Harvard vs Notre Dame

When it comes to choosing a university, Harvard University and the University of Notre Dame stand out as two of the most prestigious institutions in the United States. Both offer a world-class education, but there are some key differences between the two that prospective students should consider. Harvard, located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, has a lower acceptance rate (4.5%) compared to Notre Dame's (18.6%), indicating a more selective admissions process. Additionally, Harvard's student body is more diverse, with a higher percentage of international students and a more even gender ratio. In terms of academics, Harvard offers a wider range of majors, including more specialized fields, while Notre Dame is known for its strong programs in business, engineering, and the humanities. With a higher graduation rate (97%) compared to Notre Dame's (91%), Harvard also boasts a slightly higher average starting salary for its graduates. To help you make an informed decision, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison table that

	Harvard University	University of Notre Dame
Overview
Location	Cambridge, Massachusetts	Notre Dame, Indiana
Campus setting	City: Midsize	Suburb: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	96.0%	98.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation		Catholic

Admission
Acceptance rate	4.0%	15.1%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $75 Graduate: $105	Undergraduate: $75 Graduate: $75
SAT range	1480 - 1580	1410 - 1550
ACT range	33 - 36	32 - 35
Students submitting SAT score	54.0%	33.0%
Students submitting ACT score	31.0%	36.0%
Total number of applicants	57,786	23,642
Total number of admissions given out	2,318	3,562
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,951	2,059
Yield rate	84.2%	57.8%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	Not required
Recommendation letters	Required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Not required	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$78,028	$78,347
Average net price	$13,910	$30,513
Tuition	$51,143	$58,336
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $11,705 Meal plan: $7,236	$16,304
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	56.0% Average amount $59,840	57.0% Average amount $46,306
Students receiving federal student loan	3.0% Average amount $5,180	30.0% Average amount $4,134
Students taking out private loans	2.0% Average amount $8,080	12.0% Average amount $8,564

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	9,579 Men 49.0% Women 51.0%	8,973 Men 51.6% Women 48.4%
Graduate students	21,766 Men 46.3% Women 53.7%	4,166 Men 56.5% Women 43.5%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	93.1%
International students	23.9%	12.1%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	12,874	6,919
First year students are required to live on campus?	Yes	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	New York California Texas Illinois New Jersey	Illinois California Texas Indiana New York

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Health Professions Social Sciences Education Legal Profession	Business Engineering Multidisciplinary Studies Social Sciences Legal Profession
Students to faculty ratio	7:1	9:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	96.7%	95.9%
Dropout rate	2.0%	3.9%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Statistics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $78,193 Year 2: $128,716 Year 3: $240,408 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $184,307 Year 2: $165,340 Year 3: $199,043 Business Administration, Management and Operations (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $171,333 Year 2: $171,907 Year 3: $187,553 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $140,072 Year 2: $128,737 Year 3: $163,896 Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: $151,371 Year 2: $174,023 Year 3: $163,512 Public Health (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $123,508 Year 2: $117,916 Year 3: $129,281 Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $106,421 Year 3: $121,832 Applied Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $102,707 Year 2: $90,856 Year 3: $121,771 Education, General (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $97,905 Year 2: $98,670 Year 3: $107,389 Dentistry (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $68,745 Year 2: $71,486 Year 3: $106,375	Business Administration, Management and Operations (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $124,439 Year 2: $123,601 Year 3: $135,572 Finance and Financial Management Services (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $89,269 Year 2: $89,674 Year 3: $126,773 Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $120,074 Year 2: $108,092 Year 3: $123,182 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $87,638 Year 2: $85,243 Year 3: $110,135 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $80,593 Year 2: $89,968 Year 3: $105,831 Mathematics and Statistics, Other (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $74,224 Year 2: $80,273 Year 3: $99,815 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $84,618 Year 2: $86,375 Year 3: $95,904 Management Information Systems and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $74,178 Year 2: $74,307 Year 3: $92,866 Chemical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $73,118 Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $87,393 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $69,070 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $85,821

Compare Similar Colleges

The list of suggested college comparisons provided below is generated automatically by our system, utilizing statistics gathered from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and various online sources. If you don't find the colleges you wish to compare, please visit our comparison page. There, you can search for the specific colleges and initiate your comparison.

Harvard

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