CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) — Harvard University has received a record 39,044 applications for next fall’s freshman class, a nearly 5 percent increase over last year.
The university attributed the rise to efforts to reach out to lower income students who otherwise might not consider Harvard.
This year, nearly a quarter of applicants had their application fees waived due to financial hardship.
Sally Donahue, Harvard’s director of financial aid, said applications have soared in the past decade since the university launched a financial aid program that charges students based on family income.
A fifth of current undergraduates are from families earning less than $65,000 a year. For these families, Harvard covers all the costs of college.
Applicants will find out if they have been admitted March 31. They have until May 1 to accept.
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