Quad

Head-to-head

Harvard
U. Chicago

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    Harvard costs about $12.8K less per year on average than U. Chicago ($48,312 vs. $61,083, all students)

    Average cost, all students
  2. 2

    Harvard's grants cover 44% of its full price on average, vs. 32% at U. Chicago

    Aid generosity
  3. 3

    Harvard grads earn $9.9K more ten years out than U. Chicago's ($101,817 vs. $91,885)

    Median earnings, 10 yrs
  4. 4

    Harvard has 5 pts more first-gen students than U. Chicago (26% vs. 20%)

    First-generation students
  5. 5

    U. Chicago's yield is 5 pts higher than Harvard's

    Yield rate
  6. 6

    U. Chicago's SAT midpoint is 25 points higher than Harvard's

    SAT midpoint

The shape of each school

Each axis is a national rank among 4-year colleges; further out = more of it.

SelectivityTest scoresSizePell shareFirst-genDiversity

Who's hardest to get into

Harvard admits 4.2%, U. Chicago 4.5%; U. Chicago's yield is higher, at 88%.

Acceptance rate
Harvard4.2%
U. Chicago4.5%
Quad's selectivity
  • HarvardUltra selective
  • U. ChicagoUltra selective
SAT middle 50%Axis 1300–1600
Harvard
1450–1560
U. Chicago
1500–1560
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • HarvardRigor, GPA, and tests very importantweighted GPAs
  • U. ChicagoRigor very importantweighted GPAs

Who's on each campus

Harvard and U. Chicago are about the same size; Harvard has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
Harvard7.6K
U. Chicago7.6K
Pell Grant share
Harvard16%
U. Chicago15%

Majors and faculty

Econometrics and Quantitative Economics leads at both; U. Chicago has 5 students per faculty member to Harvard's 7.

Students per faculty member
Harvard7 to 1
U. Chicago5 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • HarvardEconometrics and Quantitative Economics13%
  • U. ChicagoEconometrics and Quantitative Economics31%

What each costs

Harvard costs about $12.8K less a year than U. Chicago on average, and its grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
Harvard$48.3K
U. Chicago$61.1K
Aid generosity
Harvard44%
U. Chicago32%

What each pays off

Harvard's former students earn more, a median $101.8K ten years after enrolling; both graduate more than 90% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
Harvard$101.8K
U. Chicago$91.9K
Graduation rate
Harvard98%
U. Chicago96%

How each has changed

Applications grew at both; U. Chicago got more selective while Harvard held steady.

Applications, 10-year change
  • HarvardGrowing+57%
  • U. ChicagoGrowing+59%
All the numbersEvery figure for these colleges in one table, with differences highlighted.
Sources for this comparisonEvery dataset and year behind the numbers in this comparison; tap any ⓘ for one number's source

Sources:Harvard University (Fall 2025), Fall 2025;Harvard University Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2025;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, most recent release;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey, 2023–24;IPEDS Student Financial Aid survey, 2023–24;Harvard University Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2027 applicants;IPEDS Admissions survey, Fall 2024;Harvard University Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered fall 2024;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part D), Fall 2024;IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2024–25 graduates;College Scorecard, 2023–24;IPEDS Graduation Rates survey (Pell Grant and subsidized loan recipients), Entered fall 2018;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 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