Harvard University

About Harvard University

Harvard was founded on 28 October 1636 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, as the first college in the American colonies. Today it combines Harvard College, its undergraduate college, with twelve graduate and professional schools and the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study. Its academic range covers the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences and engineering, alongside professional education in business, law, medicine, dental medicine, public health, public policy, education, design and divinity. The Faculty of Arts and Sciences groups Harvard College, the engineering school, the graduate school of arts and sciences and the Extension School. The university's main campus is in Cambridge. The university reports a community of about 24,300 undergraduate and graduate students and about 20,100 faculty and staff, with more than 400,000 alumni worldwide and activity on all seven continents.

Schools and faculties

• Faculty of Arts and Sciences

  Brings together Harvard College, the engineering school, the graduate school of arts and sciences and the Extension School.

• Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences

  Teaches and researches engineering and applied science aimed at practical problems.

• Harvard Business School

  Offers management education for business leaders, founded in 1908.

• Harvard Law School

  Provides legal education across a wide range of methods, with an emphasis on public service.

• Harvard Medical School

  Trains physicians and researchers in medicine and health, founded in 1782.

• Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

  Educates professionals in population and global health.

• Harvard Kennedy School

  Prepares students for careers in public policy and public leadership.

• Harvard Graduate School of Design

  Covers architecture, landscape, urban planning and design research.

Study options

• Undergraduate degrees
• Master's and professional degrees
• PhD and research degrees
• Continuing and extension education
• Online courses

Research

Harvard's research spans medicine (including Alzheimer's disease, cancer, diabetes, immunology and genetics), technology fields such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing and nanotechnology, and climate, oceans and Earth science. The Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study is a centre for interdisciplinary exploration.

Rank in United States

#1 of 25

Research works

1,070,483

Citations

191.3 million

h-index

3,228

Research figures from OpenAlex (October 2026). How the directory is made.

In WAC News

• December 7, 2021Harvard launches Kempner Institute for intelligence research with $500 million gift
• June 29, 20212U agrees to acquire edX from Harvard and MIT for $800 million

This profile was written by WAC from Harvard University’s own website and checked in October 2026. It describes the institution and is not an endorsement or a ranking of teaching quality. Is this your institution? Send a correction.