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Which Colleges Require the SAT Essay? Complete List

SAT , SAT Essay

Planning to take the SAT? Before you sign up, you need to decide whether you're going to take the test with or without the optional Essay . How should you pick? Well, some colleges require that you apply with the SAT with Essay; others don't care whether you submit an SAT score with or without the Essay.

In this article, I'll provide you with a complete list of colleges that require or recommend taking the SAT with the Essay .

UPDATE: SAT Essay No Longer Offered

In January 2021, the College Board announced that after June 2021, it would no longer offer the Essay portion of the SAT (except at schools who opt in during School Day Testing). It is now no longer possible to take the SAT Essay, unless your school is one of the small number who choose to offer it during SAT School Day Testing.

While most colleges had already made SAT Essay scores optional, this move by the College Board means no colleges now require the SAT Essay. It will also likely lead to additional college application changes such not looking at essay scores at all for the SAT or ACT, as well as potentially requiring additional writing samples for placement.

What does the end of the SAT Essay mean for your college applications? Check out our article on the College Board's SAT Essay decision for everything you need to know.

What Is the Optional SAT Essay?

The redesigned SAT debuted in March 2016 with a now-optional Essay section. For the Essay, you have 50 minutes to read a passage (similar to those you see on the Reading section ) and write an essay dissecting how the author made the argument . Did the author use evidence to support the main claim? Appeals to emotion? Specific word choice?

If you take the SAT without Essay, the test length is three hours . However, if you take the SAT with Essay, the optional Essay adds 50 minutes . It also costs more to take the SAT with Essay : $64.50 vs $49.50 without the Essay.

Don't automatically assume you must take the Essay. Whether it's important for you depends on which schools (and scholarships) you're applying to and what the rest of your application looks like. I'll go into more depth later about how to decide which version of the SAT to take.

List of Schools That Require the SAT With Essay

Below, I've compiled a list of colleges that require or recommend taking the SAT with Essay. All data comes from the College Board and some individual schools we consulted separately.

Note: This list is subject to change, so make sure to double-check with each school you're applying to.

Surprisingly (and in contrast to how it's been in the past), top schools mostly do not require the SAT essay . Currently, no Ivy League School requires students to take the SAT with Essay; the same is true for Stanford, Caltech, Duke, Georgetown, Johns Hopkins, MIT, Northwestern, NYU, and UChicago. Many of these schools no longer even recommend students to take the SAT with Essay, which is a huge turnaround from just a couple of years ago.

Similarly, most liberal arts colleges do not require or recommend the SAT with Essay ; however, there are some exceptions, such as Soka University, which does require it.

In general, most state schools also do not require the SAT with Essay, though there's still a significant portion that do. There tends to be some weird variance even within states. For example, all University of California schools require the SAT with Essay, but most of the California State University schools do not.

Regardless of the types of schools you're applying to, don't assume that they all ask for the SAT with Essay . Check with every school to make sure you understand their testing requirements.

How to Decide Whether to Take the SAT Essay: 4 Questions

When making your decision about whether to take the SAT with Essay or the SAT without Essay, you'll need to consider the following four questions.

#1: Do Any Schools I Want to Apply to Require the SAT Essay?

If you're applying to any school that requires the Essay, then you must take the SAT with Essay . If you take the SAT without Essay, your application will be incomplete and you won't get admitted. By contrast, if you apply to any schools that don't require the SAT Essay, you can still take the SAT with Essay since these schools will accept both types of SAT scores (with or without Essay).

To reiterate, colleges that require the SAT Essay won't consider your score if you took the SAT without the Essay . The last thing you want to do is take the SAT without the Essay and get a good score—but then find out that one of your target schools requires you to take the SAT with Essay.

Remember that some colleges change their application policies from year to year, so make sure to double-check the testing policies of the schools you're applying to .

#2: Do Any Schools I Want to Apply to Recommend the SAT Essay?

If you're not applying to any schools that require the SAT Essay section but are applying to some that recommend it, then I'd still suggest taking it . This gives you another dimension schools can use to evaluate your application; however, there are some cases in which you shouldn't take the SAT with Essay.

If, for some reason, you do not qualify for SAT fee waivers and paying the extra cost to take the SAT with Essay would be a financial burden to you , then please don't feel as if you have to take it. In this case, it's fine to take the SAT without Essay instead.

In addition, if you really struggle to write essays under time constraints (due to anxiety), you might want to opt out of the Essay . That said, I only recommend this for students who normally have strong English and writing skills but struggle to write coherent essays when there's the added pressure of a time constraint.

For example, do you get As on essays you can work on at home but Cs on in-class essays because you get easily nervous? If that's the case, taking the SAT with Essay might not be a good idea.

#3: Am I Applying to Any Scholarships That Require an SAT With Essay Score?

Many scholarships (such as National Merit ) require you to submit SAT scores , and some specifically want SAT with Essay scores.

Therefore, be sure to check the requirements of each scholarship you're planning on applying for . While scholarships that don't require or recommend the SAT Essay should still accept your SAT with Essay score, scholarships that require the Essay section will not consider your SAT score if you took the no-essay version .

#4: Will the SAT Essay Enhance My Application in Other Ways?

Generally speaking, taking the SAT Essay if it's not required won't add a lot to your application. In truth, colleges that don't recommend or require the Essay really don't pay much attention to it.

Nevertheless, the Essay might be helpful for international students who want to prove they have strong English skills and who think they'll do especially well on it. If you fall into this category and feel confident you'll get a high score on it ( after doing practice essays , for example), definitely consider taking the SAT with Essay.

On the other hand, if you don't think you'll do well on the Essay, I recommend against taking it.

What's Next?

Need help preparing for the SAT? Read our ultimate study guide to get expert tips on prep and access to the best free online resources. If you're taking the test soon, learn how to cram for the SAT .

Want to learn more about the SAT Essay? Check out our step-by-step guide to writing a great essay .

Not sure where you want to go to college? Learn how to do college research right and figure out your SAT target score .

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As an SAT/ACT tutor, Dora has guided many students to test prep success. She loves watching students succeed and is committed to helping you get there. Dora received a full-tuition merit based scholarship to University of Southern California. She graduated magna cum laude and scored in the 99th percentile on the ACT. She is also passionate about acting, writing, and photography.

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Harvard Applicants No Longer Required to Submit SAT, ACT Writing Scores

UPDATED: March 20, 2018 at 5:10 p.m.

Harvard College will no longer require applicants to submit scores from the optional writing portions of the ACT and SAT beginning with the Class of 2023, according to a Monday statement.

“Harvard will accept the ACT/SAT with or without writing, starting with the Class of 2023, entering in August 2019,” College spokesperson Rachael Dane wrote in an emailed statement. “This change will add an additional component to the comprehensive outreach of the Harvard Financial Aid Initiative (HFAI), which seeks outstanding students from all economic backgrounds.”

Students who choose to take the writing portion of either exam pay an extra $14 for the SAT and $16.50 for the ACT, though fee waivers are available for both.

Dane noted other ways applicants might demonstrate their writing skill, instead of on the standardized tests. The College accepts the Common, Coalition, and Universal College applications—all of which require a personal essay. Applicants also have the option to include an additional personal essay which, according to Dane, “most students will also choose to submit.” Applicants may also submit writing portfolios for faculty review.

In 2014, the College Board, which administers the SAT, announced major revisions to its exam, which made the essay optional and scored it separately from the rest of the exam, among other changes.

Shortly after the announcement of the SAT’s redesign in 2015, Harvard continued to require applicants to submit writing scores, but Dane said at the time that the College would evaluate how predictive those scores were of academic success.

College counselors and higher education experts previously criticized the essay portions of the exams, arguing that writing scores do not strongly correlate with a student’s potential for success.

“One single essay historically has not contributed significantly to the overall predictive power of the exam,” the College Board wrote in a 2015 statement on the revised SAT. “Feedback from hundreds of member admission officers was divided: some respondents found the essay useful, but many did not.”

The statement also reads: “The College Board remains steadfast in its commitment to the importance of analytic writing for all students.”

The College Board and the ACT did not immediately respond to requests for further comment.

Despite the choice given to students, the majority of the few million test-takers each year choose to complete the writing portion of the exams. According to the Princeton Review’s blog, Harvard’s decision leaves only 28 schools requiring the essays.

In 2015, other Ivy League universities, including, Columbia, Cornell, and Penn, announced they were ending the essay requirement. Brown, Dartmouth, and Yale are among the Ivies which still require essay scores. Among other peer institutions, Stanford requires the essay while MIT does not.

When Penn changed its policy, Eric J. Furda, the school’s dean of admissions, cited what he called the essays’ “weaker predictive power” in a 2015 statement.

“Our internal analysis as well as a review of the extensive research provided by the College Board showed that the essay component of the SAT was the least predictive element of the overall Writing section of the SAT,” Furda said.

College consultant Anna Ivey said she was supportive of Harvard’s decision.

“It's a good thing for colleges to drop the additional hassle and expense for applicants if the writing tests ultimately don't factor into the admissions decision much or at all,” Ivey wrote in an email.

Some current students tended to agree, saying the essay portions of the exams may not be useful tools in the admissions process.

Natalie G. Cohen ’20 said she thinks the policy change is a “good thing.” She said she believes the exam essays are not especially reflective of students’ writing abilities.

Jordan “Jojo” A. Adler ’20, on the other hand, said she thinks the change is “not necessarily a good or bad thing.” Speaking from her own experience of taking the ACT, she said the essay was “not representative” of her writing.

—Staff writer Samuel W. Zwickel can be reached at [email protected] .

—Staff writer Delano R. Franklin can be reached at [email protected] .

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Your chance of acceptance, your chancing factors, extracurriculars, does harvard require the sat essay.

Hi all! I'm applying to Harvard and curious about their SAT Essay requirements. Do they require it, or can I submit my SAT scores without the essay component? Any information would be appreciated!

Hello! As of the 2024-2025 application cycle, Harvard University no longer requires the SAT Essay. So you can definitely submit your SAT scores without the essay component. However, you still need to submit an SAT or ACT score, as Harvard is not test-optional. Remember to focus on other aspects of your application, such as your GPA, extracurriculars, and essays, to showcase your strengths and stand out in the competitive admissions process. Good luck with your application!

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CollegeVine’s Q&A seeks to offer informed perspectives on commonly asked admissions questions. Every answer is refined and validated by our team of admissions experts to ensure it resonates with trusted knowledge in the field.

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Harvard Admission Requirements

What criteria does Harvard have for admission? Even though there are many components to a college application, you should concentrate on only a few crucial ones:

• GPA requirements
• Testing requirements, including SAT® and ACT requirements
• Application requirements

What you need to do to apply successfully to Harvard will be covered in this guide.

Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts

Other names: Harvard University and Harvard College

Do you want to improve your chances of getting into a top-tier university? Schedule your consultation with Tokyo Academics today!

Admissions Rate: 4.7%

The acceptance rate should be your first consideration if you want to be admitted. This reveals how demanding the school’s criteria are and how competitive it is.

4.7% of applicants are accepted at Harvard. Only 5 out of every 100 applications are accepted.

This demonstrates how picky the school is. To get beyond their initial filters and demonstrate your academic readiness, it’s crucial to meet their GPA standards and SAT ® /ACT requirements. Your chances of being in are almost nonexistent if you don’t live up to their standards.

Once you’ve gotten past this obstacle, you’ll need to wow the Harvard admissions committee with your extracurricular activities, essays, and letters of recommendation. We’ll talk about more below.

GPA requirements for Harvard

Many colleges have minimum GPA requirements, but in reality, this is frequently the bare minimum that is needed to submit an application without it being rejected right away.

The GPA criterion that counts is the GPA you need to have a legitimate possibility of being admitted. We consider the school’s current students’ average GPA for this.

At Harvard, the standard GPA is 4.18.

(While some schools publish an unweighted GPA, most utilize a weighted GPA out of 4.0.)

Harvard needs you to be at the top of your class with a GPA of 4.18. To compete with other applications, you’ll need to receive almost all A’s. You should also enroll in challenging classes, such as AP® or IB courses, to demonstrate that college-level coursework is simple.

It’s challenging to change your GPA in time for college applications if you’re currently a junior or senior. You will require a better SAT® or ACT score to make up for a GPA that is equal to or lower than the school average of 4.18. You will be better able to compete with applicants who have GPAs that are higher than yours thanks to this.

Requirements for the SAT® and ACT

Standardized testing requirements vary from school to school. The SAT® or ACT are typically required, and many schools also demand SAT® subject assessments.

To submit an application to Harvard, you must take the SAT ®  or ACT. More importantly, a strong application requires achievement.

SAT® Requirements for Harvard

There is a covert SAT® requirement, notwithstanding the claims of many colleges that they have no cutoff for SAT® scores. Based on the typical grade at the institution.

Harvard’s average composite SAT® score is a 1520 out of a possible 1600.

Harvard is now Extremely Competitive for SAT test scores because of this score.

Analysis of Harvard SAT® results (New 1600 SAT®)

The 25th percentile and 75th percentile New SAT® scores are 1460 and 1580, respectively. To put it another way, a 1460 on the New SAT® places you below average, and a 1580 puts you above average.

Those who reside close to Harvard might wish to research instructors in Acton and other parts of the Boston region to improve their test results.

The updated SAT® section scores are broken down as follows:

SAT® Score Policy of Option

Your testing plan heavily relies on your school’s Score Choice policy.

The “Highest Section” score choice rule is in effect at Harvard.

Another name for this is “superscoring.” This implies that you have a choice as to which SAT® tests you submit to the institution. Your application readers will take into account your highest section scores from all of your SAT® test dates out of all the scores they receive.

Therefore, we strongly advise that you think about studying for the SAT® and retaking it if your present superscore is less than a 1580. You have a great opportunity to improve your score, which will greatly increase your chances of being admitted.

Even better, the Superscore allows you to concentrate solely on a single section at a time. Only prepare for the Reading part of the SAT® before taking it if your Reading score is lower than those of your other sections. For the subsequent test, concentrate on math, and so forth. You will receive the maximum Superscore by doing this.

ACT Requirements for Harvard

Harvard probably doesn’t have a strict ACT threshold, like the SAT®, but if you score too low, your application will be rejected.

At Harvard, the typical ACT score is 34. Harvard is now Very Competitive for ACT scores with this score.

ACT scores range from 33 to 35, with 35 representing the 75th percentile.

Even though Harvard probably states that there is no minimum ACT requirement, if you apply with a 33 or lower, you will likely struggle to get in unless you have other extremely strong application materials. Because so many applicants received a 34 or higher, a 33 will appear to be an academically inadequate score.

Policy for sending ACT scores

The ACT has a significant edge over the SAT® in terms of how scores are sent, which has a significant impact on your test-taking technique.

Here it is: you have complete control over whatever tests you send to universities along with your ACT scores. You could send the best test out of ten that you take. Contrary to the SAT®, where many institutions demand that you send all of your past test results, this does not.

This indicates that you have more opportunities than you might realize to raise your ACT score. You should attempt to take the ACT as many times as you can in order to try to aim for the school’s ACT requirement of 35 and above. When you’re satisfied with your final result, you can send only one score to all of your schools.

Superscore Policy of ACT

Generally speaking, very few colleges superscore the ACT. When you “superscore,” the school combines the best sectional scores from each test date you submit to produce the highest possible composite score. Therefore, the majority of colleges will only consider your highest ACT score from a single test.

The fact that we were unable to locate the school’s official ACT policy suggests that Superscore is not used there. In any case, you can send Harvard your best ACT score, so you should study up until you attain our suggested target ACT score of 35.

Writing Section Requirements for the SAT®/ACT

The essay portion of the SAT® and ACT is optional.

You must take the SAT® Essay/ACT Writing part to apply to Harvard. This will be taken into account as yet another aspect when deciding who to admit.

Requirements for SAT® Subject Tests

The SAT® subject test requirements vary between schools. The majority of schools in the nation do not, whereas selective ones frequently do.

According to Harvard, SAT® subject tests are necessary for admission. Find out how many and which ones they need by reading on.

Usually, your GPA and SAT®/ACT scores carry a much greater weight than your SAT® Subject Test scores. If you have the option to increase your SAT®/ACT score or your SAT® Subject Test scores, increase your SAT®/ACT score without a doubt.

Notes from Our Expert

We conducted a more thorough investigation on this school and discovered the data below.

In addition to the ACT/SAT®, two SAT® Subject Tests are strongly advised but not needed. You don’t have to submit results if completing the Subject Tests will put a financial strain on you or if you believe that other components of your application—like your AP® or IB scores—convey the same information.

Source: https://college.harvard.edu/admissions/apply/application-process/sat-subject-tests

Verdict on Final Admissions

A strong GPA and SAT®/ACT score are essential for your chance of admission to this highly selective school. If you don’t meet their GPA and SAT®/ACT requirements, you’ll probably be rejected without much thought.

You should aim for the 75th percentile, with a 1580 SAT® or a 35 ACT, to have the best chance of getting in. A GPA of at least 4.18 is also required. You must make up the difference if your GPA is below this with a higher SAT®/ACT score.

You’ll also need to make an impression on them with the rest of your application for a premium institution like Harvard. Next, we’ll discuss those specifics.

However, if you apply with a score of less than a 1580 SAT® or 35 ACT, you unluckily start off against the odds and have a very small chance of being accepted. You need to compete against students who have good applications and high SAT®/ACT scores because there are simply too many of them.

The admissions committee will consider your GPA, SAT®/ACT scores, curriculum difficulty, extracurricular activities, letters of reference, and personal statements in addition to these factors. Your odds of admission are only roughly estimated by this tool. Consider the big picture of what your chance represents rather than using this tool as a crystal ball:

• 80-100%: Safety school: Strong chance of getting in
• 50-80%: More likely than not getting in
• 20-50%: Lower but still good chance of getting in
• 5-20%: Reach school: Unlikely to get in, but still have a shot
• 0-5%: Hard reach school: Very difficult to get in

We advise you to submit applications to institutions with various prospects. Applying to some reach schools will offer you a chance to get into the school at the top of your range while applying to some safety schools will ensure you have a college to attend.

Application Requirements

The bare minimum is required for every institution’s application: a high school transcript, a GPA, an application form, and other relevant details. As previously mentioned, numerous colleges additionally want SAT® and ACT scores, letters of recommendation, application essays, and interviews. We’ll go through Harvard’s exact requirements right here:

Application Requirements Overview

Common Application  Universal Application Electronic Application Essay or Personal Statement Letters of Recommendation Interview Application Fee Fee Waiver Available?  Other Notes

Accepted, supplemental forms required Accepted, supplemental forms required Available Required for all freshmen 2 Required $75 Available

Testing Requirements

SAT or ACT SAT Essay or ACT Writing SAT Subject Tests Scores Due in Office

Required Required Required March 6

Deadlines and Early Admissions

Regular Admission Early Action Early Decision

January 1 November 1

Notification

April 1 None

Admissions Office Information

Phone: Email:

86 Cambridge, MA 02138 (617) 495-1551 [email protected]

Alternative Schools for You

You’ll probably be interested in these colleges if you’re interested in Harvard. Depending on how difficult they are to get into compared to Harvard, we have placed them into 3 groups.

Reach Schools: More Difficult to Enter

The average SAT ®  scores at these schools are higher than Harvard’s. You’ll be competitive for these institutions if you raise your SAT ®  score.

School Name

University of Chicago Yale University Carnegie Mellon University

Chicago, IL New Haven, CT Pittsburg, PA

1520 1515 1510

Same Level: Equally Difficult to Enter

These institutions will give you a comparable chance of admission if you are a strong candidate for Harvard.

Princeton University Columbia University University of Pennsylvania Cornell University Tufts University Northeastern University New York University

Princeton, NJ New York, NY Philadelphia, PA Ithaca, NY Medford, MA Boston, MA New York, NY

1505 1505 1500 1480 1465 1465 1440

34 34 34 34 33 34 32

Safety Schools: Simpler to Enter

You should have little trouble getting into these schools if you are currently competitive for Harvard. Even though Harvard is currently beyond your price range, you may already be a strong candidate for these institutions.

SAT ®  Avg

University of Michigan Boston University Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Ann Arbor, MI Boston, MA Troy, NY

1435 1420 1409

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Getting Into Harvard: Admission Requirements 2024/2025

What kind of students get into Harvard? Well, there is no one "type" of student that gets into Harvard. But the admissions committee does look for applicants who have excellent academic records, are engaged in their community, and will contribute to the vibrant intellectual culture on Harvard's campus.

Sound like you? Great! Then this post on the admissions requirements for Harvard University is going to help you understand how to put together a strong application. And to be super blunt, you're gonna need that, because the most recent admissions rate hit a record low of 3.19% after 61,220 students applied!

HOW HARD IS IT TO GET INTO HARVARD UNIVERSITY?

It is extremely difficult to get into Harvard University. The standardized test scores, like SAT and ACT, and grade point average of admittees are in the highest percentiles.

Harvard Acceptance Rate

The Harvard acceptance rate is 3.19%, making it one of the most competitive universities in the world. Acceptance rate is an indication of how competitive a school is, but it is also an indication of how popular a school is. To get into a school like Harvard University, you will need to excel in almost every major college application factor.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Harvard university gpa requirements, harvard university application essay tips.

The GPA requirements for Harvard University are between 3.9 to 4.1. You will need an incredibly high GPA and will likely be graduating at the top of their class in order to get into Harvard University. If you’re GPA is lower than suggested at the time you apply, you may have to perform above average on your standardized tests. If you’re grades aren’t as high as they could have been due to life experiences or hardship, you should consider writing about it in your additional information section .

Average Unweighted GPA: 4.22

GPA Distribution: Unweighted

4.0 = 75.76% 3.75-3.99 = 18.02% 3.50-3.74 = 4% 3.25-3.49 = 1.79% 3.00-3.24 = 0.32% 2.5-2.99 = 0.11% 2.0-2.49 = 0% 1.0-1.99 = 0% Below 1.0 = 0%

What GPA should I have? Applicants should be between 3.9 and 4.0 to be strong candidates for admission to this school. Having less than this will require compensating by increasing your SAT or ACT score.

Harvard University SAT Requirements

The SAT requirements for Harvard University are a 1,500 to 1,600 composite score, combining the reading and writing, and math sections together. You will need an incredibly high SAT score and getting close to perfect scores in order to get into Harvard University. If you’re SAT is lower than suggested at the time you apply, you may have to perform above average on your standardized tests. If you’re grades aren’t as high as they could have been due to life experiences or hardship, you should consider writing about it in your additional information section .

Average SAT Composite Score: 1520

SAT Distribution: Score = Reading | Math 700-800 = 83.81% | 87.88% 600-699 = 15.49% | 10.82% 500-599 = 0.7% | 1.3% 400-499 = 0% | 0% 300-399 = 0% | 0% 200-299 = 0% | 0%

What SAT score should I have? Applicants should score between 1,500 to 1,600 on their SAT to be strong candidates for admission to this school. Having less than this will require compensating by using a substitute ACT score or having an above-average GPA. Either an SAT or ACT score is required for application to this school.

Harvard University ACT Requirements

The ACT requirements for Harvard University are a 34 composite score combing all English, mathematics, reading, and science sections. You will need an incredibly high SAT score and getting close to perfect scores in order to get into Harvard University. If you’re ACT is not what you’d hoped by the time you apply, you may have to make it up by getting above-average scores on the SAT and having an above-average grade point average. If you’re ACT wasn’t as high as you’d like because of difficulties or hardship, you should consider writing about it in your additional information section .

What ACT score should I have? Applicants should score between 30 and 36 on their ACT to be strong candidates for admission to this school. Having less than this will require compensating by using a substitute SAT score or having an above-average GPA. Either an SAT or ACT score is required for application to this school.

Average ACT: 34

ACT Distribution: Composite Score 30-36 = 95.27% 24-29 = 4.57% 18-23 = 0.16% 12-17 = 0% 6-11 = 0% Below 6 = 0%

Harvard University Application Requirements

Harvard university application deadlines.

The Harvard University application deadline for regular decision is January 1st. Harvard University also provides an alternative form of application in addition to regular decision: restrictive early action. The application deadline for Harvard University’s restrictive early action is November 1st. Below is a table showing the deadlines for each of the steps of the Harvard University admissions process.

Harvard University Supplemental Essay Prompts

Harvard has long recognized the importance of enrolling a diverse student body. How will the life experiences that shape who you are today enable you to contribute to Harvard? (10-150 words)

Describe a time when you strongly disagreed with someone about an idea or issue. How did you communicate or engage with this person? What did you learn from this experience? (10-150 words)

Briefly describe any of your extracurricular activities, employment experience, travel, or family responsibilities that have shaped who you are. (10-150 words)

How do you hope to use your Harvard education in the future? (10-150 words)

Top 3 things your roommates might like to know about you. (10-150 words)

Prompts Above

As we said above, you can check out our comprehensive guide on the Harvard supplemental essays to get in-depth guidance on your approach to each. Below, we’ll offer some big-picture guidance.

Consider paying particular attention to the, “What does Harvard look for in Students?” section of this post (above): Supplemental essay prompts are perfect opportunities for you to showcase how a different aspect of who you are fulfills something the school looks for.

In particular, a lot of schools use supplemental essays to get a sense of how you and the school “fit” together. This is especially important for things like “Why Us” essays, but you can demonstrate ways you and the community and academic programs fit together via other supp essays.

Any time a school has multiple supplemental essays, be sure to use each to focus on a different aspect of what you value and what you bring to the campus and community. Linked to that, try to avoid repeating anything covered in your personal statement—use these prompts to help the readers see new sides of you.

Though you’ll want to be mostly focusing on specific examples of yourself and your life in these essays, having a clear understanding of Harvard’s mission and vision will give you a direction for your reflections in your essays. (Semi-pro tip: for any school, just search for “[school name] mission and vision” and you’ll quickly find what you’re looking for)

Tip #1 for Harvard University Supplemental Prompt#1

Treat this as a combo identity/community/background + why us prompt.

We offer a bunch of strong examples of “how will you contribute” essays in that guide, but essentially, think of this as showing a core part of who you are (and how you’ve become who you are), and then specific ways that this aspect of you contributes to the diversity of thought, culture, perspective, etc. of Harvard’s community. 

Tip #2 for Harvard University Supplemental Prompt#2

Show you can engage in productive, healthy disagreement

This is a pretty common kind of prompt. You can see a bigger guide here , but, essentially, show that you’re ready to engage in complex, perhaps difficult discussions in a way that leads to your and other people’s growth.

Tip #3 for Harvard University Supplemental Prompt#3

Write about something you haven’t talked about elsewhere (much or at all) in your application. 

This is your classic short extracurricular essay. You’ll find an in-depth step-by-step guide at this link , with specific advice for the 150-ish-word format (plus some really great examples) towards the end. We recommend using that post to guide you as you’re writing.

But if you want to see the short version, here’s what to do:

Go to your Common App activities list and pick 2-3 of your most impressive or important (to you) activities. 

Then, go through the Best Extracurricular Activity Brainstorm I’ve Ever Seen (AKA BEABIES exercise), either mentally or by filling out the chart. This will help you decide which topic might yield the most content for your essay.  If you’re unsure, maybe do a simple outline for two different topics.

Write a draft. Then start revising.

Tip #4 for Harvard University Supplemental Prompt #4

Think of this as a specifically framed “Why Us.”

What will you do once you finish your education at Harvard? And especially, how does what Harvard offers help you on the path to achieving these things. Harvard is generally looking for students who want to use their educations to make a positive impact in the world—how might you do so with yours?

Tip #5 for Harvard University Supplemental Prompt #5

Show your personality.

This is pretty similar to Stanford’s fairly famous “roommate” prompt. And we actually have an entire separate blog post on that Stanford prompt we’d recommend reading.

The super short version? 

Do this exercise .

Pick three that Harvard isn’t seeing elsewhere + that show your interests and (especially) personality.

Write. Then probably rewrite a bunch.

Want advice on dozens of other supplemental essays? Click here

Special thanks to Ameer for contributing to this post.

Ameer is a freelance writer who specializes in writing about college admissions and career development. Prior to freelancing, Ameer worked for three years as a college admissions consultant at a Hong Kong-based education center, helping local high school students prepare and apply for top colleges and universities in the US. He has a B.A. in Latin American Studies from the University of Chicago and an M.A. in Spanish Linguistics from UCLA. When he’s not working, Ameer loves traveling, weight lifting, writing, reading, and learning foreign languages. He currently lives in Bangkok, Thailand. 

Top values: Growth / Diversity / Empathy

Harvard Drops Its SAT Essay & ACT Essay Requirements

Update: as of May 2021 the SAT Subject tests and optional essays are discontinued internationally and domestically. The College Board encourages students to demonstrate their subject proficiency through the AP Exams instead. For more information, please contact us or read The College Board’s release at  here .

Harvard announced in early 2020, that students will not need to complete the essay portion of the SAT or ACT in order to fulfill Harvard’s ACT and SAT requirements for applying to the school. The news was not entirely surprising considering the ACT and SAT essay portions were always the oddball sections of the test.

After all, the essay was:

• the only non-multiple-choice portion
• the only portion that was subjective
• and the only part that was optional

Students are forced to decipher what ‘optional’ really means by finding if the ACT/SAT essay is optional, required, or recommended by their target school. The process is arcane, but Harvard has taken a step in a clarifying direction by reclassifying the essay portions as optional.

Why Did Harvard Change Its SAT Essay Requirements?

When the SAT shifted its format in 2014 and made the essay optional, as it was and is on the ACT, other Ivy League universities were quick to state that they would not require students to take the essay portions.

But Harvard took a wait-and-see approach.

Now the university is citing diversity concerns as its reason for dropping the SAT essay requirement, noting that by removing the essay requirement (which cost students $14 and $16.50 for the SAT and ACT respectively) it can draw applicants from wider economic backgrounds.

The Trend Started With The Subject Tests

Often, changes in higher education are pushed through from the Ivy Leagues or from the UC system. The shift toward quality and depth over quantity of extracurricular activities was ossified by Harvard’s Turning the Tide letter .

The shift away from SAT Subject tests was started in California.

The UCs dropped the SAT Subject test requirements in 2011 , then Harvard dropped its SAT subject test requirement in 2014 . So, when these institutions make policy changes, one can expect them to flow through to the rest of higher education.

If you plan on applying to a UC school, read our guide, UC Admissions Requirements & How To Make Your UC Application Stand Out .

What Ivy Leagues Require An SAT or ACT Essay?

Among the Ivy League schools, UPenn , Columbia , and Cornell have not required the essay since 2015.

We can now add Harvard to that list, leaving only Brown , Dartmouth , and Yale requiring the essay.

Should You Take The SAT or ACT Essay?

In short, yes, you should still complete the essay portion.

The essays still serve to keep options open and to break ties in case of close admissions calls. But these changes illustrate that the SAT and ACT essays are negligible parts of the application.

Take the essay, but treat it with the same importance as these colleges do, which is to say, very little.

Glance over some sample prompts, and plan to write a well-structured, 5-paragraph essay with complete sentences and appropriate vocabulary. Start by reading this guide on the SAT essay scoring where I tell you four simple things you can do to get a perfect score on the SAT essay .

Beyond that, focus your energies where they’ll produce a positive return, and breathe a sigh of relief over one fewer school requiring the SAT and ACT essay.

If your goal is to get into an Ivy League, we have an in-depth guide that details what students can do to optimize their chances of being accepted, including tips on for the SAT and ACT.

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Do i need a minimum required sat or act score.

The Admissions Committee does not have testing cutoffs for applicants. All completed applications are read and carefully considered by the committee. Testing is one academic factor among many that the committee considers in relation to the norms of a student’s high school.

In the last year that Harvard required testing, the range (10th percentile to 90th percentile) of SAT scores for enrolling students was 670 to 790 for Evidence-Based Reading and Writing and 680 to 800 for Math.  The range (10th percentile to 90th percentile) of ACT Composite scores was 31 to 36.  

Harvard Admission Criteria: What are They Really Looking for?

The Harvard admission criteria has always baffled applicants – other than good scores, essay and recommendations, what is Harvard really looking for? Let’s take a look at each criteria that can make your application stronger.

If you’re a Harvard applicant, I’m sure you’re curious to know whether your application will be strong enough or not. We all know the basic requirements and Harvard application process , but it’s never stated anywhere what makes an applicant stand out. How can you really ensure your admission?

Harvard Admission Criteria: The Basics

The basic Harvard admission criteria are the simple checkbox items – good GPA, GRE/SAT scores, recommendation letters, a great essay and resume. A strong academic background and/or extra-curricular activities are preferred on the resume, along with something that makes you unique. Certain personal characteristics are listed commonly across Harvard websites of nearly all schools. These include maturity, integrity, leadership, kindness, ambition and passion.

So let’s go over the basic Harvard admission criteria first. These are the sort of, checkbox items you have to check:

A good academic background is almost necessary for your application to be considered. The average GPA of admitted students to HBS Class of 2020 was 3.71, based on a 4.0 grading scale. Although most Harvard schools don’t specify a minimum GPA requirement to be considered, a very high GPA alone could make you a strong candidate, as long as your other parts of application consistently showcase your intellect.

2. Standardized test scores

Again, no minimim GRE/SAT scores are required, but you can look at average scores of the previous class to get an idea. For example, Harvard Graduate School of Design mentions average GRE scores for students of Class of 2020 as 157 for the verbal, 159 for the quantitative, and 4.0 for the analytical writing sections. Read more: What GRE Score is Required for Harvard University?

3. Recommendation letters

2-3 letters of recommendation are required by Harvard, depending on the school you’re applying to. Letters of recommendation are a great way to illustrate your academic or professional abilities. They should be consistent in listing similar qualities, and ideally be from your teachers, employers, especially in positions of authority who know you well. Read more here: Harvard Recommendation Letters: The ULTIMATE Guide

A personal statement or essay is one of the most important Harvard admission criteria, required for every school. It should, ideally, tell the things that haven’t been told in the rest of your application, and demonstrate your personal and professional qualities, without having to brag!

5. Resume/portfolio

Some schools require a resume or portfolio to show examples of your work or your professional background. For example, showcasing extra-curricular activities, community work, awards, examples of creative work, etc. A stellar, concise and well-crafted resume/portfolio can really make the difference in an application.

What Does Harvard Look for in Students: Harvard Admission Criteria Beyond the Basics

Now, once an applicant has checked these basic boxes, they always wonder, okay, but everyone who’s applying to Harvard has a great GPA, a great GRE score, etc. How can you really ensure your application is considered? Well, there is actually something that Harvard is looking for. The Harvard admission criteria also includes something that makes you unique: your personal rating.

Now notice those words, “something that makes you unique”. Vague, isn’t it? As popular as Harvard University is, it has always been a big secret how they actually select their students. Of course, being one of the top universities in the world makes them highly selective as the best of the best students apply. But the Harvard admission criteria seems like a big riddle to every applicant.

I was no different. The year I was applying to Harvard, Emma Watson was, too. And I kept telling myself, why would they accept me when they have movie star applicants, international level sports players, Obama’s daughter and god knows who else! Enough to intimidate anyone. Phew!

Of course, I still couldn’t understand why I was admitted even after getting admitted into Harvard! Only when I met all the people around me did I realize, we all had certain qualities in common. Difficult to put a finger to it, but they’re there.

Harvard Admission Criteria & the Applicant Rating System

Recently, Harvard was charged of discrimination against Asian-American applicants, and the Harvard Admissions Lawsuit has been making big headlines since. As Harvard was forced to reveal its admission criteria and process for judging applicants, we found out a lot about what really makes an application stand out other than the basic GPA, SAT score, etc.

But from what I learned about what Harvard considers in its applicants, I found it neither shocking nor odd. As a matter of fact, most big universities have similar criteria for judging applicants.

As I understood, there are 3 important types of ratings Harvard gives to its applicants:

Recommendation Ratings

Academic score, personal rating.

Other than these, a student’s application can be considered very strong if it meets one of the following criteria:

• Outstanding extracurricular record
• Distinctive or unusual intellectual ability: showcased through outstanding academic record, evidence of creativity or originality.
• Unusually appealing personal qualities, such as charity, maturity, strength of character, etc. as demonstrated through examples, consistently in all recommendation letters.
• Outstanding leadership capability, in a positive way
• Creative ability

Harvard believes that students contribute to the learning process as much as the teachers do. And as a student at Harvard, I witnessed this constantly. That’s why Harvard prefers a diverse student body, so that every one learns from the others’ experiences. So the above qualities are used to judge how an application is able to distinguish itself from others that are similar.

I wrote in my article, How to Get into Harvard Business School , “The most important thing is: your essay should showcase why you should get admitted over others who have a similar profile as you. Write about how you’re unique, what sets you apart from your peers, other applicants from your demographic pool and how you’ll add to Harvard’s diversity.”

Let’s take a look at all of these Harvard admission criteria in detail.

For an application to be considered impressive, all your recommendation letters should offer consistent proof or examples of your abilities. They should not be contradictory to each other. For example, if your college professor wrote that you were the top of the class, and your employer wrote that you weren’t very talented, then it’s a bad sign!

Furthermore, there are also certain favorite profiles some Harvard schools have, such as the athletic profile, or personal profile. If you have been a state or national level sports player, etc. your recommendation letters should give examples of that.

Your recommendation letters should also show your personal qualities, professional or leadership abilities or talk about any other strengths. For example, if all your recommendation letters show that you are very hard-working, are kind, have great leadership skills, etc. then you can score on the “personal profile.”

Harvard admission criteria includes things like GPA, standardized test scores & recommendation letters, all of which can offer examples of how strong a student is academically, and how well they can cope with the coursework at Harvard. I assume that, based on many different criteria, Harvard admissions office assigns an academic score to each applicant. These criteria include:

• Your overall GPA from all the schools you’ve attended previously
• Your overall SAT/GRE score
• Your individual test scores, in verbal, quantitative, and analytical writing sections.
• Your academic standing in college or high school, as attested in your letters of recommendation. For example, were you top of the class, or the best in a certain subject.
• Any honors courses taken in college
• What was your lowest GPA ever
• Has your GPA increased or decreased over time?
• Any other examples to illustrate strong academic record, such as any original project or winning a quiz or award in a certain subject.

Once again, if you have a strong academic background, your recommendation letters would show examples of it, such as “top of the class”, “the best we ever had”. However, you really can’t control this, since recommendation letters are sent discreetly. But working on your grades or scores can help you get a great rating.

Wall Street Journal showed documents about the Harvard admission criteria in a video (I’ll insert it at the end of the article). The document revealed how the academic score is ranked:

Genuine scholar : Near perfect scores or grades in almost every subject/year, in addition to unusual creativity and if a student received merit-based scholarship in school or college.

Magna potential : Excellent student, perhaps in top 3 of the class, with mid to high 700 scores in SAT or 33+ in ACT.

Cum laude potential : Very good student with excellent grades and mid 600 to low 700 SAT scores or 29-32 in ACT.

Adequate preparation : Decent grades in school with low to mid 600 scores in SAT or 26-29 in ACT.

Marginal potential : Modest school grades with 500-600 SAT score or 25 and below ACT score.

Achievement or motivation marginal or worse : Anything below the above.

Obviously, they’ll look at your academic score in combination with all the other factors, and they should be backed up by your application and recommendations. However, if you don’t have excellent academic score, work on the other parts of your application, such as resume, personal essay and recommendations to make your application stronger. Also read: Is Harvard Only for Straight-A Students? 

The personal rating is the most vague-sounding out of all these criteria, but yet, as I mentioned above, doesn’t sound surprising to me at all. In fact, if I think about all my Harvard classmates or friends I made at Harvard, the “personal rating” sounds an obvious Harvard admission criteria to me.

Think of it this way, if you were a Harvard admission officer, and you had to decide between 10 applicants who had the same professional and academic background, similar GPAs and GRE scores, similar recommendations and resumes, how would you know which one would be the best student? Of course, you’d have to go beyond the basics.

The personal rating is given based on certain personal qualities, like:

• Grit & hard-work
• Integrity or strength of character
• Helpfulness or charity
• Ambition or strong positive direction
• Passion or commitment
• Enthusiasm or effervescence

The report also mentions the levels of personal rating:

• Outstanding
• Very strong
• Generally positive
• Bland or somewhat immature
• Questionable personal qualities
• Worrisome personal qualities

So work on how you can showcase these personal qualities, for example, through extra-curricular activities, doing an internship, working with a non-profit organization, etc. You don’t want to come across as bland, do you!?

As Harvard College mentions in their admissions website, “We seek to identify students who will be the best educators of one another and their professors—individuals who will inspire those around them during their College years and beyond.”

It’s not important to just list these qualities in your resume or essay. These personal qualities should be demonstrated, with clear examples. For example, if you think you have leadership skills, show examples of any student club you were a president of, etc. in your resume Give your experience of leading a team at your office in your essay.

Furthermore, your recommendation letters should also showcase examples of these qualities. If your guidance counselor letter alumni interview report, etc. can also showcase examples of these personal qualities, that’s even better.

All the best!

Harvard Application Process: Easy Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners

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