Harvard University History Harvard is the oldest institution of higher education in the United States, established in 1636 by vote

of the Great and General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. It was named after the College's first benefactor, the young minister John Harvard of Charlestown, who upon his death in 1638 left his library and half his estate to the institution. A statue of John Harvard stands today in front of University Hall in Harvard Yard, and is perhaps the University's best known landmark. Harvard University has 12 degree-granting Schools in addition to the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study. The University has grown from nine students with a single master to an enrollment of more than 20,000 degree candidates including undergraduate, graduate, and professional students. There are more than 360,000 living alumni in the U.S. and over 190 other countries. Schools: Harvard Business School Harvard College Division of Continuing Education Harvard School of Dental Medicine Graduate School of Design Harvard Divinity School Harvard Graduate School of Education School of Engineering and Applied Sciences Harvard Kennedy School Graduate School of Arts & Sciences Harvard Law School Harvard Medical School Harvard School of Public Health Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study Applying to Harvard: Harvard is committed to making educational opportunity accessible. Admission is based on achievement and promise; applying for financial aid does not diminish a students chances of admission. Indeed, the Admissions Committee may respond favorably to evidence that a candidate has overcome significant obstacles, financial or otherwise. For example at law school the future student must follow these steps:

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Take the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) Register for LSAC's Credential Assembly Service (LSDAS) and pay all appropriate fees Submit all undergraduate and graduate transcripts to LSAC Submit two letters of recommendation to LSAC Submit your HLS application, personal statement and resume electronically Pay the $85 application fee Check the status of your HLS application online

Through individual consideration, the admissions committee seeks not only to identify individual characteristics that are important to academic success in law school, but also other qualities that promote vitality, diversity, and excellence in the student body. The committee uses no computational methods for making decisions and no cut-offs below which a candidate will not be considered. Financial Aid Removing Economic Barriers In 20102011 we anticipate awarding close to $158 million in need-based scholarship assistance to our students. Our most recent program enhancement, announced in December of 2007, has dramatically reduced the amount we expect families to contribute to the cost of their student's Harvard education. We no longer require students to take out loans, and parents of financial aid recipients are asked to contribute on average from zero to ten percent of their annual income, with no contribution expected for families with incomes of under $60,000. Those parents with annual incomes of between $120,000 and $180,000 are asked to contribute an average ten percent of their income, with a declining percentage from ten to zero for parents with annual incomes between $120,000 and $60,000. Our financial aid program includes an array of financing options beyond our needbased scholarship program, such as a parent monthly payment plan, various loan programs and the opportunity to pre pay tuition for four years at a student's freshman year rate.