Harvard Sees Drop in Undergrad Admission Applications

(Dreamstime)

Harvard’s undergraduate admission applications decreased in number despite other elite schools experiencing record highs, according to a report released Thursday.

The Ivy League university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, announced it received 54,008 applicants for the class of 2028, down 5% from the year before, CNN reported. It’s the fewest applicants to Harvard since the class of 2024’s enrollment period during the pandemic.

In December, Harvard College — comprised of the school’s undergraduate programs — released figures showing its early applications had dropped to four-year lows, by 17%.

Harvard was embroiled in several high-profile controversies during the past year that included then-President Claudine Gay, while appearing before Congress, refusing to say whether calling for the genocide of Jews would violate the school’s codes of conduct, and allegations the university was unethical by paying a law firm nearly $42 million while its co-managing partner served on the school’s governing board.

Gay, who also was accused of plagiarism, resigned in January.

There also was a student letter that said Israel was “entirely responsible” for the Oct. 7 Hamas attack and massacre in Israel, and an antisemitic cartoon that was circulated by two Harvard student groups and a faculty organization.

The House Education and Workforce Committee continues to probe Harvard for on-campus antisemitism. Chairwoman Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., has accused Harvard of failing to comply with an unprecedented subpoena for documents, CNN reported.

The drop in admissions applications suggests the year of turmoil may have deterred some students from applying to Harvard, The New York Times reported.

Nevertheless, Harvard’s dean of admissions tried to put a positive spin on the decrease.

“Beyond another strong applicant pool, we are delighted by the stunning array of talents and lived experiences the class of 2028 will bring with them from throughout the United States and around the world,” William R. Fitzsimmons, said in a statement, the Times reported.

Another factor in Harvard’s admissions drop could be that the Supreme Court in June struck down race-conscious student admissions programs at the esteemed university and the University of North Carolina in a sharp setback to affirmative action policies often used to increase the number of Black, Hispanic and other underrepresented minority groups on campuses.

Brown University also experienced a decrease in admission applicants with 48,898, compared to 51,316 people last year.

Other elite schools including the University of Pennsylvania, Dartmouth, Columbia, M.I.T., Bowdoin, Amherst and the University of Virginia saw applications rise.