Nov 6, 2025
.webp)
Harvard University has decided not to release its Restrictive Early Action (REA) acceptance rates for the most recent admissions cycle (2024–2025), which corresponds to the Class of 2029, in its Common Data Set report.
For those unfamiliar, the Common Data Set (CDS) is a detailed report that colleges release every fall with key data about their institution—such as acceptance rates, standardized test scores of admitted students, and enrollment figures.
We’ve been monitoring Harvard’s latest CDS release for the Class of 2029 and expected it to include Early Action admissions data, but the information is unexpectedly absent. Earlier this year, Harvard Admissions announced a shift to a single, annual data release each fall, saying this change would provide “the most complete view of the newly enrolled class,” reduce confusion, and offer a more predictable timeline.
The university also noted that, following the 2023 U.S. Supreme Court decision, it is “unable to access all information about applicants, admitted students, and enrolling students while the application review process is still underway.” However, this statement doesn’t directly explain why the Early Action data for the Class of 2029 was omitted.
It’s possible Harvard is following a similar trend to Stanford and other top universities that have opted not to release Early Action or Early Decision data in recent years. We suspect that Harvard may be keeping these numbers private to reduce stress and speculation among applicants.
In the 2024–2025 Common Data Set, the fields for these two questions are left blank:
At this point, we only have Harvard’s overall acceptance rate for the Class of 2029, without a breakdown between Early and Regular Decision rounds. Harvard's official acceptance rate for the class of 2029 was 4.18%. For context, here are the REA acceptance rates from previous years:
Based on trends from past years and publicly available information, we estimate that Harvard’s Early Action acceptance rate for the Class of 2029 is approximately 8.2%. Compared to the overall acceptance rate of 4.18% for the same application year, Early Action applicants continue to experience roughly twice the likelihood of admission. We’ll continue monitoring updates from Harvard and adjust our estimates as new data becomes available.
Harvard University has decided not to release its Restrictive Early Action (REA) acceptance rates for the most recent admissions cycle (2024–2025), which corresponds to the Class of 2029, in its Common Data Set report.
For those unfamiliar, the Common Data Set (CDS) is a detailed report that colleges release every fall with key data about their institution—such as acceptance rates, standardized test scores of admitted students, and enrollment figures.
We’ve been monitoring Harvard’s latest CDS release for the Class of 2029 and expected it to include Early Action admissions data, but the information is unexpectedly absent. Earlier this year, Harvard Admissions announced a shift to a single, annual data release each fall, saying this change would provide “the most complete view of the newly enrolled class,” reduce confusion, and offer a more predictable timeline.
The university also noted that, following the 2023 U.S. Supreme Court decision, it is “unable to access all information about applicants, admitted students, and enrolling students while the application review process is still underway.” However, this statement doesn’t directly explain why the Early Action data for the Class of 2029 was omitted.
It’s possible Harvard is following a similar trend to Stanford and other top universities that have opted not to release Early Action or Early Decision data in recent years. We suspect that Harvard may be keeping these numbers private to reduce stress and speculation among applicants.
In the 2024–2025 Common Data Set, the fields for these two questions are left blank:
At this point, we only have Harvard’s overall acceptance rate for the Class of 2029, without a breakdown between Early and Regular Decision rounds. Harvard's official acceptance rate for the class of 2029 was 4.18%. For context, here are the REA acceptance rates from previous years:
Based on trends from past years and publicly available information, we estimate that Harvard’s Early Action acceptance rate for the Class of 2029 is approximately 8.2%. Compared to the overall acceptance rate of 4.18% for the same application year, Early Action applicants continue to experience roughly twice the likelihood of admission. We’ll continue monitoring updates from Harvard and adjust our estimates as new data becomes available.
Former Admissions Officer, Harvard University
Former Assistant Dean, Stanford University
As a College Counselor I help students navigate the college admissions process. My goal is to help students stand out and get accepted to their top-choice schools.
.webp)
