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Last Updated: March 10, 8:00am
24% of Harvard families pay nothing for their students to attend.
Affordability
Overview
No American College is More Affordable
Concerned about the cost of college? Let's cut to the chase: you can afford Harvard. Our application process is entirely need-blind, which means that applying for financial aid will have no impact on your admissions decision.
Dedicated to Affordability
Our goal is to bring the most promising students to Harvard—period. We've created a financial aid program to help ensure that admitted students can afford their Harvard education. Our financial aid officers will work closely with your family to understand your financial situation, then create a comprehensive financial aid package that accounts for the full cost of attendance.
Affordability Video
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Video description:
Two students share their personal stories about applying for and receiving financial aid from Harvard.
Assessing Your Need
Once you're admitted, the Financial Aid Committee will assess your family’s financial need and offer you an award to meet it. We determine need based on your family’s income, assets, and overall financial circumstances. You'll never be required to take on loans, and we don't factor in home equity or retirement savings when crafting your aid package. Most importantly, your financial situation will not affect your chances of admission to Harvard College.
We know that each student's financial circumstances are unique. Your financial aid officer will work with you all four years to understand your needs and take the stress out of affording Harvard.
Calculate Your Cost
In just five minutes, you can estimate how much your family will be expected to contribute to your Harvard education.
What Does Harvard Cost?
Harvard costs what your family can afford. We make sure of that.
- If your family's income is less than $85,000, you'll pay nothing.
- For families who earn between $85,000 and $150,000, the expected contribution is between zero and ten percent of your annual income.
- Families who earn more than $150,000 may still qualify for financial aid.
- Families at all income levels who have significant assets are asked to pay more than those without assets.
- For more than ninety percent of American families, Harvard costs less than a public university.
- All students receive the same aid regardless of nationality or citizenship.
To learn more, check out our financial aid fact sheet or see the breakdown of the full cost of attendance. You can also compare Harvard's cost to that of other schools with the MyinTuition Quick College Cost Estimator.
Types of Aid
In addition to Harvard's scholarship funds, other types of aid include:
- Student employment
- Optional loans
- Outside awards
Your financial aid officer can help you find these and other types of aid.
Students Share Financial Aid Stories
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