College Costs Set for '96-97

Harvard Announces College Costs for 1996-97

The University today announced the lowest increase in overall undergraduate costs since 1969. Total charges will rise by 4.8 percent for the 1996-97 academic year, to $28,896.

The term bill includes $19,770 for tuition; $5,136 for the room rate and student services fee; and $3,336 for board charges. The student health fee is $654.

Continuing the trend of the past several years, the increases in tuition and in the overall package are smaller than those of last year. (Total charges for 1995-96, at $27,575, were up 5.1 percent from the previous year.) This reflects Harvard's goal of slowing the growth in costs to students' families, despite increasing financial pressures on higher education, noted Jeremy Knowles, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS).

"Tuition and fees cover only about half the actual cost of educating a Harvard undergraduate," Knowles said, "and increases are limited to those necessary for sustaining the quality of our academic programs and operating the facilities that house them." Major building renovations recently completed or now under way, including Memorial Hall and Barker Hall (the Humanities center), are being funded by gifts from donors, not through tuition income.

Among the factors contributing to tuition increases are the rising costs of information technology and of library materials and operations, according to University officials.

William Fitzsimmons, Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid, reaffirmed Harvard's long-standing commitment to the policies of admitting students regardless of financial need (need-blind admissions) and meeting the financial needs of all admitted students (need-based aid), despite the growing number of undergraduates seeking financial help.

"The Faculty of Arts and Sciences will spend more than $41 million on undergraduate financial aid next year to ensure that all admitted students can attend Harvard College," Fitzsimmons said. "More than two-thirds of our undergraduates receive some form of aid, and more than 45 percent receive direct scholarship assistance from the College."

Applications for admission to the Class of 2000 exceeded 18,000 for the first time. Total enrollment is expected to remain around 6,600 students. "The quality of our students is amazingly strong," remarked Knowles, "and the percentage of admitted candidates who accept our offer is the highest among comparable institutions."