Undergraduate Tuition

During the past 20 years, Harvard's undergraduate bill has risen from $14,000 to $39,880 per academic year (before any offsetting financial...

During the past 20 years, Harvard's undergraduate bill has risen from $14,000 to $39,880 per academic year (before any offsetting financial aid), an increase of 183 percent. The figures below compare tuition and fee growth to the higher-education price index (up about 110 percent); median family income (roughly doubled); and the urban consumer price index (up about 80 percent). Tuition exclusive of room, board, and fees—graphed at bottom—rose from $9,500 to $27,448.


 

Most popular

Three Harvard Alumni and a Former Postdoc Named MacArthur Fellows

A labor economist, an organic chemist, a physicist, and a memory researcher were honored with 2026 “genius” grants.

Harvard Couple Aim to Cure Prion Diseases

The stakes are high for this husband and wife: one of them will die if they don’t find a cure.

As Federal Funding Slows, Harvard Invests $150 Million in Faculty Research

A new University fund is intended to bolster basic research and attract more industry partnerships.

Explore More From Current Issue

A smiling elderly man in glasses sits comfortably in a striped armchair.

Plus, veteran higher education leader Thomas Ehrlich reflects on university curricula for his 70th reunion

A vase of yellow flowers on a table next to an orange and a glass.

Harvard Art Museums restores a rare glimpse of an American master.

Runners compete on a track, with a Harvard athlete in the foreground and others behind.

After a historic 2025-26 season, athletes eye NCAA championships.