Last Updated on January 19, 2023
Is Harvard University private or public? Harvard University is the oldest of America’s selective institutions of higher education. A private institution of higher learning can be defined as an organization or corporation which receives funding from tuition fees rather than from government bodies. Harvard University received its charter in 1650, which makes it one of the earliest education institutions in America , US . It is considered to be the strongest among the Ivy League schools that are private more than public universities. What are some more facts about Harvard University? I suggest you read on to find out.
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About Is Harvard Private or Public
Harvard is at the frontier of academic and intellectual discovery. Those who venture here—to learn, research, teach, work, and grow—join nearly four centuries of students and scholars in the pursuit of truth, knowledge, and a better world.
Harvard in the Community
Harvard in the World
Leadership and Governance
Endowment
HIGHER EDUCATION, HIGHER PURPOSE
As a research university and nonprofit institution, Harvard is focused on creating educational opportunities for people from many lived experiences.
Learn about our history
Harvard at a glance
People passing by John Harvard statue.
1636
the year that Harvard University was established.
23,731
students study at Harvard.
4m+
HarvardX participants globally (HarvardX is the University’s faculty-driven online platform).
400k+
alumni worldwide.
$645 million
granted in financial aid and scholarships in the 2020 fiscal year.
Larry Bacow stands in doorway.
Meet our President
Lawrence S. Bacow is the 29th President of Harvard University. He is one of the most experienced leaders in American higher education, known for his commitment to expanding student opportunity, advancing academic innovation, and encouraging universities’ civic engagement and service to society.
Meet Larry
Academic offerings for many kinds of learners
Harvard has 12 degree-granting Schools and the Harvard Radcliffe Institute. We also offer countless of non-degree opportunities for professional and lifelong learners, including executive education, continuing education, and online courses.
Learn more about academics at Harvard
A culture where everyone can thrive
We are focused on creating a vibrant community of belonging that pursues diversity, builds inclusion, and creates more equitable opportunities for learning.
Learn more about our commitment to inclusion and belonging
Harvard is shaped and strengthened by our many communities.
Global perspective
Learn about Harvard’s global engagement
Local commitment
Learn about our local partnerships
People committed to public purpose
Harvard students, alumni, faculty, and staff are committed to making a difference in their communities.
Explore the To Serve Better project
Sarah Lockridge-Steckel
Read Sarah’s story
Brickson Diamond
Read Brickson’s story
Marnie Gelbart
Read Marnie’s story
Brick building seen through blossoming trees.
How Harvard is funded
Harvard’s research, scholarship, and educational opportunities are made possible by an endowment. Our endowment includes thousands of philanthropic gifts donated since Harvard’s early history, many of which were given to support specific aspects of the University’s work. These gifts form a permanent source of funding that connects scholars and learners from many diverse backgrounds with opportunities at Harvard, now and into the future.
Learn more about Harvard’s endowment
News from the Harvard Gazette
The Harvard Gazette is the official news website for Harvard University. It covers campus life and times, University issues and policies, innovations in science, teaching, and learning, and broader national and global concerns.
More news from the Harvard Gazette
Walter Willett looks at what’s healthy for you and the planet
Harvard scientists discover how jellyfish know when to sting
Black athletes share experiences that shaped their views
An all-star panel of former University athletes came together in a Black Varsity Association Zoom event to discuss the impact of race on the college and professional sports worlds.
Harvard College founded in 1636, is the oldest institution of higher education in the United States. Harvard College offers a four-year undergraduate, liberal arts program for students seeking their first degree. There are about 6,600 undergraduates at the College, with nearly equal numbers of men and women. In addition to Harvard College, Harvard University includes 10 graduate and professional schools, all of which offer programs for students who already hold their first degrees and seek advanced training in their fields through master’s or doctoral programs. All 10 graduate and professional schools maintain their own admissions offices and teaching faculties, and they are run independently of Harvard College. For information about Harvard’s graduate programs, please contact these schools’ admissions offices directly.
More than 800 colleges and universities across North America hold endowment assets of $516 billion. But the top 10 schools in terms of assets have about $180 billion of that total, more than one-third of all the holdings. Harvard University alone has a $35 billion endowment.
None of that money, nor the gains on it — which at the top schools were about 16 percent last year — are taxed. As non-profit entities, neither are the extensive land holdings of the nation’s colleges and universities.
Such benefits account for $41,000 in hidden taxpayer subsidies per student annually, on average, at the top 10 wealthiest private universities. That’s more than three times the direct appropriations public universities in the same states as those schools get. Princeton University, for example, receives $105,000 in taxpayer benefits for each of its students, compared to the $12,000 in appropriations that go to New Jersey’s public university, Rutgers.
Those figures come from a new study, released Monday, which recommends an excise tax on private colleges’ endowments of more than $500 million. Such a tax, which would not impact individual gifts to the institutions and would be reduced by the amount the schools dedicate to financial assistance, could generate $6 billion for the federal government to use for President Obama’s free community-college proposal. That large sum also could be used more generally for federal student aid programs.
“The inequality of the distribution of this is the most troublesome,” said Mark Schneider, one of the co-authors of the study, who is a vice president at the American Institutes for Research, and a former U.S. commissioner of education statistics. “What is the public purpose of a school that educates wealthy people and foreign students?”
Just last week, many of these schools carrying significant endowments released admissions rates for this fall’s incoming class, and they noted that they rejected some nine out of 10 students who applied. At the same time, they have a poor record of enrolling economically diverse classes, according to a New York Times analysis last year. Low-income students who qualify for Pell Grants, most of whom come from families making less than $60,000 annually, make up 15 percent or less of the student body at Stanford, Princeton, and Yale.
Total federal, state, and local tax subsidies per student
Source: Nexus Research and Policy Center
The endowment gains for these private universities come at a time when public schools, which educate 80 percent of Americans seeking a college degree, with massive cutbacks in their state appropriations and increasingly needy students faced with higher tuition rates.
Take California, for example. Stanford University has a $21.4 billion endowment (as of Aug. 2014) and the assessed value of its land is nearly $8 billion. That equals a taxpayer subsidy of some $63,000 for each student at Stanford, according to the study by the Nexus Research and Policy Center, an independent, nonpartisan group in California. Stanford’s indirect subsidy compares with direct appropriations of $10,000 per student at the University of California at Berkeley, or $4,000 at California State University at Fullerton.
A Stanford University student walks in front of Hoover Tower on the Stanford University campus in Palo Alto, Calif. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma, File)
But unlike the appropriations given to public universities, the tax breaks given to wealthy private universities are not voted on every year by Congress or state legislatures. Rather, they are a historic relic of the tax code.
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Proposals to tax endowments and the land holdings of colleges and universities are raised every few years, usually by lawmakers, and are promptly shot down by higher education lobbyists who maintain that the schools act in the public interest. That was their reaction to this latest salvo. If endowments were taxed, said Barry Toiv, a spokesman for the Association of American Universities, which represents the top research institutions, “the teaching, research, and public service activities that are supported by endowment would suffer.”
“Taxing them is not the solution to this problem,” Toiv said in a statement. “Rather states need to stop disinvesting and start reinvesting in higher education — and the federal government needs to provide adequate financial aid to low-income students seeking to attain college degrees.”
But the growing wealth gap between these top universities and hundreds of schools below them that serve the vast majority of college students shows that a small handful of institutions are increasingly benefiting from an often-hidden public subsidy. These top institutions need to do their part, too, rather than just claim in public statements to want to enroll a greater economic diversity of academically qualified students.
Some, like the University of Chicago and Washington University in St. Louis, recently announced plans to expand financial aid to increase the proportion of qualified middle- and low-income students at their schools. The other elite universities need to do more on this front, or perhaps their endowments and land holdings should be subjected to an excise tax.
Established in 1636, Harvard University is a non-profit private higher-education institution located in the urban setting of the small city of Cambridge (population range of 50,000-249,999 inhabitants), Massachusetts. Officially accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education, Harvard University (HU) is a very large (uniRank enrollment range: 40,000-44,999 students) coeducational US higher education institution. Harvard University (HU) offers courses and programs leading to officially recognized higher education degrees such as bachelor degrees, master degrees, doctorate degrees in several areas of study. See the uniRank degree levels and areas of study matrix below for further details. This 384 years old US higher-education institution has a selective admission policy based on entrance examinations and students’ past academic record and grades. The admission rate range is 0-10% making this US higher education organization a most selective institution. International applicants are eligible to apply for enrollment. HU also provides several academic and non-academic facilities and services to students including a library, housing, sports facilities, financial aids and/or scholarships, study abroad and exchange programs, online courses and distance learning opportunities, as well as administrative services.
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search the Harvard University’s website
University Identity
Name Harvard University
Acronym HU
Founded 1636
Motto Veritas
Truth
Colours Crimson
Screenshot Harvard University’s Website Screenshot
University Location
Address Massachusetts Hall
Cambridge
02138 Massachusetts
United States
Tel +1 (617) 495 1000
Fax +1
Study Areas and Degree Levels
uniRank Study Areas/Degree Levels Matrix™
Undergraduate Postgraduate
Arts & Humanities
Business & Social Sciences
Language & Cultural
Medicine & Health
Engineering
Science & Technology
Tip: search for Harvard University’s courses and programs with the uniRank Search Engine
Important: please contact or visit the official website of Harvard University for detailed information on areas of study and degree levels currently offered; the above uniRank Study Areas/Degree Levels Matrix™ is indicative only and may not be up-to-date or complete.
Yearly Tuition Range
uniRank Tuition Range Matrix™
Undergraduate Postgraduate
Local
students over 20,000 US$
(14,700 Euro) over 20,000 US$
(14,700 Euro)
International
students over 20,000 US$
(14,700 Euro) over 20,000 US$
(14,700 Euro)
Tip: search for Harvard University’s tuition fees with the uniRank Search Engine
Important: the above uniRank Tuition Range Matrix™ does not include room, board or other external costs; tuition may vary by areas of study, degree level, student nationality or residence and other criteria. Please contact the appropriate Harvard University’s office for detailed information on yearly tuitions which apply to your specific situation and study interest; the above uniRank Tuition Range Matrix™ is indicative only and may not be up-to-date or complete.
University Admissions
Gender Men and Women (coed)
International Students Yes, international applicants are welcome to apply for admission
Selection Type Yes, based on entrance examinations and students’ past academic record and grades
New Admission Requirements – Secondary school GPA is recommended
- Secondary school rank is recommended
- Secondary school record is required
- Completion of college-preparatory program is neither required nor recommended
- Recommendations are required
- Formal demonstration of competencies is neither required nor recommended
- Admission test scores are recommended
- Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is neither required nor recommended
- Other Tests (Wonderlic, WISC-III, etc.) are neither required nor recommended
Admission Rate 0-10%
Admission Office 86 Brattle Street
Cambridge 02138
(617) 495 1551
Tip: search for Harvard University’s admission policy with the uniRank Search Engine
Important: admission policy and acceptance rate may vary by areas of study, degree level, student nationality or residence and other criteria. Please contact the Harvard University’s Admission Office for detailed information on a specific admission selection policy and acceptance rate; the above University admission information is indicative only and may not be complete or up-to-date.
Size and Profile
Student Enrollment 40,000-44,999
Academic Staff 2,000-2,499
Control Type Private
Entity Type Non-Profit
Academic Calendar Semesters
Campus Setting Urban
Religious Affiliation None
Carnegie Classification New
Basic Classification Doctoral Universities: Very High Research Activity
2000 Classification Doctoral/Research Universities–Extensive
Size & Setting Four-year, large, highly residential institution
Enrollment Profile Majority graduate
Undergraduate Profile Four-year, full-time, more selective, lower transfer-in institution
Undergraduate Instructional Program Arts & sciences focus, high graduate coexistence
Graduate Instructional Program Balanced arts & sciences/professions, high graduate coexistence
Facilities and Services
Library Yes Go to Harvard University’s Library
Harvard University’s library collection is comprised of both physical (i.e. books, medium etc.) and digital/electronic items. In 2018 the library has reported 15,378,357 physical volumes, 767,175 physical media, 259,894 digital/electronic medium and 1,491 licensed digital/electronic databases. Harvard University’s library has 33 branches.
Housing Yes
Harvard University provides on-campus housing. The total dormitory capacity, whether on or off campus, was about 13,574 students in the 2018 academic year.
Sport Facilities Yes
Financial Aids Yes
Study Abroad Yes
Distance Learning Yes
Academic Counseling Yes
Career Services Yes
Institutional Hospital Not reported
Harvard University Courses
Important: please contact or visit the official website of Harvard University for detailed information on facilities and services provided, including the type of scholarships and other financial aids offered to local or international students; the information above is indicative only and may not be complete or up-to-date.
Accreditations
Institutional Accreditation
New England Commission of Higher Education
Year of first Accreditation
1929
Other Specialized or Programmatic Accreditations
Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International)
American Bar Association (ABA), Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar
Engineering Accreditation Commission (EAC) of ABET
Tip: search for Harvard University’s accreditations with the uniRank Search Engine
Important: the above section is intended to include only those reputable organizations (e.g. Ministries of Higher Education) that have the legal authority to officially accredit, charter, license or, more generally, recognize Harvard University as a whole (Institutional Accreditation or Recognition) or its specific programs/courses (Programmatic Accreditation). Memberships and affiliations to organizations which do not imply any formal, extensive and/or legal process of accreditation or recognition are included in the specific Memberships and Affiliations section below. Please report errors and additions taking into consideration the above criteria.
Memberships and Affiliations
Associated Universities, Inc. (AUI)
Association of American Universities (AAU)
Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA)
Ivy League
National Athletic Association (NAA)
National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)
Academic Structure
|
Tip: search for Harvard University’s faculties or academic divisions with the uniRank Search Engine
Social Media
Facebook
Harvard University’s Facebook page for social networking Harvard University’s Facebook page
Twitter
Harvard University’s Twitter webpage for micro-blogging and news updates Harvard University’s Twitter page
LinkedIn
Harvard University’s LinkedIn profile for business and academic networking
YouTube
Harvard University’s YouTube or Vimeo channel for videos Harvard University’s YouTube page
Instagram
Harvard University’s Instagram or Flickr account for photos
Online Courses
iTunes U
Not reported
Open Education Global
Not reported
Tip: search for Harvard University’s online or distance education courses with the uniRank Search Engine
Wikipedia Article
Wikipedia
Harvard University’s Wikipedia article
Video Presentation
Not available; please submit an official general video presentation of this higher education institution.
Related Resources
Find out rankings and reviews of all Universities in the United States
Search for courses and scholarships with the uniRank World Universities Search Engine
Explore a list of all recognized Universities in North America by country
Errors and Update
Site last updated: Tuesday, 2 February 2021
This University profile has been officially reviewed and updated by Harvard University’s representatives.
Please visit the official website of Harvard University to make sure the University information provided is up-to-date. The uniRank University Ranking™ is not an academic ranking and should not be adopted as the main criteria for selecting a higher education organization where to enroll.
Harvard and Stanford are both top Universities in America. The former lies on the East coast while the latter is on the West Coast of the United Sates.
Harvard University is the leading institution of higher learning located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA while Stanford University is located in Stanford, CA, USA. Both are epitomes of education today and have produced numerous known leaders and businessmen of the world.
Comparison chart
Differences — Similarities —
Harvard University versus Stanford University comparison chart
Edit this comparison chart Harvard University Stanford University
current rating is 3.66/512345
(279 ratings)
current rating is 4.12/512345
(294 ratings)
Harvard University
Stanford University
Mascot John Harvard Cardinal
Founded on March 13, 1639 November 11, 1885
Motto Veritas Die Luft der Freiheit weht meaning The wind of Freedom blows
Website www.harvard.edu www.stanford.edu
Famous Alumni Franklin Roosevelt, John F Kennedy, T.S. Elliot, John Adams, etc. Jim Allchin, Andrew Grove, Larry Page, Herbert Hoover, Condoleeza Rice.
Endowment US $34.9 billion US $ 17.2 Billion
Type Private Private
School color Crimson Cardinal
Undergraduates 6,715 6,689
Field Higher Education, Research Higher Education, Research
Campus Area 380 acres 8180 acres
Location Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA Stanford, CA, USA
Students 2,497 non-medical, 10,674 medical 1807
What is it? Top East Coast University in America Top West Coast University in America
Graduates 12,424 8,201
President Drew Gilpin Faust John L Hennessy
Staff 2,497 non-medical, 10,674 medical 1807
Motto in English Truth The wind of Freedom blows
History
Harvard University was founded in 1639 by John Harvard. In the 17th century, Harvard University established the Indian College in order to educate Native Americans, but it was not a success and disappeared by 1693. Between 1800 and 1870 a transformation of Harvard occurred which E. Digby Baltzell calls “privatization”. During this period, Harvard experienced unparalleled growth that put it into a different category from other colleges. Ronald Story notes in 1850, Harvard’s total assets were “five times that of Amherst and Williams combined, and three times that of Yale…. By 1850, it was a genuine university, ‘unequalled in facilities”. Ever since that there has been no looking back and today, Harvard is considered one of the premier centers of higher learning in the world.
Stanford University dates to the late 19th Century and was founded by a former Governor of California in memory of his son who perished at a young age. Stanford University has become the leading University and Research Facility on the West Coast of America, and is also recognized as one of the top 20 Universities in the world. Stanford University has Undergraduate, Graduate, Law, Medicine, and other degree programs for students.
Schools and Programs
Harvard University has schools of Arts & Sciences, Engineering & Applied Sciences, a Business School, Divinity School, School of Government, as well as Medical and Legal departments. It has programs ranging from Architecture, Biophysics, Business Economics to forestry. There are extentive programs available under its research schools also.
Stanford University has both graduate and undergraduate programs in Earth Science, Engineering, Humanities & Science, Education, Business, Medical and Law. Stanford also has a huge variety of programs. Harvard Business School is the most respected institution for business management, investment studies and .market research in the country. The Stanford School of Engineering is one of the best institutions for research and development in the country, though most associate Stanford with IT development excellence at the academic level.
Faculty and Education
Stanford currently has 1807 faculty members, including Nobel laureates and Pulitzer Prize winners. The Stanford faculty is divided as follows in various Schools:
Total Faculty 1,807*
Members of Academic Council 1,418
Percentages are rounded
Graduate School of Business 96 (5%)
School of Earth Sciences 45 (2%)
School of Education 47 (3%)
School of Engineering 231 (13%)
School of Humanities and Sciences 524 (29%)
School of Law 48 (3%)
School of Medicine 766 (42%)
Other:(SLAC, FSI, Independent Labs) 50 (3%)
Harvard has 2,497 faculty members in the non-medical devision and 10,674 medical faculty.
Facilities
The Harvard University Library is considered to be the largest and most extensive research library in the world. For housing at Harvard, Thirteen Houses make up the Harvard-Radcliffe House system. Twelve are residences for sophomores, juniors, and seniors. (Undergraduates spend their first year in dormitories in or near Harvard Yard.) A 13th House is a center for graduate students, nonresident undergraduates, and undergraduates living in small cooperative Houses (in which students prepare their own meals and do household chores in exchange for reduced room and board). Harvard prides itself at its publications including the Harvard University Gazette. Harvard University is also home to many superior examples of American architecture including the Massachusetts Hall and The John Harvard Statue and some museums.
The Stanford University Library is equally good and also prides itself on the Stanford University Press. The Stanford University comprises of extensive computer networking linking more than 1,50,000 computers. The undergraduate housing system at stanford includes 78 very diverse residential facilities, including academic-focus, language and culture, and cross-cultural houses; student-managed row-type houses; apartments; suites; and traditional residence halls. In 2006, Stanford Dining won the Ivy Award for Excellence in Dining. It serves about 3,250,000 meals annually. There are 40 recognized religious organizations on the Stanford campus. The Stanford Lively Arts Foundation brings the theatre dimension to student life. Stanford has associations with more than 70 charitable and voluntary organizations for public service work for students. Stanford maintains one million gross feet of indoor facilities and 94 acres of outdoor fields. Among Stanford’s facilities are the 50,000-seat Stanford Stadium, the 6,786-yard Stanford Golf Course; the 7,000-seat Maples Pavilion, with one of the finest basketball surfaces in the world; the 4,000-seat Sunken Diamond; the 14-court Taube Family Tennis Stadium; and the the 2,500-seat, four-pool Avery Aquatic Complex.
Sports
At Stanford, the annual football game against the University of California Berkeley Golden Bears is regarded the Big Game. It is preceded by Gaieties, a student-produced musical follies. Stanford has won the Director’s Cup, which honors the most successful program in NCAA Division I sports for the last 12 years. In 2005-06, Stanford won three national team championships and had 13 teams in the top five and 20 in the top 10. Forty-two athletes and coaches also represented Stanford at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. Stanford offers about 300 athletic scholarships. About 800 students participate in intercollegiate sports.
Harvard has excelled in sports like football, basketball, baseball, and soccer and has produced many world class players like Jenifer Boterril, Julie chu and Jamie Hagerman.
Cost to Attend
Undergraduate cost at Harvard for the academic year 2006-07 are as follows:
$30,275 Tuition
$9,946 Room and board
$3,434 Fees
$43,655 Total
For Stanford undergraduate study may cost anywhere between $40,000 to $45,000.
Harvard University Acceptance Rate
References
Wikipedia: Stanford
Wikipedia: Harvard
Wikipedia: List of Stanford University people#Notable Stanford alumni
Official Harvard Website
Official Stanford Website
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Comments: Harvard University vs Stanford University
Anonymous comments (4)
December 8, 2011, 10:29pm
No ties to Stanford, but as someone who did the MIT/Harvard combo, I concur that the BUREAUCRACY at Harvard is painful. Where MIT offices routinely stretched deadlines and fudged class limits, Harvard would announce “too late!” if you SNEEZED the wrong way.
Harvard offers fine instruction in the classes themselves, but I really don’t like the attitude. Given a choice, I’d pick Stanford — or even UCB — the second time around.
— 66.✗.✗.7
April 22, 2010, 5:37pm
This Harvard and Stanford alum recently got a call from Harvard asking for donations to the endowment. Are they kidding? The administrators for my graduate program were unproductive, unresponsive, and incompetent. They were like a Soviet bureaucracy: you could be the energizer bunny at jumping through their paperwork hoops and still they could screw you in the end – they were THAT incompetent. Forget professionalism — one administrator actually yelled at my face when I inquired about information in my student records! He was like a kindergartner in Romper Room, no exaggeration. I objected on ethical, environmental, and financial grounds to printing and binding a final project using heavy weight, bleached paper and hardcover binding. They refused to discuss the issue and withheld my diploma until I acquiesced. Meanwhile, people all over campus gloated how “crimson is the new green.” Besides, with research projects, coursework, and extracurriculars, how many extra hours in a day does a busy professional/student have for administrators who forget to process documents, outright lose paperwork, and waste time? They almost screwed up my transcript for failing to investigate something! While at Harvard I took classes with undergrads on sports teams who were so unengaged, unintelligent, and uninterested it was stunning. These same undergrads, desperate to exclude me from campus life, would actively mock me as I tripped in snow walking home, cuss me out under their breath as I walked through the Yard, and try to convince as many undergrads and grad students as possible to ignore me. They enjoyed access to professional, networking, and recruitment opportunities that I was institutionally denied access to. What made my social experience at Harvard even more absurd is that I actually enjoyed networking with elites! Meanwhile, my advisor, whose every event, seminar, and class I attended in earnest for a year was too busy to write me even the simplest letter of recommendation so that I could pursue my dream of a PhD and the lifetime of teaching, educational leadership, and research that would follow. To put this in context, I was the Harvard student who practically hero worshipped his instructors. Admittedly, I still think my professors at Harvard were amazing, but what a sad outcome at a university I loved so much when I had initially set foot on campus. Contrast Harvard with Stanford. The minute I was admitted, Stanford plugged me into practically every professional recruitment program available – 6 months before I even set foot on campus! The professors at Stanford equally brilliant and they take the time to talk to graduate students about research projects, field interests, and – critical for an aspiring grad student – they write letters of recommendation. Stanford students are more intelligent (and kind!) than their Harvard counterparts – a statement qualified only on the limited range of classes I took at both schools, but noteworthy as an individual’s experience nonetheless. In all fairness, I found the same instruction quality at both universities. And while Stanford’s library for my field fell short compared to the researcher’s Disneyland that Widener turned out to be, it was nevertheless impressive. But Stanford outside of the classroom couldn’t be more different: at Stanford I never feared being cussed out, mocked, or socially excluded. At Harvard, the path to campus success is paved through advertising where your dad went to school. At Stanford, that’s refreshingly irrelevant, and should be. For such an expensive investment of one’s time and money, there’s no room to take chances. So, if you’re not a member of the American elite, why gamble with the arbitrary approval/disapproval system of Harvard? Case in point: without elite connections or a seat in a PhD program, I walked straight into the worst job market since the Great Depression. If Harvard wants to grow it’s endowment further, they should focus on the elites whose dads did not tell them to pay their own way through life. At this point, how should I contribute to Harvard’s endowment? After I have a truly fair shot of admission to their PhD program. In the meantime, I’m probably not the best candidate for donations. Sincerely, Anonymous Harvard alum
— 66.✗.✗.188
November 28, 2009, 1:54am
Like the last commenter, I attended both Harvard and Stanford. I found Harvard’s strength to be its research library, but the community was extremely unwelcoming, isolating, and socially exclusive. An intellectually driven young man with an outgoing personality, I was perceived as a social and intellectual threat on the Harvard campus and terrorized and rejected accordingly. Stanford’s library holdings are dwarfed by those of Harvard, but both the undergraduate and graduate students at Stanford are less obsessed with one’s personal pedigree. Stanford’s campus clearly has its advantages, though Harvard has a slight edge on campus-adjacent nightlife. I found the quality of instruction at both institutions to be excellent.
— 99.✗.✗.101
August 11, 2009, 6:08pm
I attended Harvard as an undergrad and Stanford as a graduate student. I don’t buy the claim that either institution surpasses the other in terms of academic or intellectual opportunities, or in the strength of its students. The two do differ, however, in ways that seem obvious but which warrant attention. Harvard is older and is infused (even now) with the Anglophilia the characterized much of late 19th and early 20th century USA. This has been watered down some, but it is still pervasive: the House System ( a Disneyesque recreation of Oxford and Cambridge colleges), “Masters Open Houses,” the Head of the Charles, Gentlemen’s Final clubs, etc. This Anglophilia has its charms but can also be alienating. Stanford, on the other hand, is destinctively more “American,” –in good and bad senses. It is less tradition bound and thus seems to provide greater freedom for personal growth and experience. But a preference for the practical over the intellectual also characterizes the campus
Harvard University is a private institution that was founded in 1636. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 6,755, its setting is urban, and the campus size is 5,076 acres.
Harvard was the first university established in the US, in 1636. It continues to be private, with an endowment which allows it to provide good salaries & research opportunities to its outstanding faculty.
Harvard has a diverse student population from over 50 states and 80 countries and currently more than 36,000 students are studying at Harvard out of which 6,699 are enrolled in Harvard College, 13,120 as graduate and professional students, and 16,193 in Harvard Extension School. Harvard has the oldest academic library in the world consisting of 20.4 million volumes, 180,000 serial titles, an estimated 400 million manuscript items, 10 million photographs, 124 million archived web pages, and 5.4 terabytes of born-digital archives and manuscripts. Approximately 70 percent of the students receive some sort of financial aid at Harvard, and about 60 percent receive need-based scholarships and pay an average of $12,000 per year.
