Not to discourage you or anything, but if you are gearing up to apply to Harvard University in Massachusetts, consider the odds.
Last year, Harvard received almost 40,000 applications from students who hoped to be admitted as freshman to the Class of 2019. That was nearly 5 percent more over the year before.
But Harvard can only take 6 percent, meaning 2,400 freshmen. Meaning nearly 38,000 applicants did not get in. That’s a lot of rejection.
The university said the rise was because of their efforts to reach out to lower income students. This year, the university waived the $75 application fee of nearly a quarter of applicants because of financial hardship. When students are applying to a number of schools, the application fees can add up.Director of Financial Aid Sally Donahue said applications have soared in the last decade since the university launched a financial aid program that charges students based on family income.
A fifth of undergraduates are from families earning less than $65,000 a year. For these families, Harvard covers costs of attendance.
Applicants must submit all admission forms and materials by January 1. They receive their admission or rejection on March 31. They have until May 1 to accept.This story was written by the Associated Press and appeared on VOANews.com.