Harvard University

Overview

Harvard University is a private research university widely recognized as one of the most prestigious schools in the world. Founded in 1636 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the US.

The university currently comprises 12 degree-granting schools, including graduate and professional schools, Harvard College, and the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study. Harvard College serves as the university's undergraduate community, offering Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees in more than 50 fields of study. Once students get their first degree from Harvard College. they can enroll in the university's graduate and professional schools, including Harvard Law School, Harvard Business School, and Harvard Medical School.

Harvard was first established as Harvard College in 1636, authorized by the Massachusetts colonial legislature. Named after its first benefactor, John Harvard, the school trained Puritan ministers during colonial times in accordance with its intended purpose of promoting learning to ensure the literacy of the ministry. Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, the university continued to strengthen its reputation of academic excellence while moving towards secularization. Radcliffe College was formally merged into the university's system of schools in 1999.

Harvard's commitment to promoting learning and achieving academic excellence remains unchanged in the 21st century. The university consistently occupies the top spots in global university rankings for criteria including quality of education, research output, and international student ratio. Through the years, Harvard has produced over 150 Nobel laureates and numerous winners of the Fields Medal, Turing Award, and Pulitzer Prize, as well as a number of US presidents and Olympic gold medalists.

Aside from its competitive academic programs, Harvard University is known for its quality research. A founding member of the Association of American Universities, Harvard has more than 100 research centers around the world, and research opportunities are made available to undergraduates as early as freshman year. The university's activities in biomedical research has attracted over $1 billion in funding from the US federal government.

Today, admissions to any of Harvard University's schools remain highly selective, with a median class size of 12. The university's study programs and research activities are spread over various campuses in Massachusetts, but the school's main campus is in the city of Cambridge. In addition to its campuses in Massachusetts, the university also maintains research centers in Italy and China.

The university owns the largest academic library in the world, the Harvard Library system. This system is made up of nearly 80 individual libraries and over 20 million items, including America's oldest collection of maps and atlases.

You can also learn more about the educational performance of Harvard University in our ranking of US universities & colleges.