Cost of Attendance Will Increase 3 Percent in 2018-19

The cost of attendance will be $67,580 next year, up from $65,609 this year. 

Total cost of attendance (including tuition, housing, and fees) at the College will increase by 3 percent to $67,580 in 2018-2019, up from $65,609 this year. The increase is notably lower than it has been in recent years (last year’s cost represented a 4.1 percent increase from the previous year), as cost of attendance approaches $70,000.

Harvard’s tuition will be slightly lower than its peer schools in the Ivy League (a fact noted prominently in the University’s press release): $69,430 at Yale, $70,010 at Princeton, and $71,200 at the University of Pennsylvania. It’s slightly higher than Stanford’s, at $67,117.

Growth in tuition costs has outpaced inflation for decades; annual increases have been somewhat lower, in percentage terms, since the 2008 financial crisis. Total cost of attendance crossed $60,000 for the first time in the 2016-2017 academic year, and $50,000 for the first time in 2010-2011.

Most students, of course, won’t pay the sticker price: students from families earning less than $65,000 per year (about 20 percent of each class) pay nothing, and families earning up to $150,000 typically pay 10 percent or less of their annual income. Families pay $12,000 on average, according to the University. 

This Wednesday, the College will announce admissions results for the class of 2022.

Read more articles by Marina N. Bolotnikova

Related Topics

You might also like

Harvard Kennedy School Unveils American Service Fellowship

Will fund degrees for 50 public servants and military veterans

Harvard Layoffs Continue, with More to Come

In the wake of federal government actions, several Harvard schools and institutes are cutting costs.

Trump Administration Threatens Harvard’s Accreditation, Subpoenas Student Records

The federal government mounts pressure amid negotiations with Harvard.

Most popular

Harvard’s Hiring Freeze Continues

University leaders say $1 billion per year is at risk due to federal actions

Harvard Retains Winthrop Name

Committee undecided on whether owning slaves merits denaming

The Professor Who Quantified Democracy

Erica Chenoweth’s data shows how—and when—authoritarians fall.

Explore More From Current Issue