Key differences on Getting in

1
U. Chicago's yield is 5 pts higher than Harvard's
Yield rate
2
U. Chicago's SAT midpoint is 25 points higher than Harvard's
SAT midpoint
3
Harvard admits 4.2% vs. 4.5% at U. Chicago
Acceptance rate

Admissions

Getting in, fall 2024

Acceptance and yield, test score ranges, test policy, and what each college weighs.

The funnel

Acceptance rate

U. Chicago4.5%

Harvard4.2%Most selective

Applicants

U. Chicago43.6K

Harvard47.9KMost

Admitted

U. Chicago2K

Harvard2KMost

Yield rate

U. Chicago88%Highest

Harvard84%

Quad's selectivity

U. ChicagoUltra selective
HarvardUltra selective

Men and women

Acceptance rate for men and women who applied, where a college reports admissions by sex.

Women admitted

U. Chicago3.7%

Harvard3.7%

Men admitted

U. Chicago5.6%

Harvard3.6%

Test scores

SAT total,

U. Chicago

1500–1560

Harvard

1450–1560

Axis runs 1300–1600. The dark tick marks the national median midpoint.

ACT composite,

U. Chicago

34–35

Harvard

33–35

Axis runs 29–36. The dark tick marks the national median midpoint.

Submitted SAT

U. Chicago57%

Harvard79%

Submitted ACT

U. Chicago25%

Harvard27%

Test policy

U. ChicagoTest scores required
HarvardTest scores required

How they read a record

U. Chicago
is very important; GPA, class rank, and tests are all considered. This college reports (average 4.54), so its GPA figures can't show how crowded unweighted GPAs are.
Harvard
, GPA, and tests are all very important. This college reports (average 4.22), which pile most students into the top band; the bands can't show how crowded unweighted GPAs are.

What they look at

Factor	U. Chicago	Harvard
High school GPA	Considered	Very important
High school record	Required	Required
Class rank	Considered	Not considered
College-prep program	Required	Considered
Recommendations	Very important	Very important
Essay	Very important	Very important
Legacy status	Considered	Very important
Work experience	Considered	Very important
Demonstration of competencies	Considered	Considered
English proficiency test	Considered	Considered
Other tests	Not considered	Considered

All admissions numbers in the table

Sources:IPEDS Admissions survey, Fall 2024;University of Chicago Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2025;University of Chicago Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2027 applicants;University of Chicago Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered fall 2024;College Scorecard, most recent release;Harvard University (Fall 2025), Fall 2025;Harvard University Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2025;Harvard University Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2027 applicants;Harvard University Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered fall 2024About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)

Figures are the newest each college has published; years can differ between colleges. Each value's ⓘ shows its source and year. Why