After Harvard: graduation, pay and debt
Cambridge, Massachusetts · Private · 7,601 undergrads
97% of Harvard students finish within six years, the typical student earns $121,957 ten years after starting and graduates leave with $17,559 in federal loans at the median.
The short answers
$122k
median pay 10 years after starting college.
97%
finish within six years.
66%
finish in four years.
98%
of first-years come back for year two.
$17.6k
median federal debt at graduation.
71%
of borrowers were paying down their loans three years after leaving.
All the federal numbers
Finishing
Finished in four yearsIPEDS, fall 2023
66%
Finished within six yearsIPEDS, fall 2023
97%
First-years who came back for year twoCollege Scorecard, fall 2024
98%
Men who finished within six yearsIPEDS, students who started in 2017
97%
Women who finished within six yearsIPEDS, students who started in 2017
98%
Students in that six-year groupIPEDS, students who started in 2017
1,687
Earned a degree or certificate here within eight yearsIPEDS, full-time students who started in 2015
98%
Still enrolled here after eight yearsIPEDS, full-time students who started in 2015
0%
Students in that eight-year groupIPEDS, full-time students who started in 2015
1,660
Transferred to another collegeCollege Scorecard, earlier release
0.1%
Pay after college
Median pay 6 years after starting collegeCollege Scorecard
$97,143
Median pay 10 years after starting collegeCollege Scorecard, 2022-23
$121,957
Earning more than $25,000 six years after startingCollege Scorecard, earlier release
88%
Debt and paying it back
Median federal debt, students who graduatedCollege Scorecard, 2024-25
$17,559
Median federal debt, everyone who borrowed (finished or not)College Scorecard, earlier release
$12,500
Median federal debt, students with a Pell GrantCollege Scorecard, earlier release
$16,375
Median federal debt, students without a Pell GrantCollege Scorecard, earlier release
$12,000
Paying down their loans 3 years after leavingCollege Scorecard, 2024-25
71%
Paying down their loans 5 years after leavingCollege Scorecard, earlier release
69%
Paying down their loans 7 years after leavingCollege Scorecard, earlier release
76%
Where these numbers come from
- Admit rate and applicants: Common Data Set, fall 2025 (checked Oct 31, 2026)
- Test scores: IPEDS, fall 2024 (checked Oct 31, 2026)
- GPA, early rounds and wait list: Common Data Set, fall 2025 (checked Oct 31, 2026)
- Cost, pay and debt: College Scorecard, 2024-25 (checked Oct 31, 2026)
- Deadlines: college.harvard.edu, 2026-27 (checked Nov 5, 2026)
- Test rule: college.harvard.edu, fall 2027 (checked Nov 2, 2026)
Updated Nov 5, 2026Spot a mistake?How we get our numbers