First-Year Applicants

Source: https://college.harvard.edu/admissions/apply/first-year-applicants Parent: https://college.harvard.edu/admissions/apply

Overview

Take the next step in your academic journey.

We seek promising students who will contribute to the Harvard community during their college years, and to society throughout their lives.

While academic accomplishment is important, the Admissions Committee considers many other factors—potential contributions to our community, special talents or excellences of all kinds, perspectives formed by life experiences, the willingness to respectfully engage with differing ideas and opinions, and the ability to take advantage of the breadth of Harvard’s resources and opportunities.

First-Year Application Requirements

All first-year applicants—both international and U.S. candidates—must complete the Common Application or Coalition Application by Scoir, along with the required supplements. Visit our QuestBridge site for more information about applying via the National College Match.

For the Common Application or Coalition Application, you will need to submit:

• Common Application or apply Coalition, Powered by Scoir. This includes:
• Subsets of questions
• An activities list
• Personal essay (Common Application prompts, Coalition Application prompts)
• Harvard College Questions for the Common Application or Coalition Application Harvard supplement. There are five required short-answer questions with 150 word limits for each
• $90 fee (or request a fee waiver)
• SAT or ACT - In exceptional cases when those tests are not accessible, one of the following can meet the requirement:
• AP exam results
• IB Actual or Predicted Scores
• GCSE/A-Level Actual or Predicted Results
• National Leaving Exams Results or Predictions
• AP or other examination results are not required, but may be submitted
• School Report (which includes a counselor letter) and high school transcript
• Teacher Recommendations (2)
• Midyear School Report (after your first semester grades)
• Final School Report (for admitted students only)

Eligibility: 

• The first year application is intended for students who have completed secondary school and are seeking their first bachelor's degree.
• If you have taken college courses while still in high school (dual-enrollment or supplementary coursework), you are considered a first-year applicant.
• Students who have previously enrolled at a college or university after graduating high school are not permitted to relinquish credit earned in order to restart their college experience.
• If you already have a bachelor’s degree, you are not eligible for admission to Harvard College.

View detailed application requirements

Application Timeline

You may apply to Harvard under either our Restrictive Early Action (REA) or our Regular Decision (RD) program, both of which allow you to compare admission and financial aid offers from other institutions and to wait until May 1 to make a final college choice.

Your materials are due by the deadline for whichever round you choose; high school counselors may submit supporting materials up to a week after the deadline if necessary. Please note that standardized test scores (whether submitted directly via the testing agencies or self-reported in the application/applicant portal) are needed by the end of November for REA.

• Restrictive Early Action candidates apply by November 1and receive notification by mid-December.
• Regular Decision candidates apply by January 1 and receive notification by the end of March.

You are welcome to apply to Harvard using the Common Application which opens August 1, or the Coalition Application, Powered by Scoir, which opens August 15.

Harvard is also a QuestBridge partner - please visit our QuestBridge page for the applicable timeline. \  \

First-year Timeline Questions

• View detailed application timeline

• How and when to submit ACT or SAT scores (for students submitting standardized test scores)

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Restrictive Early Action

Applying to Harvard under the Restrictive Early Action program empowers you to make a college choice early. Early applicants apply by November 1 and hear from us by mid-December.

If your record and accomplishments have been consistently strong over time, Restrictive Early Action may be an attractive choice. You don’t have to commit to coming to Harvard, but you will learn earlier if it is an option for you.

Consider if Restrictive Early Action is Right for You

• What is Restrictive Early Action?

• Is it easier to be accepted if I apply Restrictive Early Action?

• What are the benefits of applying Regular Decision?

Mailing Your Application

Applications that are received in the mail will be treated equally by the Admissions Committee. However, applications submitted online are processed faster and allow your school officials to submit their part of your application online as well. Please choose one option only: either apply online or send an application through the mail.*

*All application materials sent become the property of the Office of Admissions & Financial Aid. We will not be able to return any application materials as a result. Please do not mail valuable, personal, or original materials as a part of your application if you wish to keep your work.

• Printable First-Year Application Forms

• Where to mail your application

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Related Topics

[### Application Requirements

Here you'll find a detailed explanation of each requirement of the application, including teacher recommendations, test scores, and school reports.](https://college.harvard.edu/admissions/apply/application-requirements)

[### Apply For Financial Aid

We strive to make our financial aid application as streamlined as possible.](https://college.harvard.edu/financial-aid/apply-financial-aid)