For the Early Action admits to the Class of 2030, Harvard University announced that it would not release admissions data to the public after sending out acceptances and rejections, following up on a trend toward decreasing transparency inaugurated by a similar move last year, for the Class of 2029. The Early Action results for the Class of 2030 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 the PR nightmares that plagued Harvard in the wake of rising campus antisemitism? Or, most recently, Harvard’s high profile clash with the Trump administration over DEI initiatives and federal funding?

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 2026, according to reporting by The Harvard Crimson, Harvard will show a dip in EA applications, and a dip in the EA acceptance rate comparable to last year’s statistics (which we’re still waiting on, by the way!). 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 2029

Harvard has yet to supply us with any data on the EA admits to the Class of 2029. So what gives? And when will this data become available? Well, until the next edition of Harvard’s Common Data Set arrives, well-informed speculation is the best that we at Ivy Coach can do. That, and reviewing the historical data.

Two years 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 University Early Action Admissions Statistics Over 14 Years

Three 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 standardized testing having been long phased out by Harvard, there’s even more reason to believe that their campaign to conceal the data of the last two cycles might have something to do with the lackluster acceptance rates likely recorded.

Below is a breakdown of Harvard’s Early Action admissions statistics over the last 14 years, excluding the Class of 2030:

Harvard Class Year	Early Action Applications Received	Early Action Acceptances	Early Action Acceptance Rate
Class of 2030	Not Yet Published	Not Yet Published	Not Yet Published
Class of 2029	Not Yet Published	Not Yet Published	Not Yet Published
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 2030 Admits

For the second time in the school’s contemporary history, Harvard declined to release any EA data for the Class of 2030. As reported by The Crimson, “In line with a policy shift that began last year, Harvard will not release demographic information for the Class of 2030 until next October, when it is required to do so by federal law and after freshmen are already on campus.”

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 Rejected Harvard Applicants

Congratulations to Ivy Coach’s students who earned admission to the Harvard Class of 2030 (it was a perfect sweep!)! If you’re a student who applied Early Action to Harvard and were deferred or rejected for 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 rejected 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.