2025 College Rankings

Harvard University is, for many, synonymous with the pinnacle of American higher education. We beg to differ. While the school has its strengths, they are increasingly overshadowed by pervasive radical activism among its administrators, faculty, and students.

The administration has embraced nearly every available activist cause. Harvard has issued a land acknowledgment, encourages the use of preferred pronouns, and has pledged environmental commitments—all of which do little to advance its core educational mission. The university was also the defendant in the Students for Fair Admissions Supreme Court case, which challenged the constitutionality of race-based admissions. The Court ruled that Harvard, along with other institutions, had violated the Constitution by discriminating against Asian American applicants to benefit other minority groups. To its credit, Harvard has recently adopted a policy of institutional neutrality, partly as a response to backlash over decades of overt political engagement.

Harvard is not a haven for free expression. Most students do not believe that the administration protects speech on campus. The school maintains a bias-response system aimed at monitoring speech that some might find offensive. The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) gives Harvard a “yellow” speech code rating, indicating policies that are susceptible to abuse—and, in practice, often are. We rank Harvard among the worst 20 colleges in our study for free speech.

Harvard students have earned a reputation for silencing opposing views. The campus is overwhelmingly liberal, and students report to FIRE that they are more tolerant of controversial left-wing speakers than right-wing ones. Student activists have attempted to de-platform campus speakers. One of the most striking incidents involved former West Virginia senator Joe Manchin, who was shouted down by a protester hurling obscenities during a lecture. Manchin confronted the student, who was then tackled by one of his aides, and the event could continue only after other protesters were removed.

The administration has also failed to address rising campus anti-Semitism. Last spring, a large group of faculty called for an academic boycott of Israel, encouraged by the active Faculty for Justice in Palestine chapter. According to the AMCHA Initiative, Harvard has the highest number of anti-Semitic incidents per 1,000 Jewish students—more than 300 over the past five years. When protesters erected an encampment on campus in violation of school policy, administrators did little for 20 days, as the situation escalated. This year, the federal government opened an investigation into Harvard for its inaction. Claudine Gay, Harvard’s president through much of the anti-Semitic agitation on campus, resigned following credible plagiarism allegations—a massive embarrassment for the storied institution.

The curriculum performs very poorly on our metrics. The American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) gives Harvard an F in its What Will They Learn? ratings, which assign letter grades based on how many of seven core subjects are required in the core curriculum or general education program. Students must complete DEI-focused coursework to graduate, but instruction in essential subjects like U.S. history or government is not required. ACTA does identify two academic bright spots: the Program on Constitutional Government, which hosts lectures, panels, and fellowships on the U.S. Constitution; and the Abigail Adams Institute, which offers programming in economics, politics, culture, and philosophy.

Despite its many shortcomings, Harvard remains a strong financial investment. Students typically recoup the cost of their education in under a year. Six-year graduation and retention rates exceed expectations based on student demographics: the school’s actual graduation rate is 98 percent, compared with a predicted 95 percent. Harvard graduates also outperform earnings projections, with median annual income ten years after enrollment exceeding expectations by more than $4,000.