Close to 35,000 students applied to Harvard College this year for admission to the Class of 2015 matriculating in August. Letters of admission were sent on March 30 to 2,158 students, 6.2 percent of the record pool of 34,950. More than 60 percent of the admitted students will receive need-based scholarships averaging more than $40,000, benefiting from a record $160 million in financial aid. Families with students on scholarship contribute an average of $11,500 annually toward the cost of a Harvard education.
In addition to the increase in applications submitted to Harvard this year, the academic talent and pool of diverse candidates (on average) increased as well. Reportedly, more than 14,000 applicants scored 700 or above on the SAT critical reading test; 17,000 scored 700 or above on the SAT math test; 15,000 scored 700 or higher on the SAT writing test; and 3,800 were ranked first in their high school classes. According to Harvard College the diversity numbers are as follows: 17.8 percent Asian-American 11.8 percent African-American 12.1 percent Latino 1.9 percent Native American 0.2 percent Native Hawaiian.
