Harvard University Releases Class of 2026 Acceptance Results

01 APR 2022

It was another record year for Harvard University! This prestigious university admitted just 3.2% of applicants to its class of 2026, the lowest admit rate in its history! Harvard also received a record number of applications, 7% more than last year’s record number!

Harvard Acceptance Rate and Admission Stats for Class of 2026

Notorious for its low acceptance rate, Harvard admitted just 1,954 students from the 61,220 students who applied with an admit rate of 3.2%. Harvard admitted 740 from the early decision round and 1,214 from the regular round.

The incoming class comes from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, US overseas territories, and 98 countries. A total of 20.5% of admitted students are eligible for Pell Grants (typically awarded to low-income students), and 18 incoming students are veterans.

Harvard's class of 2026 is made up of:

27.8% Asian American
15.5% African American or Black
12.6% Latinx
2.9% Native American
0.8% Native Hawaiian
54.2% identifying as female

Harvard announced the results in the Harvard Crimson on Ivy Day, March 31, 2022.

Harvard Class of 2026 Acceptance Rates

	Number of Applications	Accepted Students	Acceptance Rate
Regular Applications	51,814	1,214	2.3%
Early Applications	9,406	740	7.9%
Overall	61,220	1,954	3.2%

“

It’s truly a wonderful class. I think anyone who is in the Class of 2026 could certainly claim — as we claimed for the Class of 1967 — that it’s the greatest class in the history of Harvard.

- Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid William R. Fitzsimmons ’67

Harvard Regular Admissions Results for the Class of 2026

Only 1,954 students were accepted into Harvard’s class of 2026, with 1,214 coming from the regular admissions round with an admit rate as low as 2.3%.

Most top universities have reported a downward trend in admission rates in the last three years, likely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, optional standardized testing, and an uptick in the number of students applying to college. Arguably the most competitive school in the Ivy League, Harvard’s admit rates have steadily decreased over the last three years.

Harvard Regular Decision Statistics

Class of	Number of Applications	Accepted Students	Acceptance Rate
2026	51,814	1,214	2.3%
2025	47,349	1,221	2.6%
2024	33,824	1,085	3.2%

Harvard Early Admissions Results for the Class of 2026

Harvard University reported its Early Admission results for the Class of 2026 in December 2021. This highly-respected university announced that 740 students earned early admission with an acceptance rate of 7.4%. To increase your chances of getting into Harvard, we recommend you apply early.

Harvard Early Decision Statistics

Class of	Number of Applications	Accepted Students	Acceptance Rate
2026	9,406	740	7.9%
2025	10,086	747	7.4%
2024	6,424	895	13.9%

Harvard Admissions Results Over The Past Three Years

The number of applicants to Harvard grew significantly from 2020 to 2021. Application numbers in 2022 jumped 7% - from 57,435 to 61,220. Many top universities saw similar growth patterns, most likely because of the pandemic and that many universities went test-optional. The chart below shows the application and acceptance numbers over the last three years.

Harvard Overall Acceptance Statistics

Class of	Number of Applications	Accepted Students	Acceptance Rate
2026	61,220	1,954	3.2%
2025	57,435	1,968	3.4%
2024	40,248	1,980	4.9%

How Crimson CEO Jamie Beaton got into Harvard

Crimson Students Accepted Into Harvard University

Crimson students are getting into Harvard! As of today, we already have 10+ students reporting their regular round acceptance to Harvard, with many more on the way! Congratulations to all the Crimson students accepted into Harvard’s class of 2026!

How Crimson Can Help you get into Harvard and other Top Universities

According to US News, Harvard ranks #2 in the United States and is one of the most competitive and prestigious schools in the world. As the number of students applying to top universities increases, especially those with optional standardized testing, the harder it will be to get into these top universities.

Crimson Education helps thousands of students gain admission to their dream schools. Despite enormous applicant pools and low acceptance rates at top universities, Crimson’s acceptance numbers are increasing!

More than 485 Crimson students have been admitted to the Ivy League! Here is a breakdown of Crimson’s Class of 2026 admit numbers.

114+ Crimson Ivy League offers, including 81 offers to the most competitive Ivies — Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Columbia, and UPenn.
UPenn offers included several to Penn’s Wharton School of Business and the prestigious Huntsman Program.
75+ offers to US Top 10 universities, including Stanford, MIT, UChicago, Duke, Northwestern, John Hopkins, and Caltech.
81+ UC Berkeley and UCLA offers

Want to learn more about how Crimson helps students build robust college applications that stand out? Click the link below to schedule a free one-hour consultation with an admissions officer and discover what our expert teams can do to help set you on the path to success.