Harvard vs. Yale vs. Princeton vs. Georgetown

Harvard University vs. Yale University vs. Princeton University vs. Georgetown University comparison

	Harvard University	Yale University	Princeton University	Georgetown University
	Remove	Remove	Remove	Remove
Overview	Harvard	Yale	Princeton	Georgetown
Location	Cambridge, MA	New Haven, CT	Princeton, NJ	Washington, DC
Setting	Midsize City	Midsize City	Large Suburban	Large City
Enrollment	30,386	15,081	8,922	20,392
Type	Private 4 Year	Private 4 Year	Private 4 Year	Private 4 Year
National Ranking	#4	#5	#1	#32
Religious Affiliation	-	-	-	Roman Catholic
Status	Non-profit	Non-profit	Non-profit	Non-profit
Website	harvard.edu	yale.edu	princeton.edu	georgetown.edu
Team Colors

Costs	Harvard	Yale	Princeton	Georgetown
Tuition (In State)	$54,269	$64,700	$59,710	$64,896
Tuition (Out of State)	$54,269	$64,700	$59,710	$64,896
Room & Board	$20,374	$19,180	$19,380	$19,750
Avg Net Price	$17,900	$26,044	$19,811	$37,967
Avg Grant Aid	$64,942	$59,076	$60,629	$46,729
% Receiving Grant Aid	57%	54%	60%	36%

Admission	Harvard	Yale	Princeton	Georgetown
Applied	56,937	51,803	39,644	25,485
Admitted	1,965	2,332	1,782	3,334
Acceptance Rate	3.5%	4.5%	4.5%	8.4%
Enrolled %	83.7%	70.4%	76.7%	89.7%
Avg High School GPA	4.0	3.95	3.93	3.89
Typical High School Grades	A/A+	A-	A-	A-
Admissions Standards	Elite	Elite	Elite	Elite
Applicant Competition	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme	Very High
ACT Range	34/36	33/35	34/35	32/34
SAT Range	1500/1580	1500/1580	1500/1580	1390/1550
Submit Test Scores	Not required for admission, but considered if submitted (Test Optional)	Not required for admission, but considered if submitted (Test Optional)	Not required for admission, but considered if submitted (Test Optional)	Required to be considered for admission
Application Deadline	Jan 1, 2026	Jan 2, 2026	Jan 1, 2026

Academics	Harvard	Yale	Princeton	Georgetown
Student to Faculty Ratio	7:1	6:1	5:1	11:1
Popular Majors	Social Sciences (32%) Biology (12%) Liberal Arts and Humanities (9%) History (9%) Mathematics (6%)	Social Sciences (27%) History (9%) General Studies (8%) Biology (7%) Ethnic Studies (7%)	Social Sciences (25%) Engineering (17%) Biology (10%) History (7%) Human Services (7%)	Social Sciences (55%) Business (47%) Health Professions (16%) English and Literature (14%) Foreign Languages (11%)
Outcomes	Harvard	Yale	Princeton	Georgetown
Graduation Rate	97%	97%	96%	94%
Median Earnings (After 10 years)	$136,700	$118,400	$113,900	$118,900
Making Student Loan Payments	70%	84%	83%	87%
Median Student Loan Debt	$6,500	$13,500	$7,500	$15,500
Median Loan Payment	$67	$139	$77	$160

Diversity	Harvard	Yale	Princeton	Georgetown
% Men	32%	25%	21%	28%
% Women	38%	30%	16%	33%
Racial Diversity	Very High	Very High	Very High	High
HBCU	No	No	No	No
% White	44%	47%	45%	58%
% Black	6%	7%	8%	6%
% Hispanic	10%	11%	9%	8%
% Native American	0%	1%	0%	0%
% Pacific Islander	0%	0%	0%	0%
% Two or More Races	6%	6%	4%	5%
% International	11%	11%	11%	12%
% Unknown Race	3%	1%	2%	2%

Students	Harvard	Yale	Princeton	Georgetown
% In-State	15%	6%	16%	2%
% Out-of-State	70%	81%	71%	87%
Campus	Harvard	Yale	Princeton	Georgetown
Campus Housing	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Freshman Dorm Required	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Meal Plan	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Weekend/Evening Classes	No	No	No	No
Daycare Facility	Yes	Yes	No	No
Learn More	Details	Details	Details	Details

Comparable Facts

• Harvard University is larger than than Yale based on total student enrollment (30,386 students vs. 15,081 students)

Harvard vs. Yale Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, Harvard or Yale?

• Yale University is 19.2% more expensive to attend than Harvard for in-state tuition ($64,700.00 vs. $54,269.00)
• Out of state tuition is 19.2% higher at Yale than Harvard University ($64,700.00 vs. $54,269.00)
• The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Harvard University than Yale ($17,900 vs. $26,044)
• Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Yale University are 6.2% lower than costs at Harvard University ($19,180 vs. $20,374)
• More students receive financial grant aid at Harvard University than Yale University (57% vs. 54%)
• The average total grant financial aid received by Harvard University students is 9.9% larger than aid received Yale University ($64,942 vs. $59,076)

Harvard vs. Yale Admissions Difficulty Comparison

Which college is harder to get into, Harvard or Yale? Average SAT and ACT scores plus acceptance rates offer good insight into the difficulty of admission between Yale or Harvard .

• The average SAT score at Yale University (1498) is 1 points higher than at Harvard (1497)
• Incoming Harvard students have a 1 point higher average ACT score (34) than students at Yale (33)
• Accepted freshman Harvard students have a 0.05 point higher average high school GPA (4.0) than students at Yale (3.95)
• Yale has a higher acceptance rate (4.5%) than Harvard (3.5%)

Harvard vs. Yale Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, Harvard or Yale? Graduation rate, salary and amount of student loan debt are indicators of a college which offers better outcomes for its graduates. Compare the following outcomes facts between Yale and Harvard.

• The graduation rate at Harvard is the same as at Yale University (97% vs. 97%)
• Graduates from Harvard University earn on average $18,300 more per year than Yale graduates after ten years. ($136,700 vs. $118,400)
• Harvard University students graduate with a $7,000 lower median federal student loan debt than Yale graduates. ($6,500 vs. $13,500)
• Harvard graduates are paying $72 less per month on federal student loans than Yale graduates. ($67 vs. $139)
• More Yale graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Harvard students, three years after graduation. (84% vs. 70%)

Sources: U.S. Department of Education https://nces.ed.gov IPEDS and College Scorecard https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/