Harvard: Early Acceptance Rate

At Top Tier Admissions, we are committed to making the college admissions process more transparent. Easy access to clear data helps families understand trends in college admissions to make more informed decisions. We’re collecting early acceptance rate data at selective schools and providing insight and analysis of our own. For historical data, see our collection of Ivy League and Top College Acceptance Rates and Admissions Statistics, including the Class of 2027 Ivy League admissions data and admissions stats for a range of additional selective schools.

**See Highlights From The Harvard Crimson’s Article Below:**

Harvard’s early acceptance rate increased by more than 1% from last year, with 8.74% students, or 692, admitted to the Class of 2028 from a pool of 7,921 who applied under the Early Action Program. 83.06% of applicants were deferred, a number much higher than the 20% of early action Yale University applicants who were deferred to the regular decision round.

This year’s acceptance rate marks the highest since 2019, when the College admitted 13.9 percent of applicants to the Class of 2024 under the restrictive early action cycle. Though the acceptance rate increased this year, it still marks the fourth-lowest early admission acceptance rate in the College’s history.

The university did not release any racial demographic information as a result of the Supreme Court’s ruling against affirmative action last year. However, geographical data shows an increasing trend of international students in the early rounds. International students represent nearly 17 percent of Harvard’s early admits this year, a significant jump from 14.1 percent in the Class of 2027 and 12.6 in the Class of 2026.

William R. Fitzsimmons ’67, Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid, said that in order to comply with the Supreme Court’s ruling, “admission officers will not have access to data on race or ethnicity until the admissions process is entirely over.”

“I think there are more inspirational stories in the past two or three or four classes at Harvard, and that has not ended,” he added.

EXPERT INSIGHT: HARVARD’S EARLY ACCEPTANCE RATE

It’s important to note that applications to Harvard in the Early Action round fell by 17 percent this fall (7,921 applicants this cycle, compared to 9,553 last year). This decline might be, in part, due to the controversy around President Claudine Gay’s responses to campus antisemitism, as well as the university’s role in the Supreme Court case on affirmative action.

In a recent interview with The Boston Globe, Mimi Doe, Top Tier Admissions co-founder and CEO, said that some students who were accepted to Harvard in the Early Action round this year are continuing to apply to other Ivy League schools, rather than committing to Harvard immediately — a stark departure from years past.

“It’s interesting and telling that this year there are students who are throwing their hat in the ring even though they have the golden apple in single choice early action from Harvard,” Doe said.

But ultimately, she doesn’t believe that’s indicative of any larger trend for the university’s admissions or enrollment.

“The benefits will always outweigh [the concerns] just because of the brand and the reputation,” said Doe.

TTA Takeaway: In contrast to Yale, Harvard deferred the vast majority of applicants in its early round. There is still hope for an acceptance in the regular decision round if you prioritize your academics and consider retaking standardized tests to strengthen your academic profile. Continue to update your regional admissions officer with new accomplishments and submit a compelling deferral letter to reiterate your interest in attending.

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Siena Swift

Communications Intern at Top Tier Admissions

Siena is a recent graduate of Pomona College and an award-winning student journalist. At Pomona, Siena served as a tour guide, was an advocate for sustainability at the Claremont Colleges and interned in the admissions office, where she specialized in marketing research, writing, and social media content management.