Harvard University supplemental essays
Harvard University asks for five supplemental essays in 2026-27. Common App, Coalition App. Personal statement required (250-650 words).
That is five supplements plus the Common App personal statement: six pieces of writing in all. Restrictive Early Action closes November 1, 2026 and Regular Decision closes January 1, 2027. The prompts carry this limit: 150 words. Every Harvard University prompt is printed on this page in full, with its word limit and who has to answer it.
Deadlines
| Round | Date |
|---|---|
| Restrictive Early Action | November 1, 2026 |
| Regular Decision | January 1, 2027 |
Checked against college.harvard.edu/admissions/apply. Confirm on the college’s own page before you submit.
The essays, 2026-27
Required · 150 words
Harvard has long recognized the importance of enrolling a student body with a diversity of perspectives and experiences. How will the life experiences that shaped who you are today enable you to contribute to Harvard?
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Required · 150 words
Describe a time when you strongly disagreed with someone about an idea or issue. How did you communicate or engage with this person? What did you learn from this experience?
Short answer. Paste it on the homepage and we will read it.
Required · 150 words
Briefly describe any of your extracurricular activities, employment experience, travel, or family responsibilities that have shaped who you are.
Short answer. Paste it on the homepage and we will read it.
Required · 150 words
How do you hope to use your Harvard education in the future?
Short answer. Paste it on the homepage and we will read it.
Required · 150 words
Top 3 things your roommates might like to know about you.
Short answer. Paste it on the homepage and we will read it.
Your Harvard University checklist
Five supplements, all required. The first deadline, Restrictive Early Action, is November 1, 2026.
- Common App personal statementRequired250-650 words
- Supplements 1 to 5Required150 words each
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Getting into Harvard University
Harvard University admits 3.6% of applicants. The middle 50% of enrolled students scored 1510-1580 on the SAT and 34-36 on the ACT.
About 1 in 27 applicants are admitted, at a college of 7,601 undergraduates.
| Enrolled students | 25th | Median | 75th |
|---|---|---|---|
| SAT total | 1510 | 1550 | 1580 |
| SAT reading and writing | 740 | 760 | 780 |
| SAT math | 770 | 790 | 800 |
| ACT composite | 34 | 35 | 36 |
What SAT score do you need for Harvard University?
A 1580 puts you in the top quarter of the students who enrolled, a 1550 at their midpoint, and a 1510 at the bottom quarter, meaning one in four enrolled students scored below it. The same three points on the ACT are 34, 35 and 36. A quarter of an enrolled class scoring under the 25th percentile is not a rounding error, so a score below the range is a reason to strengthen the rest of the application rather than a reason not to apply.
US Department of Education, College Scorecard (2026-09-17). Percentiles describe students who enrolled, not everyone admitted. SAT totals are the reading and math bands added together, which is how every source in this market reports them and is an approximation of about 10 to 20 points, because the two sections are correlated.
- What SAT score do you need for Harvard University?
- Harvard University sets no minimum. Among students who enrolled, the middle 50% scored 1510-1580 on the SAT: a 1510 sits at the 25th percentile, 1550 at the median and 1580 at the 75th. A score at or above 1580 is a clear strength in the application; below 1510 it is the part of the file the rest has to make up for. These are the figures Harvard University reports to the US Department of Education, released in the College Scorecard of 2026-09-17.
- What ACT score do you need for Harvard University?
- The middle 50% of enrolled students scored 34-36 on the ACT, with a composite of 35 at the median. There is no cutoff: a quarter of the enrolled class scored below 34. Reported by Harvard University to the US Department of Education, College Scorecard release of 2026-09-17.
- What GPA do you need for Harvard University?
- The honest answer is that the federal data behind this page does not contain one. Colleges report their admit rate and their enrolled students' test scores to the Department of Education; they do not report a GPA distribution, so any site quoting an exact average GPA for Harvard University is either reading that college's own Common Data Set or estimating. What the reported data does say is that Harvard University admits 3.6% of applicants, and the more selective a college is, the closer to the top of the class its admitted students sit and the more the strength of your course load counts alongside the number itself.
- How hard is it to get into Harvard University?
- Harvard University admits 3.6% of the people who apply, which is about 1 in 27 applicants. At that rate no set of numbers makes admission likely, a perfect one included, because the college turns away far more qualified applicants than it takes. Strong grades and scores get the application read; the essays, the recommendations and what you have actually done decide it from there.
What Harvard University costs after grant aid, by family income, from the same federal data.
Sort your whole college list into reaches, targets and likelies, or find colleges that fit your GPA and test scores. Both are free and neither needs an account.
Harvard University essay questions, answered
- Does Harvard University have supplemental essays?
- Yes. Harvard University asks for five supplemental essays in 2026-27. Every prompt is printed in full on this page. Word limits: 150 words.
- How many essays do you write for Harvard University in 2026-27?
- Five supplements, plus the Common App personal statement.
Schools with similar admit rates
Harvard University admits 3.6% of applicants. The colleges either side of it in our set by admit rate, most selective first, each with its own prompts and deadlines: University of California System (All 9 Undergraduate Campuses), California Institute of Technology (2.6%), Stanford University (3.6%), Yale University (3.9%), Columbia University (4.0%), University of Chicago (4.5%).