Harvard Diversity Statistics: An In-Depth Look
With its wafer-thin acceptance rate and rich array of academic and professional opportunities, a Harvard degree is one of the most sought-after in the world. Harvard recognizes that a wide-ranging population of scholars not only allows students to engage with a broader range of perspectives but also provides opportunities to traditionally underrepresented, underserved groups. In their view, diversity breeds innovation and strength. In this post, we’ll take a deep dive into Harvard’s diversity statistics, exploring the school’s representation of various racial, ethnic, cultural, geographical, financial, political, and LGBT+ communities. Breaking down the school’s commitment to a well-rounded student body will help you best gauge how at home you’ll feel in Cambridge. With a white undergraduate population of 37.1%, Harvard is diverse. See below for a complete breakdown of the college’s degree-seeking undergraduate ethnic composition. Student Ethnicity Percentage of Students Hispanic/Latino 10.9 Black or African American 8.9 White 37.1 American Indian or Alaska Native 0.2 Asian 21.4 Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander 0.04 Two or more races, non-Hispanic 7.8 Race and/or ethnicity unknown 1.4 Data from Harvard’s 2019-2020 Common Data Set In addition to these populations, 12.2% of students are international. For many students, faculty diversity is an important factor as well. With a white population of 59%, Harvard’s tenured faculty is moderately diverse, and with a white population of 38%, Harvard’s tenure-track faculty is diverse. Tenured Faculty Faculty Ethnicity Percentage of Faculty Underrepresented Women (Black, Hispanic/Latino, and Native) 3% Underrepresented Men (Black, Hispanic/Latino, and Native) 5% Asian Women 3% Asian Men 9% White Women 21% White Men 59% Tenure-Track Faculty Faculty Ethnicity Percentage of Faculty Underrepresented Women (Black, Hispanic/Latino, and Native) 5% Underrepresented Men (Black, Hispanic/Latino, and Native) 8% Asian Women 10% Asian Men 12% White Women 27% White Men 38% The Faculty Demographics Report showcases aspects of the diversity of Harvard’s faculty in greater detail. The New York Times published a study in 2017 detailing the economic breakdown of students at Harvard and 2,136 other schools. Here’s Harvard’s: Median family income $168,800 Average income percentile 79th Share of students from top 0.1% 3% From top 1% 15% From top 5% 39% From top 10% 53% From top 20% 67% From bottom 20% 4.5% Data from the New York Times “About 1.8% of students at Harvard came from a poor family but became a rich adult,” the Times reports. In stark contrast to most other Ivy or Ivy-adjacent schools, Harvard does not participate in Questbridge, a program which “matches” high-achieving first generation, low income (FGLI) students with top colleges. Despite a relative lack of financial diversity, Harvard is still a fantastic option for low or even mid-income students. Harvard is need-blind, meaning the applicant’s ability to pay isn’t considered in admissions, even for international students. In many cases, the school’s financial aid grant is so generous that it’s actually cheaper for students to go to Harvard than their state school. Harvard is also no-loan, meaning students are not required to pay back any part of their financial aid award. This is done with the intention of meeting a student’s level of financial need without crushing student loan debt. Finally, Harvard meets 100% demonstrated need for all admitted students regardless of citizenship or immigration status. Harvard’s average need-based scholarship is over $53,000 and 55% of students received need-based aid in 2020. The Harvard undergraduate population represents all 50 states and over 80 countries. Admissions takes special effort to include students from diverse geographical backgrounds, taking students from public schools, private schools, suburbs, farmlands, and cities. 84% of Harvard undergrads are from out-of-state, not including international students, which make up 12.7% of all undergraduates and 12.3% of all degree-seeking undergraduates. Harvard considers geographical residency in admissions. This means that they may give special consideration to students from underrepresented states or general geographic regions such as the Midwest. Harvard’s Undergraduate Minority Recruitment Program provides educational outreach to middle and high school students. They aim to provide young people with information about Harvard and encourage them to apply. Unfortunately, Harvard has no fly-in programs for low-income or multicultural students, and the pandemic has led to many alterations, postponements, and cancellations of these programs as it is. Fortunately, demonstrated interest via campus visits isn’t considered in Harvard’s admissions process anyways. Harvard’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences released a Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging Strategic Plan spanning between through 2019 and until 2024. Their goals as stated exactly on the planning document are as follows: The details of the plan range from simple recommendations to significant policy changes. Initiatives like this one and others created by Harvard’s Inclusion and Belonging Task Force are made in response to diversity issues common to historically white and/or male universities. Many elements of the Harvard experience, like club selectivity, adjusting from high school to college academics, and even relating socially to certain peers is made more difficult by coming from an underrepresented background. Some students come from very privileged backgrounds, while others have faced great adversity. Harvard aims to address these issues by making all groups feel welcomed and celebrated on campus. That way, Harvard will become a school that embodies diversity in the truest sense of the world, filling its college years with both a vast variety of perspectives and a sense of home. Harvard’s Office of BGLTQ Student Life provides a vast array of resources for LGBTQ+ students including gender inclusive housing, support groups, counseling, gender and sexuality workshops, and more! The Open Gate Foundation Grant provides funding to students seeking LGBT+ specific grants, fellowships, and scholarship opportunities through the Harvard Gender and Sexuality Caucus. In addition, Harvard hosts Qoffee with QuInterns, a project connecting students to BGLTQ Student Life interns through informative, supportive conversation. Some of Harvard’s LGBTQ+-inclusive student organizations: Harvard provides ample opportunity to report instances of mistreatment or discrimination either to Deans, Tutors, or Proctors or through an anonymous report form. According to the 2014-2018 American Community Survey, Cambridge is of low diversity with a 67% self-identifying White population. The city’s ethnic breakdown is as follows: Population Ethnicity Ethnicity Percentage Black 11 Asian or Pacific Islander 16.1 Hispanic 9.2 White 67 White and Non-Hispanic 60.8 Mixed Race or Other 6 If you’re interested in ethnic restaurants, you should have no trouble finding them in Cambridge; Asian, African, Central American, and Meditteranean restaurants are highly popular there, as are African and East Asian apparel and furnishing shops. Culture is alive and well in this city! As a whole, the city leans center-left, and it’s pretty LGBT+ friendly. In fact, LGBT+ publication The Advocate named Cambridge “America’s third-queerest city” in 2016. Their study took more than population percentages into consideration; Cambridge’s openly LGBT+ past mayors helped tip the scale, as did its many LGBT-friendly and LGBT-owned businesses. In addition, the City of Cambridge GLBT Commission maintains a strong presence through hosting events and staying highly active in the city and broader Boston area. Of course, diversity is just one of many factors you’ll consider in building your school list. Location, student culture, and academic offerings will all come into play, to name a few. Our Harvard profile page showcases these factors and more to provide a clearer picture of the educational experience it offers. If you’re curious about your chances of getting in, you may be interested in our chancing engine. Unlike other solely stats-based chancing calculators, ours looks at your profile holistically, including both your quantitative stats and qualitative extracurriculars. If you’d like to expand your school list, you may like our easy-to-use school search tool to sift through dozens of universities. Simply specify your preferences regarding location, class size, testing policies, and more, and we’ll find the best fits for you within our extensive database. Here at CollegeVine, we have you covered when it comes to picking the best school for you!What’s Covered:
Overview of Harvard Diversity Statistics
Ethnic Diversity
Financial Diversity
Geographic Diversity
Cultural Resources at Harvard
Multicultural Resources
Black and African American Community
Performance groups
Pre-Professional
Cultural Groups
Asian American Community
Performance groups
Cultural Groups
Latinx Community
Performance Groups
Pre-Professional Groups
Cultural Groups
Native American Community
Cultural Groups
Multicultural Organizations
Plans to Improve Diversity at Harvard
LGBTQ+ Inclusivity at Harvard
How Diverse and Inclusive is Cambridge, Massachusetts?
Is Harvard the Right Fit for You?