College vs Harvard University - Explore the Obvious Differences

This article will show the differences between Harvard College and Harvard University. Harvard has now become a household name, and you’ve likely heard about it in movies or from high school students. Going to Harvard College or University is a dream of thousands. Luckily, some of them do get enrolled. People use Harvard College and Harvard University interchangeably which can be confusing. Want to know more about Harvard college vs Harvard University? Keep reading!

Table of Contents

Harvard College vs Harvard University

About Harvard College:

Harvard College is known to be the oldest institution in the United States for higher education. Harvard College was founded in 1636 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Harvard college offers a four-year undergraduate program in liberal arts for students pursuing their first degree. At Harvard College, there are approximately 6,600 Undergraduate students with an equal number of men and women. In contrast to Harvard college, Harvard University has a total of 10 graduate and professional schools, which offer all the programs for the students who already hold their first degree and want to pursue advanced training in their studies through doctoral programs and masters. At Harvard University, all 10 professional and graduate schools have their respective teaching faculties and admission offices. The students of Harvard College can participate in 450+ extracurricular organizations.

About Harvard University:

Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Harvard University is an Ivy League research university. It’s considered to be the most prestigious university in the world. It consists of ten distinct academic faculties. Harvard University includes Harvard College and all other graduate schools, including Harvard medical school, Harvard business school, Harvard law school, and more. In comparison with Harvard College, Harvard University has 14,215 Postgraduates and 20,400 faculty members including 10,400 academic staff appointed in a teaching hospital.

(Austin Hall) Harvard University

Differences between the Two:

Location:

Harvard is an Ivy League private university, which means it is one of the eight old distinguished colleges and universities in the east, they are known for their ivy-covered brick buildings. Harvard College, on the other hand, is located within the main university campus. Thus, it cannot be classified as an independent Ivy League college.

harvard college vs harvard university — Harvard Law School in Cambridge.

Establishment:

Harvard University is the oldest higher learning institution in the US. Originally, it was known as a new college, though it was renamed Harvard in 1639, after John Harvard. Harvard College was founded in 1890 as part of the larger Harvard University and doesn’t exist independently.

Structure:

Harvard University is comprised of the whole institution. It refers to all the schools within the establishment. These schools include:

Harvard college
Harvard business school
Harvard medical school
Harvard school of dental medicine
Division of continuing education
Harvard divinity school
Faculty of arts and sciences
Graduate school of design
Harvard Graduate school of education
Graduate school of arts and sciences
School of engineering and applied science

Admissions:

Let’s take a look at the admissions of Harvard College vs Harvard University. In Harvard College, admissions are based on extracurricular activities, personal qualities, and academic power. For the undergraduates of Harvard College, class of 2013, Harvard accepted 2,009 out of 43,330 applicants and only 1,649 were ultimately enrolled. The range for 50% of SAT scores of the freshmen who enrolled in the college was 710-770 for writing and reading and 750 out of 800 in Math. Harvard prefers the admission of children of alumni and employees. Donors are seen to be criticized for favoring wealthy, white candidates. The estimated income of Harvard students is $168,800 with 53% of students ending up amongst the highest-earning families. Harvard University admissions are accepted at a rate of 5% with an ACT score of 33 to 35. The fee of application to Harvard University is $75.

Academic Life:

Now we will discuss the academic life of Harvard college vs Harvard university. In Harvard College, the four-year program of undergraduates is mainly focused on “liberal arts and sciences”. The students have to take 4 courses per semester. Most majors of Harvard College are Artium Baccalaureus (AB) and Scientiae Baccalaureus (SB). At Harvard University, the ratio of student-faculty is 6:1 and the school mainly has classes with fewer than 20 students, with these making up 74% of all classes.

Student life:

About the student life of Harvard college vs Harvard University, in the first year, undergraduates live on campus and then later they live in upper-class houses. Each of these consists of approximately 350 undergraduates and all have their own dining hall, library, and common spaces. Most of them also have gyms and special rooms. The total number of houses 12. Of these, nine are located between Charles River and Harvard square, whereas three of them are located in an area called the Radcliffe Quad angle. (15 minutes away).

The nine river’s houses are named:

Eliot
Kirkland
Winthrop
Dunster
Mather
Leverett
Quincy
Adams
Lowell

The three Quad Houses are named:

Pfohozeimer
Currier
Cabot

Notable alumni:

Let’s have a look at the notable alumni, including graduates and undergraduates of Harvard College and Harvard University:

Here is the list of eight US presidents who graduated from Harvard University:

Harvard University tuition fees and financial aid:

Now we will briefly discuss the fees and financial aid offered by Harvard College vs Harvard University. The average need-based scholarship is $58,902, with 52% of undergraduates receiving this kind of scholarship. The tuition fee is 52,925 USD.

Now that we’ve analyzed Harvard college vs Harvard University, there is no more doubt that going to Harvard is the dream of every high-school student, and it is an honor to be a part of such a respectable institution.