Harvard University

Harvard University is a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, founded in 1636 and incorporated in 1650. It is the oldest institution of higher education in the United States and operates a broad academic enterprise that includes Harvard College for undergraduates as well as graduate and professional schools in fields such as business, law, medicine, public health, education, design, government, engineering, and divinity. The university enrolls students across undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs and supports research, teaching, and public service through its schools, libraries, museums, laboratories, and affiliated institutions. Its work spans liberal arts education, advanced professional training, and large-scale research. Harvard states that more than 20,000 degree candidates study at the university, and its library system is the largest academic library in the world. A concrete example of its student support structure is the Harvard Financial Aid Initiative, under which families with annual incomes of $85,000 or less pay nothing toward the cost of attendance at Harvard College. Harvard also anchors major research and policy institutions, including the Harvard Kennedy School and the T.H. Chan School of Public Health, extending its reach beyond campus into government, health, science, and civic life. The university’s physical footprint centers on Cambridge and the Boston area, with additional academic and research facilities in nearby Allston, Boston, and Longwood. Harvard’s mission joins education with the creation and dissemination of knowledge, and its scale, age, and range of schools make it one of the most influential universities in the United States and internationally.