earnings, 4 yrs after graduation~$113k
Median federal loan debt at graduation~$13k

Median yearly income of former students who received federal aid, across every major, measured four years after graduating (2017–18 and 2018–19 graduates, earnings measured 2022–2023). Debt covers federal loans of students who completed.

Source: College Scorecard (2026)

Programs

Yale’s most popular programs and median pay after graduation. Income data from the US Department of Education’s College Scorecard.

  • Economics

    165 degrees (2023-24)

    ~$143kmedian pay, 4 yrs after graduation~$13k median debt
  • Computer & Information Sciences

    150 degrees (2023-24)

    ~$188kmedian pay, 4 yrs after graduation~$15k median debt
  • Political Science

    114 degrees (2023-24)

    ~$91kmedian pay, 4 yrs after graduation~$15k median debt
  • History

    111 degrees (2023-24)

    ~$110kmedian pay, 4 yrs after graduation~$8k median debt
  • Mathematics

    69 degrees (2023-24)

    Not publishedmedian pay after graduation
Show all 23 programs

Median pay data is measured from graduates who received federal student aid.

Source: College Scorecard (2026) · IPEDS (2023-24) · ABET

Campus life

On-campus housing and Greek life participation rates.

First-Years On Campus
100%
In Fraternities
N/A
In Sororities
N/A

Place

How the federal government classifies the area around the campus, and what a normal year of weather looks like there.

Setting
Midsize city
Location
New Haven, CT

Average temperature

Monthly high and low, °F
3823J
4024F
4730M
5839A
6849M
7659J
8266J
8165A
7557S
6446O
5336N
4429D
Precipitation a year
42 in
Days at 90°F or above
6
Days below 32°F
102

Thirty-year averages, measured at the nearest weather station rather than on campus — they describe the area, not the campus.

Source: IPEDS (HD2024) · NOAA 1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NEW HAVEN TWEED AP, CT US station, 3.9 mi from campus

Enrollment by gender

49%
51%
Male
3,239
Female
3,318

Student diversity

Racial and ethnic breakdown of enrolled undergraduate students.

White29.9%
Asian and Pacific Islander23.7%
Other20.4%
Hispanic16.2%
Black9.3%
Native American<1%

Writing your Harvard or Yale application essay?

Paste your draft and get specific, line-by-line feedback on what is and isn't landing — scored against the rubrics admissions readers use.

Get essay feedback

Harvard vs. Yale: frequently asked questions

Harvard edges out Yale on selectivity, admitting about 3.6% of applicants last cycle against Yale's 4.7%. Test scores among admits run a hair higher in Cambridge too: a middle-50% SAT of 1510–1580 and ACT of 34–36, next to Yale's 1470–1560 and 33–35. Since both turn away most applicants who arrive with near-perfect grades, the practical gap for any individual candidate stays small.

No, they differ. Harvard requires the SAT or ACT from every applicant, full stop. Yale runs a test-flexible policy: you still have to submit scores, but you can satisfy that with the SAT, ACT, AP, or IB, which opens up more paths to the same bar. Neither school went test-optional.

On the sticker price Harvard comes in lower, charging about $64,796 a year in tuition and fees versus Yale's $72,500. Families who qualify for aid see that gap close almost entirely, since both meet 100% of demonstrated need and land near-identical average packages of roughly $74,387 at Harvard and $74,353 at Yale. Yale packages its aid with no loans, while Harvard asks nothing of families earning under $85,000.

Yale leans harder into the humanities. Beyond the social sciences, its most-conferred degrees include history and a sizable block of interdisciplinary programs. Harvard's top majors skew quantitative after the social sciences, running through biological sciences, mathematics and statistics, and computer science. A student dead-set on history will simply see that emphasis reflected more clearly in Yale's degree mix, though both schools deliver across every field.

Harvard hands you a number to aim at, publishing an average enrolled GPA of about 4.21. Yale skips the GPA figure and reports class rank instead: roughly 97% of ranked first-years came from the top tenth of their high school class and 99% from the top quarter. Read together, both point at the same admit: top grades earned in the toughest courses a school offers.

Roughly the same. Harvard enrolls about 7,038 undergraduates and Yale 6,667, and class sizes stay tight at both, with student-faculty ratios of 7:1 at Harvard and 8.8:1 at Yale. At the undergraduate level you won't feel a real difference in scale.

Source: Harvard University Common Data Set 2025-2026. Figures transcribed 2026-08-20. Middle 50% SAT, Enrolled First-Years, In-State Tuition & Fees, and Out-of-State Tuition & Fees are from the 2024-2025 edition. Esslo aggregates publicly reported data and is not affiliated with Harvard. Banner photo by Chris Rycroft, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0).

Source: Yale University Common Data Set 2025-2026. Figures transcribed 2026-06-06. Esslo aggregates publicly reported data and is not affiliated with Yale. Banner photo by Gunnar Klack, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).