This report takes a look at tuition fees and financial aid statistics for Harvard University. The level of degree undertaken can greatly affect total tuition costs and financial aid can be provided to support learners where necessary.
As of the 2022/23 academic year, full-time Harvard College undergraduates can expect to pay $52,659 in tuition fees annually.
Tuition fees for undergraduates increase by 3.41% on average each year.
Graduates at Harvard on standard courses pay between $30,472 to $73,440 in tuition fees.
Tuition fees for graduates increase by a maximum of 3.27% on average each year.
Part time students can expect to pay around half that of full-time students in total tuition fees per year.
MBAs at Harvard cost $73,440 in tuition and are the highest costing standard graduate qualification per year.
In contrast, Harvard Divinity School offers graduate qualifications with tuition fees of just $30,472 annually.
Cost of a 4-year undergraduate degree
One year, including living costs, at Harvard will cost an estimated $75,661.
The tuition fees for a year at Harvard cost $52,659.
Housing & Food costs are estimated to be $19,502.
Books & Personal Expenses are expected to be $3,500.
While transport costs are expected to be $0 for a student living on campus.
This puts the tuition fees for a 4-year degree at an estimated $210,636.
And the total cost of a 4-year degree including living costs at $302,644 (excluding supplemental fees).
Official fees for undergraduates (standard full-time courses)
Full-time Harvard College undergraduates studying standard courses can expect to pay $52,659 in tuition fees for the 2022/23 academic year.
Over the given 5-year period, Harvard College undergraduate tuition fees have increased by 13.64%.
This amounts to an average annual increase of 3.41%
In general, tuition fees for Harvard standard undergraduate courses increase at a higher rate than graduate degree courses.
Harvard College
As of 2022/23, Harvard College charges $52,659 annually for undergraduate tuition fees (standard full-time courses).
Health insurance fees total $5,384 annually.
Tuition fees have increased by 13.64% over the period and health insurance fees have increased by 18.54%.
Fee type
2018/19
2019/20
2020/21
2021/22
2022/23
Change
Tuition fee
$46,340
$47,730
$49,653
$51,143
$52,659
+ 13.64%
Health insurance fees
$4,542
$4,906
$5,128
$5,282
$5,384
+ 18.54%
(Excludes supplemental fees)
A graph is given below to show how tuition fees for Harvard College have increased year-on-year:
Official fees for graduates (standard full-time courses)
Full-time Harvard graduates studying standard courses can expect to pay between $30,472 to $73,440 in tuition fees for the 2022/23 academic year.
Over the given 5-year period, Harvard graduate tuition fees increased by a maximum of 13.09%.
This amounts to a maximum average annual increase of 3.27%.
Despite this, MBA tuition fees have remained the same.
Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
As of 2022/23, Harvard’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences charge $52,456 annually for graduate tuition fees (standard full-time courses).
Tuition fees have increased by 13.09% over the period.
Health insurance fees total $5,384 annually.
Fee type
2018/19
2019/20
2020/21
2021/22
2022/23
Change
Tuition fee
$46,384
$48,008
$49,448
$50,928
$52,456
+ 13.09%
Health insurance fees
$4,542
$4,906
$5,128
$5,282
$5,384
+ 18.54%
(Excludes supplemental fees. Reduced fees can be given on 3rd and 4th years of study)
Harvard Divinity School
As of 2022/23, Harvard Divinity School charges $30,472 annually for graduate tuition fees (standard full-time courses).
Tuition fees have increased by 5.28% over the period.
Health insurance fees total $5,384 annually.
Fee type
2018/19
2019/20
2020/21
2021/22
2022/23
Change
Tuition fee
$28,944
$29,728
$30,472
$30,472
$30,472
+ 5.28%
Health insurance fees
$4,542
$4,906
$5,128
$5,282
$5,384
+ 18.54%
(Excludes supplemental fees)
Harvard Graduate School of Design
As of 2022/23, Harvard Graduate School of Design charges $55,000 annually for graduate tuition fees (standard full-time courses).
Tuition fees have increased by 9.74% over the period.
Student activity fees total $170 annually.
Health insurance fees total $5,384 annually.
Fee type
2018/19
2019/20
2020/21
2021/22
2022/23
Change
Tuition fee
$50,120
$51,620
$53,420
$53,420
$55,000
+ 9.74%
Student activity fee
$150
$150
$85
$170
$170
+ 13.33%
Health insurance fees
$4,542
$4,906
$5,128
$5,282
$5,384
+ 18.54%
(Excludes supplemental fees)
Harvard Graduate School of Education
As of 2022/23, Harvard Graduate School of Education charges $54,768 annually for graduate tuition fees (standard full-time courses).
Tuition fees have increased by 13.04% over the period.
Health insurance fees total $5,384 annually.
Fee type
2018/19
2019/20
2020/21
2021/22
2022/23
Change
Tuition fee
$48,448
$50,144
$51,904
$51,904
$54,768
+ 13.04%
Health insurance fees
$4,542
$4,906
$5,128
$5,282
$5,384
+ 18.54%
(Excludes supplemental fees)
Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
As of 2022/23, Harvard’s John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences charges $52,456 annually for graduate tuition fees (standard full-time courses).
Tuition fees have increased by 13.09% over the period.
Health insurance fees total $5,384 annually.
Fee type
2018/19
2019/20
2020/21
2021/22
2022/23
Change
Tuition fee
$46,384
$48,008
$49,448
$50,928
$52,456
+ 13.09%
Health insurance fees
$4,542
$4,906
$5,128
$5,282
$5,384
+ 18.54%
(Excludes supplemental fees. Reduced fees can be given on 3rd and 4th years of study)
Harvard Kennedy School of Government
As of 2022/23, Harvard Kennedy School of Government charges $55,982 annually for graduate tuition fees (standard full-time courses).
Tuition fees have increased by 5.88% over the period.
Student activity fees total $220 annually.
Health insurance fees total $5,384 annually.
Fee type
2020/21
2021/22
2022/23
Change
Tuition fee
$52,872
$54,352
$55,982
+ 5.88%
Student activity fee
$220
$220
$220
=
Health insurance fees
$5,128
$5,282
$5,384
+ 18.54%
(Excludes supplemental fees)
Harvard Business School
As of 2022/23, Harvard Business School charges $73,440 annually for MBA tuition fees.
MBA tuition fees have stayed the same over the period.
Course and materials fees total $2,550 annually.
Health insurance fees total $5,834 annually.
Fee type
2018/19
2019/20
2020/21
2021/22
2022/23
Change
MBA tuition fee
$73,440
$73,440
$73,440
$73,440
$73,440
=
Course and materials fee
$2,550
$2,550
$2,550
$2,550
$2,550
=
Health insurance fees
$4,542
$4,906
$5,128
$5,282
$5,384
+ 18.54%
(Excludes supplemental fees)
Harvard Medical School
As of 2022/23, Harvard Medical School charges $67,610 annually for graduate tuition fees (standard full-time courses).
Tuition fees have increased by 9.76% over the period.
Health insurance fees total $5,834 annually.
Fee type
2018/19
2019/20
2020/21
2021/22
2022/23
Change
Tuition fee
$61,600
$63,400
$64,984
$66,284
$67,610
+ 9.76%
Health insurance fees
$4,542
$4,906
$5,128
$5,282
$5,384
+ 18.54%
(Excludes supplemental fees)
Harvard Dental School
As of 2022/23, Harvard Dental School charges $67,610 annually for graduate tuition fees (standard full-time courses).
Tuition fees have increased by 9.76% over the period.
Health insurance fees total $5,834 annually.
Fee type
2018/19
2019/20
2020/21
2021/22
2022/23
Change
Tuition fee
$61,600
$63,400
$64,984
$66,284
$67,610
+ 9.76%
Health insurance fees
$4,542
$4,906
$5,128
$5,282
$5,384
+ 18.54%
(Excludes supplemental fees)
A graph is given below to show how tuition fees for standard Harvard graduate courses compare for the academic year of 2022/23:
Other programs
As of 2022/23, Harvard Extension School offers undergraduate degrees between $31,680 to $63,360 annually.
Harvard Extension School also offers graduate degrees between $31,000 to $37,200 annually.
Harvard Law School’s LL.M. program comes with an annual tuition of $70,430.
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health offers a range of full-time graduate degrees from $50,496 to $66,960 for first year students.
Fees may differ depending on a student’s year of study within a course.
Where applicable, part time students can expect to pay around half of total tuition costs per year.
Financial aid
Paying for Harvard
As of 2022/23, the average parent contribution towards a Harvard degree is approximately $13,000 per year.
Although over 22% of families pay nothing toward their child’s education.
Harvard claims to meet 100% of their students’ financial needs — meaning if a student can demonstrate they cannot pay anything towards their degree then 100% of the costs will be covered.
But this also means that students from wealthier families will be expected to pay more out of pocket toward their education.
For a family where both parents earn the median wage, parents are expected to contribute $12,550 toward the price of college.
The student is expected to contribute a further $3,500 through student-term work.
This equates to working around 6 hrs per week during term time at Massachusetts state minimum wage without taking taxes into account.
With the family contributing a combined $16,050 towards costs, the remaining $65,113 will be covered by Harvard.
A large number of Harvard students will graduate without student debt or with manageable debt.
The typical federal student loan debt for a student that graduates from Harvard is $12,665.
This is significantly lower than the national average student loan debt upon graduation of $30,000.
A graph is given below to show a typical financial aid package for students receiving Harvard scholarship as of 2021/22:
History of financial aid at Harvard
In 1643, Lady Mowlson of London left money to Harvard in her will to be used to aid students at Harvard.
Since then, it has become common or even a tradition for people to donate money to Harvard in this way to support students.
In 1934, Harvard President James B. Conant created the National Scholarship Plan.
This helped many more people into higher education across the country than otherwise would have been able to attend and increased the diversity of the undergraduate pool.
Families with a combined income below $75,000 pay nothing towards the cost of a Harvard education.
Harvard tuition fees FAQ
When is Harvard tuition due to be paid?
Annual Harvard tuition fees are paid twice a year.
Payments for the Fall term are due mid-August.
Payments for the Spring term are due in January.
What are the financial aid deadlines at Harvard College?
Restrictive early action candidates – November 1st.
Regular decision candidates – February 1st.
Transfer candidates – March 1st.
Current students – May 1st.
What are student health plan charges at Harvard?
Health plans charges combine both the student health insurance plan (SHIP) and the student health fee (SHF).
Unless a student is already covered under an appropriate health plan, student health plans are required.
