“MIT vs Harvard? Which one should I choose?” What a sweet worry! Both of these two world-class universities offer students a great education and a perfect academic atmosphere. But we can’t select both sides at the same time. information about these two renowned universities’ differences in academic strength, campus life, tuition fees, and admission requirements, along with how to choose from them.
MIT vs Harvard: An Overview
Massachusetts Institute of Technology vs Harvard, as many people believe, are Ivy League competitors in different cities. In fact, they are both in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, and MIT, to many people’s surprise, is not an Ivy League member. So they have more things than people think in common, and more things in different. So let’s take a look at MIT and Harvard’s basic information first!
| MIT vs Harvard | ||
|---|---|---|
| MIT | Harvard | |
| Location | Cambridge, MA | |
| Private or Public? | Private | |
| Founded in | 1861 | 1636 |
| QS World University Ranking 2026 | 1 | 5 |
| U.S. News Ranking 2026 | 2 | 3 |
| Size | 168 Acre | 209 Acre (Main Campus) |
| Number of Student | 11,886 | 24,519 |
| Acceptance Rate (for the class of 2028) | 5.26% | 3.65% |
| Cost of Attendance for Undergraduates (Academic Year 2025-26) |
$89,340 (Tuition: $64,310) |
$89,926 (Tuition: $59,320) |
| Tuition for Graduates (Academic Year 2025-26) |
$64,310-$86,530 | $57,328-$65,536 |
| Mid-50% SAT/ACT Scores | 1520-1580 / 35 | 1460-1570 / 34 |
| Students Housing | approx. $12000-$14000 per year | approx. $13000-$14000 per year |
| Starting Salary (Median Number) | $119,000 | $98,000 |
What is MIT?
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, known by its acronym, MIT, is one of the most famous private universities in the United States. It was founded in 1861 by William Barton Rogers, and that’s when the Industrial Revolution was happening. Aimed to accelerate the nation’s industrial revolution, the institute maintains a strong focus on scientific and technological research.
The campus sits on the Charles River, not far from its well-known neighbor and competitor: Harvard University. MIT includes 30 departments across five schools and colleges, and it offers undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral degree programs. Now, it ranks first in the QS universities ranking 2026, proving its strong academic power.
What is Harvard University?
Founded in 1636, Harvard University is the oldest university in the US, and also one of the most prestigious universities around the globe. As an Ivy League school, its mission is to educate citizens and future leaders through a high-standard education in the liberal arts and sciences. This university has 13 schools and one institute, providing over 46,000 courses. Up to now, the university has 2,445 faculty members and a total enrollment of 24,519 students. It also has over 400,000 alumni worldwide, and more than 15% of them are international students.
Thanks to its outstanding academic atmosphere and advanced teaching methods, this university has cultivated 8 US presidents, 24 heads of state and 31 heads of government. Just like MIT, Harvard is one of the most picky universities in the US, with a rather low acceptance rate. But owing to its quality academics, it’s also extremely highly ranked by many well-known university rankings. Currently, it ranks third on the US News ranking.
Harvard vs MIT: A Detailed Comparison
Many students may feel confused when making the Harvard-MIT comparison, as they are both renowned and strong enough in the academic field. In this part, we will discuss some differences between these two learning heavens.
1. MIT and Harvard: Location
Both MIT and Harvard are situated in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Facing the state capital of Boston across the river, Cambridge is a historically and innovatively vibrant city. It has a temperate continental humid climate with four distinct seasons, bringing picturesque scenery. All this makes campus life here comfortable and vigorous.
MIT sits in the Kendall Square area of Cambridge, surrounded by numerous tech giants, reflecting its power in science and technology. The main campus of Harvard University, located near Harvard Square, is in the northwest of MIT. It’s closer to Boston than MIT, hence enjoying a more extensive network of museums, hospitals, and financial resources. So students there could receive unparalleled opportunities to acquire cultural knowledge and internships.
2. MIT vs Harvard: Academic Strength
Both MIT and Harvard are prestigious because of their outstanding academic environment, but their strength come from different aspects.This part will take you deeply diving into their differences.
Disciplinary Strength
As a polytechnic and a comprehensive university, MIT and Harvard have different advantageous disciplines. The following table lists some of their speciality subjects.
| MIT vs Harvard: Advantageous Disciplines | |
|---|---|
| MIT | Harvard |
| Chemical Engineering | History |
| Civil and Structural Engineering | Psychology |
| Computer Science | Economics |
| Data Science and Artificial Intelligence | Political Science |
| Electrical and Electronic Engineering | English Literature |
| Materials Science | Neuroscience |
| Mathematics | Biology |
- For MIT: You may have found that most of their advantageous disciplines have “Engineering” in their names. That’s because the institute focuses on STEM subjects, just like what its name refers to. MIT is a science and technology powerhouse, and its research on Chemistry, Materials, Artificial Intelligence and Computer Science is at the forefront of the world. So if you would like to learn a STEM subject, MIT will be a great choice.
- For Harvard: By contrast, Harvard is renowned for its liberal arts, humanities, and many other disciplines. It has a paramount reputation in the fields of fundamental disciplines like History, Biology, and Economics, and also ranks top in Neuroscience. When making a Harvard University vs MIT comparison, one can find that Harvard is a more comprehensive university than MIT. So if you want to learn something about social sciences and humanities, Harvard will be one of your best choices.
Student-faculty Ratio
If a teacher could teach fewer students in a class, the chance for each student to get involved would be higher, and he or she may be more likely to acquire more. So a higher student-faculty ratio usually means higher education quality. Both universities have a great student-faculty ratio, which could ensure their high-quality teaching. However, MIT, with a smaller number of students, has a higher student-faculty ratio than Harvard, which is 3:1. This suggests that there is one MIT faculty member for every three students at the institution. By contrast, the number at Harvard is approximately 7:1. You may consider this when making the “Harvard or MIT” decision.
Academic Programs Available
Both Harvard and MIT offer a wide range of academic programs, including various majors and degrees in many fields. Starting from Harvard, it offers 62 majors for undergraduates and 134 for graduates across its 13 schools. By studying with these programs, students could get various types of degrees, including Bachelor of Arts (A.B.), Master of Technology (Th.M.), Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), and so on. MIT, on the other hand, focuses more on STEM subjects, resulting in fewer academic programs. It has 57 undergraduate majors with 59 graduate majors, offering 12 degrees at different levels and fields. For more information, you may visit Harvard and MIT‘s official websites.
3. MIT vs Harvard: Campus Life
Unlike before, campus life in a university would be more diverse and costly. A good campus life can enhance your learning experience a lot, especially for international students. This part will give you a comparison of campus life at MIT vs Harvard, with their extracurricular activities, campus amenities, and student housing.
Extracurricular Life
Both MIT and Harvard have a great variety of extracurricular activities, offering more than 450 student clubs you can join. On Niche, a rank that evaluates the life quality of a university, these two universities each received an A+ for student life. MIT earns an A for its party scene, whereas Harvard’s ranking is an A-. On the aspect of sports, MIT competes in the NCAA Division III. In contrast, Harvard competes in the NCAA Division I. With these diverse and vigorous clubs, both of them could assure you with an active, vibrant and fruitful social life.
Campus Facilities
As world-tier universities, both Harvard and MIT offer a great many facilities to make students’ lives more convenient.
| MIT vs Harvard: Campus Facilities | ||
|---|---|---|
| MIT | Harvard | |
| Library | 5 libraries with over 10 million books | 28 libraries with over 20 million books |
| Playing Field | 26 acres | 30 acres |
| Museums and Galleries | 12 | 15 |
- For MIT: It has five libraries that can meet most students’ requirements, 26 acres of playing field, and 12 museums and galleries to enrich students’ art life. The school also offers 60+ art groups where students can learn and play music, dance, visual arts, and so on. MIT is also a school where you can enjoy nature. It has over 40 gardens and green spaces where you can work or relax in a great environment.
- For Harvard: The university has 28 libraries with over 20 million printed books, which allows students from different research fields to find what they need. The Harvard Stadium, built in 1903, is also a great place for students to enjoy the fun of athletics. Meanwhile, there are 15 museums situated on this campus, covering the fields from arts to science, which can bring profound influence to students.
Student Housing
Both MIT and Harvard require bachelor’s freshmen to live on campus to cultivate their sense of class, and both can provide enough housing facilities for students to choose from.
- For MIT: It provides 20 resident halls for students, of which 11 are for undergraduates and 9 for graduates, along with their families. Every room has amenities like high-speed internet, laundry room, kitchens, and social lounges. Its living community also has a significant advantage: a strong residential community culture. Students can choose to join one of the communities based on academic, artistic, or special interests. The estimated price for the house is $13,060 per year.
- For Harvard: It prepares Harvard Yard Dorms for first-year students, and the Houses for other undergraduates. In Yard Dorms, students could enjoy a convenient study-living commune as they are close to the classrooms on the campus, but they need to use shared kitchens with others. In the Houses, students will get more amenities, like dining halls in each building. The estimated price for the house is $24,720 per year.
- Need a house when studying at these two universities? You may take a look at uhomes.com. It is a reliable platform that helps students like you find the perfect student housing in MIT, Harvard, and many other universities in the US. So far, they’ve helped more than 55,000 students successfully find their dream homes.
4. MIT and Harvard: Tuition and Finance
When making a “MIT vs Harvard” comparison, it is crucial to consider the cost of studying. As two universities located in the US, one of the most developed countries in the world, the cost can be estimated as high. But how high is it? Can students get any help? This part will show you the answer.
Cost of Attendence
Both MIT and Harvard are situated in Cambridge, a city near Boston. So the cost of living won’t be cheap. The article “The Best Navigation of the Cost of Living in Boston” may help you get more information. These two universities also give undergraduates an estimated cost of attendence. For MIT, the cost will be $89,340 per year, and for Harvard, this number will be $89,926. If you are a graduate, the number will be even higher.
Financial Aid
No matter MIT or Harvard, Such a living cost may frighten many outstanding students who can’t afford it. So both universities offer financial aid for students. MIT provides financial aid to meet the yearly cost of attendance based on a family’s demonstrated financial need. According to its own statistics, the university provides need-based scholarships for about 58% students, with a median amount of $ 66,663. Harvard also gives a huge selection of financial aid, including scholarships, financial support for Ph.D. students, Master’s degree funding, Federal Student Aid, and so on. These policies have greatly ensured that qualified students have the chance to learn what they need, and then contribute what they can to society in the future.
5. MIT vs Harvard: Admission
Now you may know more about these two universities. But as we have mentioned, they are both “picky” when choosing students. Are you qualified to study in any one of them? Take a deep dive in this part!
Acceptance Rate
As two top universities in the world, both MIT and Harvard have a rather low acceptance rate. For the class of 2028, MIT had an acceptance rate of 5.26%, while Harvard’s acceptance rate was only 3.65%, which means that only five students can be chosen from 100 candidates. Remember, most of these candidates submit their applications because they think that they have a chance to be accepted! So, although Harvard has an even lower acceptance rate, it’s really hard to get into these two universities.
Admission Requirements
MIT and Harvard have similar average test scores. MIT has an average SAT score of 1550 and an ACT score of 35, compared with Harvard‘s averages of 1520 and 35. Generally speaking, MIT students may get a higher score on SAT Math than Harvard students, but the differences are slight, meaning that both schools require a very high score, plus their high GPA requirement, making them extremely hard to get into.
Harvard or MIT: Your Choice Should Be?
MIT vs Harvard, which one is better for you? Although many comparisons have been made above, what are the key factors you need to consider? Here are 4 questions to help you make the final decision.
- Which academic program do you like? These two universities do well in different fields. MIT does better in STEM fields, while Harvard has a deeper understanding of Humanity, Society and some fundamental disciplines. Choose one of them based on your preference and career plan.
- Can you afford the cost? Although MIT and Harvard have similar costs of tuition, their policies of financial aid are different. Decide which academic program you want to choose, check their policies, calculate the final cost by your own condition, and then make the decision.
- Have you met the requirements? It is very hard to be enrolled in these two universities, so you need to check whether you have met their requirements. The most important criterion is your SAT and ACT scores. Take a look at the data provided, and make a comparison with your own.
- Is the campus life satisfying? Spending 4 years or more living and working in the same place is not an easy thing, so please confirm that the campus life that your chosen university provides could meet your needs. You may answer this question from the aspect of sports, arts, culture, history and others.
Now you may have found that this is not a “Harvard-MIT” question, but something about your preference. So please ask yourself the above 4 questions, and then you can get your own answer.
In Short
When talking about MIT vs Harvard, it’s hard to get a concrete answer. Somebody would say: “Is MIT better than Harvard, since it got a higher rank in previous years?” However, we can tell through today’s comparison that both of these universities are top in the world, and they are professional in different fields. So if you want to choose one of them, there will be no “better” school, but the better one for you.
FAQ about MIT vs Harvard
What is more prestigious, MIT or Harvard?
Whether MIT or Harvard is more prestigious depends on the aspect to consider, as they are both renowned and have different strengths. MIT is often seen as more prestigious for STEM fields like engineering, while Harvard may be considered more prestigious for its historical legacy and strong presence in other areas like business and law.
Is MIT or Harvard harder to get in?
According to the latest acceptance rate, Harvard has an acceptance rate of 3.65% compared to MIT’s acceptance rate of 5.26%. So, Harvard has a more intense competition; thus is harder to get in. However, they both have extremely selective acceptance rates and are very hard to get into.
Is MIT an Ivy League school?
MIT is not a part of the Ivy League due to the historical emphasis on athletics, but they are not inferior at all. It has equal strength with Ivy League colleges, offering top-tier educational standards and competitive employment opportunities, so it is a worthy choice for students to get a bright future.
Is MIT better than Harvard?
MIT has surpassed Harvard on many rankings, like the QS ranking and the US News ranking, but we can’t simply say that MIT is better than Harvard. They have strengths in different fields. MIT is better in STEM subjects, while Harvard does well in fundamental disciplines.
