Admissions
Marsh USA Files to Dismiss Harvard Lawsuit Regarding SFFA Legal Fees
Insurance broker Marsh USA asked the federal District Court of Massachusetts to dismiss its liability for up to $15 million in legal fees, according to filings made last month.
‘Throwing Away Information’: Harvard’s Test Optional Policies Face Expert Criticism
As Harvard College prepares to admit its fourth straight class without requiring applicants to submit test scores, questions — and criticisms — surrounding test-optional admissions policies continue to mount.
Ten Stories That Shaped 2023
In 2023, Harvard had a tumultuous year. Claudine Gay’s first semester ended amid a leadership crisis as she came under fire for her response to tensions on a campus divided by the Israel-Hamas war and faced allegations of plagiarism. Harvard’s legacy and donor preferences in admissions also faced national scrutiny following the Supreme Court’s landmark ruling striking down the University’s affirmative action policy. Across campus, scandal after scandal hit parts of the University. Here, The Crimson looks back at the 10 stories that shaped 2023 at Harvard.
‘Politically Motivated’: Experts Weigh in on Harvard Decision to Not Report Racial Composition of Early Action Admits
Harvard did not report the racial and ethnic composition of students admitted in the early application cycle for the Class of 2028, a move seen by experts as an attempt by the University to avoid potential litigation from anti-affirmative action groups.
Harvard Admissions Dean Discussed Changes to Application Process, in First Interview Since SCOTUS Decision
Harvard Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid William R. Fitzsimmons ’67 said the admissions office will not decide the future of legacy preference in admissions in an interview Thursday.
Harvard Accepts 8.74% of Early Applicants to Class of 2028 in First Admissions Cycle After SCOTUS Ruling
Harvard admitted 8.74 percent of early applicants to the Class of 2028, the first admissions cycle after the Supreme Court declared affirmative action unconstitutional in a landmark ruling against Harvard over the summer.
After Covid-19 Recovery, Harvard College Sees Rise in International Enrollment for Third Straight Year
Harvard College saw an increase in enrolled international students for the third year in a row, with demographic data from the enrolled Class of 2027 indicating a 32 percent increase in the share of international students compared to the Class of 2024.
Class of 2027 By the Numbers
Each fall, The Crimson surveys freshmen about their backgrounds, academic aspirations, and lifestyles. In this year’s installation, The Crimson also asked students for their views on artificial intelligence and admissions. Scroll through the interactive graphs and charts on the following pages for a visual representation of the Class of 2027.
Harvard Education Press Authors Talk Campus Strategies for Diversity Post-Affirmative Action
Four higher education experts discussed during an online event last Thursday how colleges and universities should reform their admissions processes to maintain a diverse student body, including ending athlete preferences.
Evan Mandery ’89 Says Elite Colleges Increase Social Inequality at Harvard PBHA Talk
Evan J. Mandery ’89, a professor at the City University of New York, said that elite colleges and universities exacerbate social inequality in the United States during a talk on Monday at the Phillips Brooks House Association.
More than 60 Percent of Surveyed Harvard Freshmen Do Not Support Legacy Admissions
The first installment of a four-part series on The Crimson’s Class of 2027 survey examines students’ views on affirmative action, diversity, and legacy.
Education Experts Talk Admissions in the Wake of Supreme Court Decision at Harvard Ed School Webinar
Education experts discussed paths forward for colleges and students in the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s decision effectively striking down affirmative action during a webinar hosted by the Harvard Graduate School of Education Wednesday.
Harvard FAS Dean Hoekstra Says Eliminating Legacy Admissions ‘Under Consideration’
Removing legacy admissions preferences in Harvard’s admissions process “is one of the things that’s under consideration,” Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Hopi E. Hoekstra said in an interview with The Crimson last week.
Will Harvard End Legacy Admissions Preferences? President Claudine Gay Says ‘Everything is on the Table’
As Harvard scrutinizes its admissions practices amid calls to end the use of legacy and donor preferences, University President Claudine Gay said no policy is off limits.
Harvard College’s Acceptance Rates for Men and Women are Nearly Identical. That’s Rare in the Ivy League.
Harvard seems to be an outlier in the Ivy League for its extreme parity in admissions rates between male and female applicants, even at the expense of equal shares of men and women in the class.
Attorney Who Filed Complaint Against Harvard’s Legacy Admissions Practices Speaks on Higher Ed Panel
Michael A. Kippins, a litigation fellow for Lawyers for Civil Rights who filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education over Harvard’s legacy preferences, argued for ending legacy admissions at a Wednesday panel.
Harvard Tells Alumni Interviewers Not to Consider Race and Ethnicity of Class of 2028 Applicants
Following the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down affirmative action in higher education admissions, Harvard has instructed alumni interviewers to not take an applicant’s race or ethnicity into account in evaluations, according to updated guidelines obtained by The Crimson.
Could Losing Legacy Admissions Sustain Racial Diversity?
With the fall of affirmative action, some have suggested that elite universities like Harvard could maintain racial diversity by eliminating legacy admissions preferences. But questions linger over whether dismantling the practice would lead to a meaningful expansion in diversity — and whether alumni donation dollars would wither.
Harvard Econ Professor Raj Chetty ’00 Talks Wealth and Elite College Admissions at Ed School Forum
Harvard Economics professor Raj Chetty ’00 discussed the role that privilege and wealth play in elite college admissions at a Harvard Graduate School of Education event Tuesday afternoon.
In Washington, Democrats and Republicans Take Aim at Harvard Admissions
College admissions has long been the battleground in the ongoing war over the future of higher education, and Harvard has faced nationwide scrutiny over its admissions practices for the last decade. After the Supreme Court ruled to end affirmative action this summer, Harvard is once again caught in the crossfire.
After Affirmative Action Falls, Students, Counselors, and Schools Seek New Roadmap for Admissions
In June, the Supreme Court effectively struck down affirmative action in higher education, finding Harvard’s race-conscious admissions practices unconstitutional — and consequently, adding complexity to the task of applying to college for the next class of high school seniors.
Harvard Overhauls College Application in Wake of Affirmative Action Decision
After the Supreme Court radically curtailed the use of race in higher education admissions, Harvard College overhauled the free-response questions on its application, eliminating the Harvard supplement optional essay and replacing it with required short answer questions.
Legal Experts Divided Over Whether Ed Blum’s Letter to Schools Adheres to SCOTUS Affirmative Action Ruling
After anti-affirmative action activist Edward J. Blum emailed 150 schools earlier this month demanding compliance with the Supreme Court’s ruling against affirmative action, legal experts are divided on how closely the demands adhere to the decision.
Biden Officials Talk Future of University Admissions at Higher Ed Summit: ‘You Will Know When You Hear From Us’
U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel A. Cardona suggested legacy and donor admissions preferences contradict the values of higher education institutions in a speech on Wednesday at the National Summit on Equal Opportunity in Higher Education.
A Month After the Fall of Affirmative Action, How Can Colleges Uphold Diversity?
After Supreme Court’s decision on June 29 effectively ended race-conscious admissions, universities and colleges rushed to reaffirm their commitments to ensuring student body diversity. But their statements left an important question unanswered: How?