College Admits 7.5 Percent of Early Applicants

The class of 2027 begins to take shape.

Memorial Church in Harvard Yard

Memorial Church in Harvard Yard

Photograph by Niko Yaitanes/Harvard Magazine

Today, 722 of 9,553 early-action applicants were admitted to the College class of 2027. This 7.5 percent acceptance rate is slightly lower than last year’s 7.9 percent.

Of the admitted cohort, 14 percent come from first-generation college backgrounds, up from the nearly 12 percent last year, and 10.8 percent are eligible for federal Pell Grants—for which lower-income families qualify. African Americans comprised 14.4 percent of the class (up from 13.9 percent last year), Asian Americans 29.1 percent (up from 25.9 percent last year), Latinx 8.4 percent (down from 10.5 percent last year), and Native Americans and Native Hawaiians 1.7 percent (down from 3.7 percent last year). International students comprised 14.1 percent of those admitted today—an increase from last year’s 12.6 percent.

This is the third admissions cycle for which Harvard has not required SAT or ACT standardized test scores in its application, due to the COVID-19 pandemic’s continued effect on access to testing for high-school students. The College will continue to make score-reporting optional for the admitted classes through 2030.

The class of 2027 is the second admitted cohort to receive expanded financial aid packages under the Harvard Financial Aid Initiative (HFAI) for low- and middle-income families. The full cost of attending Harvard—including tuition, housing and food, and all fees—is free for international and domestic families with annual incomes below $75,000, increased from the $65,000 threshold of previous years. 

Students were notified of early action decisions at 7 p.m. today, and those admitted are not obligated to attend. They have until May 1 to make their final decision. All students deferred in early action will be reconsidered during the regular action cycle, with those decisions slated for March 30, 2023.

The College plans to welcome admitted students for an in-person Visitas weekend this spring, April 23-24.

Read more articles by Nancy Walecki

You might also like

Sam Liss to Head Harvard’s Office for Technology Development

Technology licensing and corporate partnerships are an important source of revenue for the University.

Garber to Serve as Harvard President Beyond 2027

A once-interim appointment will now continue indefinitely.

Harvard Students, Alumna Named Rhodes and Marshall Scholars

Nine Rhodes and five Marshall scholars will study in the U.K. in 2026.

Most popular

The 1884 Cannibalism-at-Sea Case That Still Has Harvard Talking

The Queen v. Dudley and Stephens changed the course of legal history. Here’s why it’s been fodder for countless classroom debates.

For Campus Speech, Civility is a Cultural Practice

A former Harvard College dean reviews Princeton President Christopher Eisgruber’s book Terms of Respect.

Explore More From Current Issue

Anne Neal Petri in a navy suit leans on a wooden chair against an exterior wall of Mount Vernon..

Mount Vernon, Historic Preservation, and American Politics

Anne Neal Petri promotes George Washington and historic literacy.

Black and white photo of a large mushroom cloud rising above the horizon.

Open Book: A New Nuclear Age

Harvard historian Serhii Plokhy’s latest book looks at the rising danger of a new arms race.

Historic church steeple framed by bare tree branches against a clear sky.

Harvard’s Financial Challenges Lead to Difficult Choices

The University faces the consequences of the Trump administration—and its own bureaucracy