Haverford College

Haverford, Pennsylvania

www.haverford.edu 370 Lancaster Ave, Haverford, PA, 19041

Haverford College Overview

Haverford College, a private liberal arts college, was originally founded in 1833 as a Quaker men’s college. In the years that followed, Haverford opened its doors first to non-Quakers and later to all genders, growing to its current Haverford enrollment of 1,435 undergraduate students.

With an impressive faculty and alumni network that includes four Nobel Prize winners, six Pulitzer Prize winners, 20 Rhodes Scholars, and 38 Fulbright Scholars, it’s no wonder that the Haverford ranking is as high as it is.

Haverford College Ranking

Curious about the Haverford College ranking? According to Forbes, the Haverford College ranking makes it the 13^th best liberal arts institution in America. Forbes also lists a Haverford ranking of #62 on the Top Colleges 2023 list and #27 on the list of Best in the Northeast. U.S. News regards Haverford even higher, placing the Haverford ranking at #21 among the best liberal arts universities in America.

What does the Haverford ranking actually mean? The Haverford College ranking is a tool for comparing the prestige and value of one school to another. Read our guide on college rankings for more information on how to use rankings in your college application process. Rankings exist for just about every category of campus life, from majors to faculty to dining hall food. While there’s only so much knowledge you can absorb from the numbers, this can be a great jumping off point for determining what makes a school’s campus unique.

As you can see, the Haverford College ranking makes the school one of the most prestigious and competitive institutions in the world. We’ll talk later about how this might affect your “how to get into Haverford” plan.

Wondering how to get into Haverford? CollegeAdvisor.com offers a variety of resources to help you craft your strategy for getting into this highly-regarded institution. You can get started by looking at our How to Get Into Haverford guide.

Now that we’ve talked about the Haverford College ranking, let’s start with an easy question: where is Haver f ord?

Where is Haverford?

Haverford College is located just outside Philadelphia in Haverford, Pennsylvania. It belongs to a consortium of three proximate colleges, a grouping called the Tri-College Consortium which consists of Haverford College, Swarthmore, and Bryn Mawr. Access to this collection of elite institutions is another reason the Haverford College ranking is so high.

Haverford College is located within an expansive arboretum, making it one of the most beautiful college campuses in the world. Owing to the small student population and beautiful environment, an incredible 98% of Haverford students live on campus.

Prospective Haverford students should also be aware that Haverford College is located in a suburb of Pennsylvania. If farmers’ markets and abundant nature sound like your thing, this might be the ideal home for your four years as an undergraduate. For those looking for a city campus experience, however, you may be disappointed by the Haverford offerings.

Haverford College Admissions

Acceptance Rate 18%

Acceptance Deadline January 15

As you may have guessed, when you’re dealing with prestigious numbers like the Haverford ranking, admissions inevitably becomes tougher. You can read Haverford’s guide to applying for more specific details. We’ll also break the process down for you below.

In this section, we cover the Haverford acceptance rate, components of the Haverford application, Haverford SAT requirements, Haverford GPA requirements, and the Haverford interview. What does it take to get into a school with the Haverford ranking? Read on to find out!

Haverford acceptance rate

Wondering what the Haverford acceptance rate is? In the 2022-23 Haverford admissions cycle, Haverford received 6,393 applications, of which the school admitted just 825. This means the Haverford acceptance rate is a competitive 12.9%.

What does the Haverford acceptance rate mean for your “how to get into Haverford” plan? The Haverford acceptance rate is below 20%, which means that it isn’t going to be a safety school for even the most competitive applicants. So, when you’re approaching Haverford admissions, you should have a back-up target or safety school in place.

In addition, your Haverford application needs to be as strong as possible to give you the best odds of beating the Haverford acceptance rate. We’ll cover the Haverford application in the following section.

Haverford application

Haverford admissions, like most schools with rankings comparable to the Haverford ranking, employs a holistic review process when selecting candidates. This means that no one part of your Haverford application will determine the success of your candidacy. With that said, what are the Haverford requirements within the Haverford application?

Haverford admissions accepts applications via the Common App, Questbridge Application, or the Coalition Application.

The following components must be included in your Haverford application:

Common, Coalition, or QuestBridge Application
Personal statement
Haverford supplemental essay
Haverford Honor Code essay
High school transcript
Counselor report
2 recommendation letters
$65 Haverford application fee or fee waiver
Optional: Haverford SAT or ACT score

Now that you’re familiar with the Haverford requirements, let’s take a look at when you need to submit your materials to be considered for Haverford enrollment. We should note that these deadlines are subject to change, so make sure you double-check the Haverford College website for official dates each year!

Submit your Haverford College application requirements by:

Early Decision I: November 15
Early Decision II: January 5
Regular Decision: January 15

Which deadline should you apply to? It depends. Students who are confident they can complete their application before the earlier deadlines may feel inclined to submit early. However, we only recommend this strategy if you are positive Haverford College is your top choice of college. Early Decision is binding, which means that if you are granted admission, you must commit to attending.

Is there an upside to applying early? Primarily, the upside is that you will receive your decision earlier. If you are accepted, you only have to complete one college application, which means a lot less work and stress in your final year of high school. At some schools, Early Decision also correlates with a higher acceptance rate, though the statistics can often be misleading.

Ultimately, if you are sure you want to go to Haverford College and feel confident your application will be ready before the earlier deadline, Early Decision could be a worthwhile strategy. Otherwise, Regular Decision is the way to go.

Haverford SAT

Are there any Haverford SAT requirements? Haverford admissions has made their application test-optional. You can send your SAT or ACT scores via the testing agency or choose to self-report. However, there are no official Haverford SAT requirements. You can choose not to submit a standardized test score without hurting your chances at Haverford enrollment, so long as the rest of your academic profile is sufficiently strong.

Amongst those who submit a test score to Haverford, the average SAT score is between 1430 and 1540. The ACT is equally competitive, with scores averaging between 33 and 35. In the class of 2027, about 50% of Haverford students chose to submit scores.

Note that though there are no official Haverford SAT requirements, if you self-report a score and gain admittance, you will be asked to submit your official test scores before enrolling.

Haverford GPA requirements

Many students who hope to overcome the Haverford acceptance rate are curious about the Haverford GPA requirements. Similar to the Haverford SAT requirements, there are no true Haverford GPA requirements. Haverford admissions does not provide a minimum GPA that students must meet to be considered for Haverford enrollment.

However, 96.2% of admitted students who included their class rank in the 2022-23 admissions cycle were in the top 10% of their class. With that said, based on the average Haverford SAT score and high Haverford college ranking and class ranking statistics, it’s safe to assume that a highly competitive GPA is needed in order to have a good shot at acceptance.

Haverford interview

The Haverford interview is one of the lesser-known Haverford requirements. While the Haverford interview is not officially required, the school does suggest that all applicants seriously consider completing an interview with a Haverford College alum.

The Haverford interview takes place over Zoom and is conducted by an alum. The interview is one of the only places amongst the Haverford requirements where applicants will have the opportunity to show true dimensionality. Your interviewer is a person who can vouch for you in the application, bringing more depth to your candidacy. Especially given the rigor of the Haverford acceptance rate, we suggest you take advantage of this opportunity.

Haverford College Cost

If you’re considering Haverford enrollment, you’re probably curious just how much attending this school will cost you. Let’s take a look at the Haverford cost of attendance.

Haverford College tuition

As of 2023, the Haverford College tuition was $67,522. However, it’s important to understand that Haverford tuition is only a portion of the total Haverford cost of attendance.

Here are the other parts of the Haverford cost:

Student activity fee	$498
Housing	$11,226
Board	$7,294

When you total up the parts of the Haverford cost, including Haverford tuition, it comes to $86,540. As you can see, the Haverford tuition and costs are not cheap! For schools comparable to the Haverford ranking, you’ll see similar price tags, which can be stressful for many families with students applying to college. However, for many of these families, the price they end up paying is significantly lower than the official college price tag.

Let’s take a look at the Haverford financial aid options available for making Haverford tuition more affordable.

Haverford financial aid

If the price of Haverford College tuition scares you, know that Haverford financial aid is quite generous for a school of its size. In fact, 47% of Haverford students receive some amount of Haverford financial aid. The average grant aid is $56,604, almost the price of Haverford College tuition.

Note that, unlike a merit scholarship, Haverford financial aid is entirely need-based. You can use your family’s annual income to estimate the price you’ll have to pay for Haverford tuition. This will give you a good indication of whether you can afford the price tag if you make it past the low Haverford acceptance rate.

Use the Haverford College net price calculator to estimate how much of the Haverford total cost you will be responsible for. However, keep in mind that this is just an estimate, not an exact amount.

You’ll have to submit the FAFSA by the Haverford application deadline to apply for financial aid and minimize the amount you’ll pay for Haverford tuition. However, Haverford does not require that students planning on Haverford enrollment submit a financial deposit, providing students with some financial flexibility.

Haverford College scholarships

If you’re worried that Haverford tuition will be too high even with financial aid, you can look into other Haverford College scholarships. However, it’s important to notice that using other Haverford College scholarships to reduce your Haverford tuition may impact the school grant you are ultimately eligible for.

Haverford uses the following guide for determining how this will impact your Haverford College tuition:

Haverford College Scholarships totaling $500 or less will be subtracted from your self-help component of the Haverford College tuition, while your total grant will stay the same.
Haverford College Scholarships between $500 and $100 can reduce the self-help portion of your Haverford College tuition by up to $500. The rest will be subtracted from the Haverford Grant.
Any Haverford College Scholarships of more than $1000 are split in half, with 50% used to reduce the self-help portion of the Haverford College tuition. The other half will be subtracted from the grant.

The above formula is applied to each scholarship you receive, rather than applying to the sum total of your awards.

Average Cost* $25,789

Average Total Aid Awarded $61,176

Students Receiving Financial Aid 44.26%

*Average cost after financial aid for students receiving grant or scholarship aid, as reported by the college.

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Haverford College Academics

Student Faculty Ratio 9:1

Haverford College Majors

Though an intimate environment with less than 2,000 students, Haverford offers a generous 33 majors to undergraduates. Haverford majors span subjects all the way from visual studies to computing to creative writing. And with a student-faculty ratio of 9:1, students are guaranteed close-knit classrooms offering ample facetime with professors.

The most popular of the Haverford majors include social sciences, biology, and computer and information sciences. In addition, the Haverford ranking for physics is #62 in America and its program for English is also highly ranked #42 in America. Amongst schools in Pennsylvania, the Haverford College ranking for biology is an impressive #8.

For students who want a unique program of study, Haverford majors also offer several combined programs. One such program is a joint study with Caltech, allowing engineering students to complete three years at Haverford and two years at Caltech and ultimately culminating in a dual-degree at graduation.

Another of the more unique Haverford majors is the 4+1 Program with the University of Pennsylvania. This involves four years of study at Haverford followed by a split year between Haverford and UPenn. Haverford is the first liberal arts college to offer such a program with an Ivy League engineering program.

Overwhelmed by the Haverford majors? Students have until the end of their sophomore year to declare a major, providing ample time for exploration of the Haverford majors. Students also have the option to double major, so long as they have at least a 3.50 grade point average and manage to get the dean’s approval.

If you’re having trouble narrowing it down, though, CollegeAdvisor offers a variety of resources to support you as you choose from amongst the long list of Haverford majors. You can get started with our general guide on college majors, including a rundown on what a college major is and how to pick the right one for you. We also suggest familiarizing yourself with the Haverford requirements for each major, which will give you a better understanding of what it’s like to be a student in each department.

Or, if you’re still applying for colleges, you might also be wondering which major is the best for helping you overcome the Haverford acceptance rate. Read our guide on which majors you should or shouldn’t put on your college applications. Especially considering the Haverford College ranking, it may be that some majors are over or undersubscribed, making certain departments trickier to gain acceptance.

Haverford College Online

Offers Online Courses No

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Haverford College Students

Haverford is home to 1,435 students, 98% of whom live on campus. While only first-year students and transfer students are required to live on campus, most students stay on campus all four years.

Dorms span a variety of options. Students can choose to live in traditional housing, which is often multi-story homes or dorm buildings with singles and doubles. Residents of traditional housing are required to enroll in a meal plan. Alternatively, there is special interest housing, which provides a substance-free environment for students who feel more comfortable being separate from the undergraduate party scene.

In addition, Haverford offers first-year housing, which is restricted to freshmen at Haverford. First-year housing assigns students to singles and doubles, with floors supervised by residential advisors who are there to support students through their first year.

Finally, there is community housing at Haverford, which involves a variety of houses with their own residential theme. The “nerd house” and the “literary house” are just two examples of housing options for students who want to get involved with themed housing.

There are also Dorm Olympics, an annual tradition in which dorm residents compete against one another in a variety of unique events and displays of dorm pride.

Haverford enrollment

Haverford students hail from 34 states and 28 countries. About 43.9% of students are from the Mid-Atlantic. In addition, 52.5% of students identify as people of color and 25.1% of students have one or fewer parents who attended college.

It is also no surprise, given the Haverford College ranking, that 96.2% of students were in the top 10% of their high school class. However, life at Haverford extends far beyond the classroom.

Haverford students also have an impressive 145+ clubs from which to choose. Students can join anything from consulting clubs to dance groups to archery, all without leaving campus. However, for students intent on joining Greek life in college, it’s important to note that Haverford’s campus does not offer fraternities or sororities.

If you’re interested in student athletics, Haverford has extensive offerings and over 50% of students choose to play on a varsity or club team. Available sports include badminton, crew, golf, soccer, rugby, and over 20 other teams and clubs.

Students also get to enjoy the six on-campus galleries and exhibitions. Haverford’s commitment to the arts has given way to over 30 arts-related clubs available to undergraduate students. These include film societies, ensembles, a cappella groups, fiber arts groups, and many more.

Life at Haverford also revolves around an Honor Code that has existed since the college’s founding. Though functionally the Honor Code is only a system for holding exams (exams are held without proctors), the core of the edict is an agreement to uphold strong character and to challenge your intellectual vitality in a collaborative environment.

Students at Haverford are also proud of their mascot, the Black Squirrel, with a genetic adaptation granting the campus animal a bold, black coat.

Full-Time Undergrad Enrollment 1,420

Part-Time Undergraduates 2

Haverford College Advisors

Convinced Haverford is the school for you? The prestige of the Haverford ranking makes Haverford a competitive school to gain acceptance to. And with an acceptance rate of less than 20%, you’ll want all the insider tips you can get.

CollegeAdvisor has a network of 300+ former Admissions Officers and Admissions Experts, offering an abundance of top tips, tricks, and personalized advice to get you into the school of your dreams. Not only that, but our dream team includes alumni and admissions officers from Haverford College.

How does our advisor program work? Students get paired with an admissions expert and receive personalized, one-on-one guidance throughout the entire admissions process. Whether it’s beating the Haverford acceptance rate, or gaining acceptance to another school with rankings similar to the Haverford ranking, you’ll receive advice and feedback tailored to you, your needs, and your financial goals.

Jasmine S. Phillips

Colby College

Jasmine attained a B.A. in history and American Studies from Colby College. During her time at Colby, she noticed the link between college accessibility, diversity, ability, and structural inequalities, which led her to pursue a graduate degree in higher education. She holds an M.S. Ed. in higher education from the University of Pennsylvania. Jasmine has 5+ years of experience assisting students in their college and scholarship pursuits. Former students have earned Gates, Questbridge, Horatio Alger, and Jack Kent Cooke Scholarships. She has also helped students gain admission to top institutions such as Cornell, WashU, Colby, Bowdoin, Columbia, Emory, UC Davis, Yale, SMU, Stanford, Vanderbilt, and Tulane among others. Jasmine's educational philosophy: student learning is the focus; student success is the goal. Jasmine was recently selected as one of six College Board Fellows, where she was recognized as a person-to-watch, national scholar, and rising leader in closing the educational attainment gap. She was also selected as a RESULTS fellow for her work as an activist and leader fighting against poverty.

Also Accepted to

Haverford College Related Webinars

CollegeAdvisor offers a variety of free webinars, led by top Admissions Experts, to help guide you through Haverford admissions. Learn about writing killer college essays, building your college application timeline, finding the right college for you, and much more.

Our webinar library consists of over 250 guides on all of the most important steps in your college admissions journey. They provide exclusive insight into the application process, straight from those most familiar with the inner workings of admissions. Regardless of what you’re looking for—be it tips for paying for college, getting into the college of your dreams, or making the most of your college experience—we’ve got you covered.

Our webinar presenters also include alumni from Stanford, MIT, and Ivy League schools. Look through our webinar library or join a live session for a chance to ask your questions or participate in exclusive workshops with our team of advisors.

Haverford College Related Essay Guides

One of the most important parts of your Haverford application is the Haverford supplemental essay. In addition to requiring a personal statement, the Haverford essay asks students to reflect on the school’s Honor Code, one of the oldest and only student-run of its kind in the country.

The Honor Code at Haverford is meant to foster a collaborative academic environment, in which diversity and differences in background are embraced. Students are encouraged to take ownership over their lives and education, which is reflected in the self-scheduled exams and mandatory Senior Thesis.

The Honor Code is central to student life at Haverford and is cherished by students and faculty alike. As such, the first Haverford essay asks students to consider the Honor Code in one of their two supplemental essays.

However, the first essay dives into learning more about each individual’s passion for learning:

“Tell us about a topic or issue that sparks your curiosity and gets you intellectually excited. How do you hope to engage with this topic or issue at Haverford?”

Haverford gives students a 200-word limit with which to respond to the Honor Code prompt. With this Haverford essay, admissions officers want to see evidence that students have researched Haverford. Your response should make it clear that you have carefully considered how you in particular will thrive at Haverford based on your intellectual interests and passions.

For the second Haverford essay, the school poses a question similar to the archetype of the “community” essay. However, in this essay, you’ll want to refer to that Honor Code we mentioned. Specifically, the prompt they provide students is as follows:

“We have highlighted for you some of the values that shape the Haverford community. What are some of the values you seek in your next community? How do Haverford’s values, as demonstrated through our Honor Code, resonate with you?”

For this essay, students are given a mere 200 words. This is not a lot of space, which means students must be focused and specific in their responses. In fact, the most important element to keep in mind in this essay is specificity. It is not sufficient to indicate the Haverford ranking or Haverford acceptance rate as a reason for your interest in the school. You’ll want to specifically rate the values you have from your communities to Haverford’s Honor Code.

Before approaching each Haverford essay, you should do enough research on what makes the school unique so that you can answer the prompt in an informed, unique way. It should be clear that you understand what makes Haverford different from other schools and why it is that that suits your own strengths and interests. If admissions officers read your response and can picture you on their campus, you have succeeded at writing this essay.

For more tips on writing strong college essays, check out this article. Not sure where to start? Try our brainstorming prompts.

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Haverford College Related How to Get Into Guides

Getting around the Haverford acceptance rate takes careful planning and an informed strategy. If you think Haverford might be the right school for you, we recommend the following tips for optimizing your odds of beating the Haverford acceptance rate.

1. Do your research

Whether it’s writing powerful essays or deciding how to frame your activities, optimizing your “how to get into Haverford” strategy starts and ends with thoroughly understanding what makes this school unique.

Admissions officers read through hundreds of applications, and they become attuned to the differences in application quality between students who have done their research, versus students who applied because of the low Haverford acceptance rate or high Haverford ranking. Don’t end up in the rejection pile simply for not doing your research.

2. Take advantage of every opportunity on the application

Many students choose to opt out of optional application components, such as sending test scores or completing the Haverford interview. Even more students will attempt components such as the essay or activities section of the application half-heartedly, thinking mistakenly that quality doesn’t make a difference here.

Your application will be reviewed holistically, meaning every portion of it counts. If you are able to complete even the optional components, you should absolutely do so to optimize our odds. Moreover, each part of the application should be treated with care. There is no part of the application that is not significant in some way.

3. Stay on top of your deadlines.

College admissions season is a hectic time, with deadlines coming up left and right, many of them coinciding. Treat your Haverford application as a to-do list, ensuring you turn in each component before its corresponding deadline.

There is another reason why Haverford deadlines can be a vital part of your acceptance strategy. Haverford offers three application deadlines: Early Decision I, Early Decision II, and Regular Decision.

Early Decision, unlike Regular Decision, is binding. This means that if you apply early and get in, you have committed to going to the school. If you are positive that Haverford is the school for you, then applying Early Decision is your opportunity to show the school you are serious about attending. This sometimes correlates to higher acceptance rates. However, if you have any doubts—or if you think the quality of your application will suffer for trying to meet an earlier deadline—then you should apply for the regular deadline.

Gaining acceptance to Haverford College is tricky, but far from impossible. With the right strategy, and the right team behind you, you just might join the next class of Squirrels.

Haverford College Acceptance Rates

Haverford College Related Blog Posts

If you’re looking for more resources specific to Haverford College, CollegeAdvisor has your back.

Get familiar with our Haverford College profile, which includes everything from the Haverford acceptance rate to the average total aid to the list of majors. For more advice on creating your “how to get into Haverford” strategy, read our breakdown on getting into this school. We cover the average Haverford GPA, details about enrollment, acing the interview, and much more.

We also recommend checking out this article on picking a dream school and gaining acceptance. Convinced Haverford is your dream school? We’re here to take you to the finish line.

Lastly, check out our guide to Best Liberal Arts Colleges, which features Haverford College on several of its college lists.

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