Harvard admissions rate hits record low

Harvard CrimsonHarvard University's Class of 2022 (graduates in 2022) acceptance rate is at an all-time low, with just 4.59% of applicants receiving admissions letters, or 1,962 out of 42,749 applicants. This year marks the first time the acceptance rate has dropped below 5%, the lowest in the school's history.

The total number of applicants accepted last year was 2,056, a rate of 5.2%. The Class of 2022 is the fourth consecutive year of declining acceptance rates.

“They are an extraordinary group of people from the most diverse economic and ethnic backgrounds in Harvard’s history,” said Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid William R. Fitzsimmons.

The Class of 2022 comes from all 50 U.S. states and 90 other countries. International students make up 12%, up from 11.4% last year.

For the first time in 10 years, a large percentage of women were accepted — 50.1 percent, up from 49.2 percent last year. Minority acceptances increased. 15.5 percent of admitted students were African American, up from 14.6 percent last year and also a record.

The number of Latino applicants who were admitted increased from 11.6% last year to 12.2%. The number of Native Americans increased slightly from 1.9% to 2%. The percentage of Asian Americans increased to 22.7%, compared to 22.2% last year.

The demographic changes come as Harvard faces accusations of illegally discriminating against Asian-American applicants and is being investigated by the US Department of Justice.

However, the school denied the allegations, arguing that the admissions process is based on a wide range of factors andconform to the legal standards set by the Supreme Court.

First-generation college students made up 17.3% of this year's admitted class, up from 15.1% for the class of 2021.

“We were really thrilled to see the jump in first-generation students. This was a year where I think Harvard had a lot of breakthroughs,” Fitzsimmons said.

He also applauded the socioeconomic diversity of the class of 2022, saying the Harvard Financial Aid Initiative, launched in 2004, has been successful in helping students from low-income backgrounds.

More than half of the students at the school now receive some form of need-based financial aid. Families with incomes below $65,000 pay nothing for their children’s education at Harvard, and that number is 20 percent. “No matter who you are, you can afford to go here,” he said.

This year, 20.3% of admitted students were eligible for Federal Pell grants, a government initiative aimed at helping low-income students.The proposed tuition for the class of 2022 will be the highest in Harvard’s history. The total cost for the 2018-2019 academic year will be $67,580, a 3% increase over the class of 2021.

The offer letter sent to successful applicants includes an invitation to Visitas - a campus visit from April 21 to April 23. Applicants have until May 1 to accept, defer or decline the offer of admission.