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Columbia vs Harvard

Columbia University and Harvard University, two of the most prestigious institutions of higher learning in the world, offer students a wealth of opportunities and an unparalleled educational experience. While they share many similarities, there are also some key differences between the two schools. Columbia, located in the vibrant city of New York, boasts a diverse student body and a strong focus on undergraduate education, with popular majors including computer science, economics, and political science. Harvard, situated in the historic town of Cambridge, Massachusetts, is known for its world-renowned faculty and research opportunities, with popular majors including economics, computer science, and government. Both universities offer competitive financial aid packages and have high graduation rates, but Harvard has a slightly higher acceptance rate than Columbia. To help you make an informed decision about which university is the best fit for you, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison table that delves into these differences and more.
Columbia University logo

Columbia University

 		Harvard University logo

Harvard University

Overview

Location New York, New York Cambridge, Massachusetts
Campus setting City: Large City: Midsize
College type 4 year 4 year
Control/business model Private (Non Profit) Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system Semester Semester
Degrees offered Undergraduate and Graduate Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate 99.0% 96.0%
Common app member Yes Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission

Acceptance rate 4.1% 4.0%
Application fees
Undergraduate: $85
Graduate: $120
Undergraduate: $75
Graduate: $105
SAT range 1470 - 1570 1480 - 1580
ACT range 34 - 35 33 - 36
Students submitting SAT score 43.0% 54.0%
Students submitting ACT score 28.0% 31.0%
Total number of applicants 61,110 57,786
Total number of admissions given out 2,524 2,318
Admitted students who chose to enroll 1,641 1,951
Yield rate 65.0% 84.2%
Test scores (SAT/ACT) N/A N/A
High school GPA Not required Not required
Recommendation letters Required Required
High school transcript Not required Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL) Not required Not required

Tuition and Fees

Sticker price $90,882 $78,028
Average net price $12,411 $13,910
Tuition $60,514 $51,143
Room & board
Room/dormitory: $9,450
Meal plan: $6,000
Room/dormitory: $11,705
Meal plan: $7,236
Available payment plans
  • Prepaid tuition plan
  • Tuition payment plan
  • Prepaid tuition plan
  • Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

 53.0%
Average amount $57,726 		56.0%
Average amount $59,840
Students receiving federal student loan 7.0%
Average amount $5,511 		3.0%
Average amount $5,180
Students taking out private loans 2.0%
Average amount $34,119 		2.0%
Average amount $8,080

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students 8,832
Men 50.6% Women 49.4% 		9,579
Men 49.0% Women 51.0%
Graduate students 24,944
Men 44.8% Women 55.2% 		21,766
Men 46.3% Women 53.7%
Racial/ethnic diversity
Moderate
Moderate
Out-of-state students N/A N/A
International students 37.0% 23.9%
Campus local/setting City: Large City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity 13,071 12,874
First year students are required to live on campus? No Yes
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from N/A New York California Texas Illinois New Jersey

Academics

Popular study areas
  • Business
  • Health Professions
  • Engineering
  • Computer and Information Science
  • Public Administration and Social Service
  • Business
  • Health Professions
  • Social Sciences
  • Education
  • Legal Profession
Students to faculty ratio 6:1 7:1
Institutional accreditation Middle States Commission on Higher Education New England Commission on Higher Education

Outcome

Graduation rate 97.4% 96.7%
Dropout rate 1.7% 2.0%
Transferred out 0.7% N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)
Law (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $193,362
  • Year 2: $180,752
  • Year 3: $230,020
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $162,427
  • Year 2: $170,426
  • Year 3: $179,305
Management Information Systems and Services (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $153,730
  • Year 2: $160,605
  • Year 3: $167,216
Computer Science (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $133,851
  • Year 2: $143,033
  • Year 3: $166,695
Operations Research (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $111,312
  • Year 2: $114,503
  • Year 3: $148,040
Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $108,903
  • Year 2: $103,078
  • Year 3: $135,658
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral Degrees)
  • Year 1: $115,222
  • Year 2: $127,993
  • Year 3: $131,926
Construction Management (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $98,322
  • Year 2: $110,878
  • Year 3: $125,926
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $111,569
  • Year 2: $109,659
  • Year 3: $119,899
Computer and Information Sciences, General (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $92,223
  • Year 2: $100,127
  • Year 3: $118,332
Statistics (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $78,193
  • Year 2: $128,716
  • Year 3: $240,408
Law (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $184,307
  • Year 2: $165,340
  • Year 3: $199,043
Business Administration, Management and Operations (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $171,333
  • Year 2: $171,907
  • Year 3: $187,553
Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $140,072
  • Year 2: $128,737
  • Year 3: $163,896
Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences (Graduate/Professional Certificates)
  • Year 1: $151,371
  • Year 2: $174,023
  • Year 3: $163,512
Public Health (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $123,508
  • Year 2: $117,916
  • Year 3: $129,281
Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $106,421
  • Year 3: $121,832
Applied Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $102,707
  • Year 2: $90,856
  • Year 3: $121,771
Education, General (Doctoral Degrees)
  • Year 1: $97,905
  • Year 2: $98,670
  • Year 3: $107,389
Dentistry (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $68,745
  • Year 2: $71,486
  • Year 3: $106,375

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The list of suggested college comparisons provided below is generated automatically by our system, utilizing statistics gathered from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and various online sources. If you don't find the colleges you wish to compare, please visit our comparison page. There, you can search for the specific colleges and initiate your comparison.
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