Harvard President Lawrence H. Summers has announced a new initiative aimed at reducing economic barriers to college attendance. The initiative includes four main components:

Financial Aid: Starting next year, families with incomes under $40,000 will no longer be expected to contribute to their children’s education at Harvard. Additionally, families with incomes between $40,000 and $60,000 will see their expected contributions reduced. Harvard has allocated $2 million for these new financial aid funds, increasing its total annual scholarship budget to nearly $80 million.

Recruiting: The College is intensifying outreach efforts to talented students from low-income backgrounds, ensuring they understand Harvard’s commitment to enrolling diverse students regardless of financial circumstances. This includes early identification, direct mail campaigns, and leveraging student and alumni contacts to inform potential applicants about the admissions process.

Admissions: Harvard is emphasizing its policy of considering applicants who have achieved remarkable results despite limited resources. This is part of its highly personalized admissions process.

Pipeline: Harvard has established the Crimson Summer Academy, a three-year summer program for academically talented high school students from financially disadvantaged backgrounds in the greater Boston area. Each student participates for three consecutive summers, receiving support and preparation for college or university.

President Summers stated, “We want to send the strongest possible message that Harvard is open to talented students from all economic backgrounds.” He added, “Our doors have long been open to talented students regardless of financial need, but many students simply do not know or believe this. We are determined to change both the perception and the reality.”

William C. Kirby, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, noted, “Already nearly half of Harvard’s undergraduates receive grants averaging over $24,000 each year, and two-thirds receive some form of financial aid. This new initiative will further enhance our effectiveness in reaching out to students who have done remarkable things with their lives despite limited financial resources.”

The new financial aid initiative is part of a broader trend of expanding financial aid at Harvard. Harvard College’s nearly $80 million in scholarships for undergraduates in the coming year represents a 49% increase over the past six years, when inflation rose by only 13.5%. This increase has reduced the average student loan debt upon graduation from $14,600 for the Class of 1998 to $8,800 for the Class of 2003.

In addition to the financial aid changes, the College Admissions office is making special efforts to identify and visit high schools where students might not consider Harvard an option. These efforts include early identification, direct mail, and student and alumni contacts. The University also waives application fees for these students, covers travel costs for campus visits, and provides funds for books, winter clothing, medical, and other extraordinary expenses.

The Crimson Summer Academy, set to begin in 2004, will host 30 students for a four-week session each summer. The program includes rigorous academic classes, workshops, projects, field trips, and activities focused on college planning, career apprenticeships, and guest speakers. Harvard will fully fund the program, providing daily round-trip public transportation, meals, and medical insurance, along with a stipend to replace summer earnings. Students who successfully complete all three summers will receive a $3,000 scholarship for use at the college or university of their choice.

Harvard’s initiative comes as studies show significant disparities in college attendance and completion based on socioeconomic factors. Nationwide, low-income students attend college at much lower rates than students from families with higher incomes. Only 60% of students from families earning less than $33,000 attend college by age 24, compared to 90% from families earning over $80,000. At the nation’s most selective colleges, only 3% of students come from the bottom income quartile, and 10% come from the bottom half of the income scale. Within five years of entering college, 40% of students from the top income quartile graduate with a B.A., compared to just 6% from the lowest income quartile.

Harvard’s own research highlights that large gaps persist in college expectations among students from financially disadvantaged backgrounds. Many students from families with incomes below $50,000 said it never occurred to them to apply to Harvard without outside intervention, such as encouragement from teachers, alumni, or recruitment letters. These students often paid for expenses through summer and academic year jobs, avoiding additional family financial burdens.

Harvard College is committed to “need-blind” admissions, ensuring that students are admitted based on their academic, extracurricular, and personal qualities, rather than their ability to pay. The total cost of attendance, including tuition, room, board, and other charges, is $37,928. Two-thirds of Harvard undergraduates receive some form of financial aid, including scholarships, loans, and jobs, totaling nearly $110 million annually.

Flexible financial aid options, such as self-help requirements and term-time jobs, contribute to Harvard’s high graduation rate of 97%, one of the highest in the nation. The opportunity to learn from classmates from various economic backgrounds is considered crucial to the Harvard experience.

Harvard’s initiative aims to renew and strengthen this tradition for all future undergraduates, ensuring that talented students from all economic backgrounds have access to a Harvard education.

Read the full policy/details

News is prepared from public university announcements for general guidance. Policies change frequently; confirm current details with each university admissions office.