College Admits 13.4 Percent of Early-Action Applicants

More women in science, and a steady increase in Asian-American admits 

Statue of John Harvard

Statue of John Harvard

Photograph by Ericodeg/Flickr.com

The College has admitted 13.4 percent of early-action applicants to the class of 2023, down slightly from 14.5 percent admitted from the early-action pool last year. Of the 6,958 students who applied through the program, 935 were admitted. (Last year, 964 of 6,630 applicants were admitted).  

The University’s statement stressed that significantly more women admitted this year intended to concentrate in the sciences: “Nearly 53 percent of those indicating the physical sciences as their proposed academic concentration are women, compared to 33 percent last year.” Of students interested in studying computer science, 43 percent were women, compared to 29 percent last year.

“The increased focus on physical and computer science comes at an exciting time at Harvard,” the statement says. The University has recently launched two intellectual initiatives in the sciences, in quantitative biology and in quantum science.

The class’s demographics are similar to last year’s admits: African-American students make up 12 percent of early admits, compared to 13.9 percent of last year’s group. Asian-American students make up 26.1 percent of admits, compared to 24.2 percent last year (and 21.7 percent the previous year—notable in light of the current lawsuit alleging that Harvard discriminates against Asian Americans in admissions); Latinos make up 10.1 percent (9.9 percent last year); and 1 percent of admitted students are Native American or Native Hawaiian, compared to 1.8 percent last year. Ten percent of the admits are first-generation college students, similar to last year’s number.

Total cost of attendance will likely approach $70,000 in the next academic year (the figure is $67,580 currently, and growing about 4 percent each year), but the College’s financial-aid program reduces tuition and fees far below the sticker price for most students. Students from families earning less than $65,000 pay nothing, and 60 percent of the entire student body receives grant-based financial aid, paying $12,000 per year on average.

Read more articles by Marina N. Bolotnikova

You might also like

The Faculty of Arts and Sciences Zeroes In on the Classroom Experience

Class schedules and academics are at the top of the agenda for Harvard faculty.

Harvard Football: Harvard 59, Holy Cross 24

Another week, another blowout, this one against an in-state rival

Trump Says a Deal with Harvard Is Close

Administration squeezes Harvard finances, and a federal judge blasts deportation efforts as unconstitutional.

Most popular

What Trump Means for John Roberts’s Legacy

Executive power is on the docket at the Supreme Court.

This Harvard Scientist Is Changing the Future of Genetic Diseases

David Liu has pioneered breakthroughs in gene editing, creating new therapies that may lead to cures.

Three Harvardians Win Macarthur Fellowships

A mathematician, a political scientist, and an astrophysicist are honored with “genius” grants for their work.

Explore More From Current Issue

People sit in lawn chairs near a rustic barn at Cider Garden in New Salem on a sunny day.

Ciderdays Festival Celebrates All Things Apple

Visiting small-batch cideries and orchards in Massachusetts

Vivian W. Rong sitting on bench outdoors.

Highlighting Harvard Magazine’s Fellows

The 2025-2026 Ledecky and Summer Undergraduate Fellows

Two women in traditional kimonos, one lighting a cigarette, in a scene from Apart from You.

Harvard Film Archive Spotlights Japanese Director Mikio Naruse

A retrospective of the filmmaker’s works, from Floating Clouds to Flowing