Mansi parihar Study Abroad Course Expert
Study Abroad Course Expert | Updated On - Aug 28, 2025
Harvard University is among its top 10 best universities in the world. The QS Global MBA Ranking 2025 currently ranks Harvard Business School at 3. Massachusetts Institute of Technology provides one of the best business programs in the world ranked among the top 5 in the world for the past 8 years.
| Harvard University | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | |
|---|---|---|
| Collegedunia Score | 10 Out of 10 | 9 Out of 10 |
| ranking (overall) | # 5 QS World University 2026 # 1 Center for World University Rankings 2025 # 3 Times Higher Education 2025 | # 1 QS World University 2026 # 1 QS World University 2025 # 2 Times Higher Education 2025 |
| Subject Strength | # 1 for Engineering by Times Higher Education 2025 # 6 for Data Science and Analytics by QS World University 2025 # 1 for Medicine by QS World University 2025 | # 1 for Engineering by QS World University 2025 # 1 for Data Science and Analytics by QS World University 2025 # 11 for Medicine by QS World University 2025 |
| Programs | UG Programs -40 PG Programs -53 Doctorate Programs -9 | UG Programs -47 PG Programs -38 Doctorate Programs -29 |
| Acceptance Rate | 3.4 % | 4.0 % |
| Exam Score | GMAT-620 GRE-300 IELTS-7 SAT-1470 TOEFL-80 | GRE-310 IELTS-7 PTE-65 SAT-1510 TOEFL-100 |
| Cost to Study | Average Tuition Fees 71030 [For PG Program] Hostel + Meal - 32724 Per Year | Average Tuition Fees 30996 [For UG Program] Average Tuition Fees 30995 [For PG Program] Hostel + Meal - 32280 Per Year |
| placement (average package) | Harvard University is one of the top private universities in Cambridge, United States. It is ranked #5 in QS World University Rankings 2023 and ranked #1 in US UNI.
| Average Salaries Of Degree:
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| application requirements | Teacher Evaluation forms (as additional LORs); Sample of academic work, potfolio, music recordings, art work, etc (supplementary documents); IELTS/TOEFL; Standardized test scores | Letter of recommendations (two, preferrably from teachers of subjects maths and science or humanities) |
| Campuses and B-Schools | Harvard Law School Harvard Extension School Harvard Kennedy School Harvard Business School | MIT Sloan School of Management |
Top Courses Comparison
| ranking | # 1 for Business by QS World University 2025 # 6 for Business by US News 2025 # 2 for Business by Times Higher Education 2023 | # 2 for Business by QS World University 2025 # 5 for Business by Times Higher Education 2023 |
| application | #9856 Applicants # 930 Admissions # 9 % Acceptance Rate | #4208 Applicants # 484 Admissions # 11 % Acceptance Rate |
| exam scores | Duolingo - 145/160GMAT - 740/800GRE - 326/340IELTS - 7.5/9PTE - 75/90TOEFL - 109/120 | GMAT - 720/800GRE - 311/340IELTS - 7/9TOEFL - 90/120 |
| documents required | #Letter of Recommendation + Statement of Purpose | #Letter of Recommendation + Statement of Purpose |
| application dates | Sep 3, 2025 (Round 1 Application Deadline for Fall 2028 Intake) Dec 10, 2025 (Round 1 Application Decision for Fall 2028 Intake) Jan 5, 2026 (Round 2 Application Deadline for Fall 2028 Intake) Mar 25, 2026 (Round 2 Application Decision for Fall 2028 Intake) | Sep 29, 2025 (Round 1 Application Deadline for 2026 Intake) Jan 13, 2026 (Round 2 Application Deadline for 2026 Intake) Apr 6, 2026 (Round 3 Application Deadline for 2026 Intake) |
Other Popular Comparisons
| General Facts | Harvard University | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
|---|---|---|
| Type of University | University | University |
| Established | 1636 | 1861 |
| Student:Faculty Ratio | 7:1 | 3:1 |
| Male:Female | 52% Male, 48% Female | 54% Male, 46% Female |
| Location Facts | Harvard Yard: Campus’s historic hub, Harvard Square: Campus’s personal hagout destination with restaurants, cafe, bookstores, theater, shops. Well connected to the local neighborhood of Boston by public transport, the campus traverses the Charles River to near by Allston. | Lying between central and kendall squares across Charles River from Boston’s Back bay. Small instituition with close knit student body postioned to collaborate and contribute to neighbors |
| Library | Largest academic library in the world. 20.4 million volumes, 400 million manuscript items, 180,000 serial titles. The library offers various grants and fellowships for both students and faculty. | More than 5 million items, with over 21,000 MIT theses |
| Campus Life | Students from over 50 states and 80 countries are offered assistance by over 400 official student organization. The campus has its own museum, radio station, magazine and newspaper. Along with student clubs for Aikikai, archery, dance, theatre/drama, music, etc, campus also offers cultural & racial initiatives, asian student centric-projects, etc. Varsity sports, crimson pride and various atheletic teams. | Over 450 co-curricular organizations, Society for Women Engineers, LGTQ+ community, Black stuents union, 33 varsity sports, The Tech (student newspaper), The Byte (graduate student publication), religious organizations, around 43 sororities, fraternities and independent living groups. |
| Hostel | #Medium Single - $10719 #Large Single - $13644 #Standard Single - $8361 | #Rooms - $12000 #Rooms - $13060 |
| Famous Alumni | Eight US Presidents, 62 living billionaires, 242 Marshall Scholars, 359 Rhodes scholars. Barak Obama (ex-president of USA), Michelle Obama (Former First Lady of USA), Mark Zuckerberg, Natalie Portman (Actress), Bill Gates, Conan O’ Brien (comedian writer), Al Gore (Winner-Peace Prize), Matt Damon (Actor), Helen Keller, Subramaniam Swami (Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha) | 85 Nobel laureates, 58 National Medal of Science Winners, 29 National Medal of Technology and Innovation Winners |
| City Life | Cambridge- city in Massachusetts; home to a huge student community; city offers a great nightlife with gastropubs, live music, and cocktail bars. Boston’s cosmopolitan excitement is bus-ride away. Average salaries offered within the state are up to 97,5000 USD; Famous tourist attractions: Charles River, Harvard Square, Mount Auburn Cemetery, MIT Museum, CambrdgeSide, John Harvard Statue, Sanders Theatre; Unemployment rate- 3.2% | Cambridge- city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts; City is part of the Boston metropolitan area; home to a huge student community; Average salaries offered within the state are up to 97,5000 USD; Famous tourist attractions: Charles River, Harvard Square, Mount Auburn Cemetery, MIT Museum, CambrdgeSide, John Harvard Statue, Sanders Theatre; Unemployment rate- 2.1% (Dec 2019) |
| Weather |
Harvard University vs MIT
Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) are ranked top universities in the world in 2025 by both QS and THE consistently. MIT is ranked 1st by QS World University Rankings 2025 and 2nd by THE Rankings 2025, whereas Harvard University is ranked 5th by QS and 4th by THE Rankings 2025. Both institutions are leaders in the world in education and research with a strong image in a broad spectrum of fields.
- Student base at Harvard is about 24,500, which is larger in comparison to MIT's relatively small base of about 11,000 students. Its percentage of international students is also slightly higher at almost 34% of its student population, whereas Harvard has about 27% international students. Thus, MIT is proportionately more globally diverse in comparison, though Harvard is larger in absolute terms.
- Harvard acceptance rate is a 3.4%, making it only slightly more competitive than MIT, which has an acceptance rate of roughly 4.5%. Both colleges require top academic and extracurricular performance. The IELTS score to get accepted at MIT is 7.0, and at Harvard, it is 6.5, while TOEFL iBT scores of 100 are accepted in both. For master's programs, both colleges accept competitive GRE/GMAT scores.
- Harvard Business School is ranked 13th in the world on the Financial Times MBA Rankings 2025, while MIT Sloan School of Management is ranked 6th on the same basis. Meanwhile, MIT excels in STEM and technology disciplines, especially Computer Science and Engineering, where it ranks number one in the world consistently. Harvard Law School remains on top with a 1st rank in QS Rankings for Law & Legal Studies 2025, and MIT doesn't appear here as it doesn’t offer law degree.
Both universities are world-famous, and admission to either is a matter of great pride. But on the criteria of global employability rankings as well as STEM strengths, MIT is the better bet for science and engineering students, while Harvard is the better bet for law, business, and liberal arts streams.
