Harvard University

Overview

Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Harvard College was founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, Puritan preacher John Harvard. It is the oldest higher education institution in the United States and one of the most prominent in the world.

In its early years, Harvard College mainly trained Congregational pastors. Throughout the 18th century, its curriculum and student population got secularized. By the 19th century, it emerged as the major cultural establishment among the Boston elite. Following the American Civil War, it turned into a contemporary research university with linked professional schools.

Harvard is a founding member of the Association of American Universities. It is a world-class research institution with "very high" research activity (R1). It provides extensive PhD programs in the arts, sciences, engineering, and medicine, according to the Carnegie Classification. Biomedical research is an area of special strength for the institution, with the Harvard Medical School frequently placing top among medical schools for research.

The institution has twelve academic faculties, including the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study.  Harvard has three primary campuses: the 209-acre (85-hectare) Cambridge site centered on Harvard Yard; an adjoining campus just over the Charles River in Boston's Allston district; and the medical campus in Boston's Longwood Medical Area. Harvard has the highest endowment of any academic school, estimated at $53.2 billion. The Harvard Library is the world's biggest academic library system. It has 79 separate libraries containing around 20.4 million items.

International students at Harvard​ make up 23.0% of all total students. Harvard has the same financial help policies for all candidates, regardless of nationality or citizenship. All financial help is based on need. The admissions decisions are made regardless of whether an applicant has filed for financial aid. Harvard provides for each student's demonstrated need.

Fifteen faculties oversee 127 programs at undergraduate level and 189 taught postgraduate programs. These are:

• Faculty of Arts and Sciences
• Harvard College
• School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (formerly Division)
• Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
• Division of Continuing Education
• Faculty of Business
• Harvard Business Publishing
• Faculty of Design
• Faculty of Divinity
• Faculty of Education
• Faculty of Government
• Faculty of Law
• Faculty of Public Health
• Faculty of Medicine
• School of Dental Medicine