All signs pointed to the fact that the admissions cycle for the Class of 2029 would be unlike any that came before. In an unprecedented move, Harvard University recently announced that it would not release admissions data to the public after sending out acceptances and rejections. The Early Action results for the Class of 2029 are thus shrouded in mystery, lacking any and all data for us to chew on. But that’s not where this story ends. 

Does anyone remember the summer of 2023 when the Supreme Court reshaped the face of American higher education by ruling that Harvard’s race-based admissions practices were unconstitutional? What about this past year of PR nightmares that plagued Harvard in the wake of rising campus antisemitism? These events have cast a shadow over Harvard, which is under more scrutiny today than ever in its nearly 400-year history. It’s no surprise therefore that the university is suddenly so cagey about its admissions data. 

Our famously accurate Ivy Coach crystal ball predicts that when this data finally does arrive, as it will in the fall of 2025, according to reporting by the The Harvard Crimson, Harvard will show a dip in EA applications, a dip in the EA acceptance rate, and a dip — but not as big of a dip as some would have you believe due to the Roberts Loophole — in the proportion of underrepresented minority students accepted on to campus. But until that fateful day, we are left to speculate and look back on Harvard’s recent admissions history.

A Look Back on the Class of 2028

Just one year ago, 7,921 students applied in the Early Action round to the Class of 2028.  Harvard admitted 692 of these applicants for an EA acceptance rate of 8.74%. While this was the highest EA acceptance rate since the Class of 2024, it was still the fourth-lowest in the university’s history. 

Of the students who did not earn admission in the Early Action round to Harvard’s Class of 2028, 83% of applicants were deferred, while 7.7% were denied (we at Ivy Coach have long called out Harvard for stringing so many students along to the Regular Decision round — they should deny more applicants instead of getting so many hopes up!).

Harvard Early Action Admissions Statistics Over 10+ Years

Two years ago, for admission to the Class of 2027, Harvard admitted 7.56% of Early Action applicants. For the Class of 2026, Harvard admitted 7.87%, and for the Class of 2025, Harvard admitted 7.4%. These EA acceptance rates were historically low for the university, reflecting increased applicant pools during the pandemic flushed with overconfident applicants we’ve coined Squeakers (students who think they can sneak in without SAT or ACT scores). With Harvard announcing a return to mandatory standardized testing for all applicants, Squeakers will no longer be inflating applicant pools at this little school outside of Boston, fueling our theory that Harvard won’t be proud of their acceptance rate this time around.

Below is a breakdown of Harvard’s Early Action admissions statistics over the last 13 years, excluding the Class of 2029:

Harvard Class Year	Early Action Applications Received	Early Action Acceptances	Early Action Acceptance Rate
Class of 2028	7,921	692	8.74%
Class of 2027	9,553	722	7.56%
Class of 2026	9,406	740	7.87%
Class of 2025	10,086	747	7.40%
Class of 2024	6,424	895	13.90%
Class of 2023	6,958	935	13.40%
Class of 2022	6,630	964	14.50%
Class of 2021	6,473	938	14.50%
Class of 2020	6,173	918	14.90%
Class of 2019	5,919	977	16.50%
Class of 2018	4,692	992	21.10%
Class of 2017	4,856	895	18.40%
Class of 2016	4,231	722	18.20%

Breakdown of the Harvard Class of 2029 Admits

In a break from years of tradition, Harvard’s longtime Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid, William R. Fitzsimmons ’67, declined the The Crimson’s repeated requests to sit down for an interview to discuss the EA admits to the Class of 2029. While we are mostly left in the dark about the granular details of this next incoming class, Ivy Coach will be the first to report on this elusive data as soon as it comes out. 

However, one thing can be said about EA applicants to Harvard: they will experience a higher acceptance rate than their Regular Decision counterparts! Why? Admissions officers at Harvard want to admit highly enthusiastic students who know Harvard is where they are meant to be. You read that right. Demonstrated Interest is undoubtedly a factor in elite college admissions, no matter what schools like Harvard would have you believe, and EA applicants were not afraid to demonstrate their interest!

Ivy Coach’s Assistance Moving Forward for Deferred or Denied Harvard Applicants

Congratulations to Ivy Coach’s students who earned admission to the Harvard Class of 2029 (it was a perfect sweep, with one exclusion (one family who didn’t heed our advice — can’t win them all!)! If you’re a student who applied Early Action to Harvard and were deferred or denied admission, the fight is not over — it’s only just begun!

Reach out to us today to set up a complimentary consultation so you can learn about what next steps to take. For deferred candidates, we offer a PostMortem application review and assistance in crafting a powerful Letter of Continued Interest. For denied candidates, we provide a PostMortem application review. And while we do offer assistance with Regular Decision applications, the cart must come before the horse. We first need to dissect the Early application on Ivy Coach’s operating table to figure out what went wrong before our team of former elite college admissions officers helps you pivot to a new, highly competitive strategy.