Does Harvard require the SAT?
Yes. Harvard currently requires first-year applicants to submit the SAT or ACT. In exceptional cases where either exam is not accessible, Harvard may accept AP results, IB actual or predicted scores, GCSE or A-Level results, or national leaving exam results. This is a testing requirement, not a minimum-score rule.
What SAT scores does Harvard report?
Harvard's 2024-2025 Common Data Set reports section scores for enrolled first-year students who submitted the SAT. The 25th, 50th, and 75th percentiles were 740, 760, and 780 for Evidence-Based Reading and Writing and 770, 790, and 800 for Math. Harvard did not report a composite SAT percentile in that data set, so adding the two section percentiles should not be presented as an official composite range.
How many enrolled students submitted scores?
In the 2024-2025 Common Data Set, 54% of enrolled first-year students submitted SAT scores and 19% submitted ACT scores. Those figures describe enrolled students in that reporting year. They are not the share of all applicants and should not be interpreted as an admission preference.
How should you interpret Harvard's score range?
A percentile range describes the scores of enrolled students who submitted that exam; it is not an admissions cutoff. Harvard explicitly says there are no test-score cutoffs and that testing is considered in the context of a student's school and educational opportunities. Use the range to understand the recent class, not to calculate a personal admission probability.
Can applicants self-report Harvard SAT scores?
Yes. Applicants may self-report SAT or ACT results during the application process. Students who are admitted, enroll, and self-reported scores must later provide official score reports. Harvard's College Board code is 3434, and Harvard allows applicants to use College Board Score Choice.
Does Harvard superscore the SAT?
Harvard says it does not create a formal superscore. It does, however, note the highest SAT section scores across test dates when evaluating an application. That distinction matters: report your testing history according to Harvard's current instructions rather than assuming a calculated composite superscore.
What score should a Harvard applicant target?
There is no score that guarantees admission. A practical benchmark is to compare each section with the official 25th-to-75th-percentile ranges: 740-780 for Reading and Writing and 770-800 for Math in the 2024-2025 data. A score below a percentile is not an automatic rejection, and a score above it is not an automatic acceptance.
Harvard SAT summary
Harvard requires standardized testing, permits self-reported scores during the application, and has no minimum score cutoff. The latest official Common Data Set available in this review reports a 740-780 middle range for Reading and Writing and 770-800 for Math among enrolled first-year SAT submitters. Always recheck Harvard's official requirements for the application cycle in which you apply.
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