Harvard University facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids
Harvard University
Coat of arms
Latin: Universitas Harvardiana
Former names	Harvard College
Motto	Veritas (Latin)
Motto in English	"Truth"
Type	Private research university
Established	1636; 389 years ago (1636)
Founder	Massachusetts General Court
Accreditation	NECHE
Academic affiliations	AAU AICUM COFHE NAICU UArctic URA Space-grant
Endowment	$50.7 billion (2023)
President	Alan Garber (interim)
Provost	Alan Garber
Academic staff	~2,400 faculty members (and >10,400 academic appointments in affiliated teaching hospitals)
Students	21,613 (Fall 2022)
Undergraduates	7,240 (Fall 2022)
Postgraduates	14,373 (Fall 2022)
Location	Cambridge , Massachusetts , United States 42°22′28″N 71°07′01″W / 42.37444°N 71.11694°W / 42.37444; -71.11694
Campus	Midsize city, 209 acres (85 ha)
Newspaper	The Harvard Crimson
Colors	Crimson, White, and Black
Nickname	Crimson
Sporting affiliations	NCAA Division I FCS – Ivy League ECAC Hockey NEISA CWPA IRA EAWRC EARC EISA
Mascot	John Harvard

Harvard University is a private university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It is also a member of the Ivy League, a group of eight famous universities in the northeastern United States. Harvard was started on September 8, 1636. This makes it the oldest university in the entire United States!

Harvard's current president is Alan Garber. The school's official color is crimson, which is a deep, dark red color.

Where is Harvard Located?
What Can Students Do at Harvard?
Harvard's Reputation and Famous People
Famous People Who Went to Harvard
Images for kids
See also

Where is Harvard Located?

Harvard is right next to the Charles River. Some students enjoy going to the Charles River for rowing practice. On the other side of the river is the big city of Boston.

Boston's subway system has a stop right at Harvard. While some of Harvard's special graduate schools are in Boston, most of its main schools are in Cambridge. All these schools together make up Harvard University.

What Can Students Do at Harvard?

Harvard has many amazing libraries, like the famous Widener Library. Students can also use other cool places. There are skating rinks for ice skating fun. The Malkin Athletic Center is a great spot where students can swim and exercise.

Harvard's Reputation and Famous People

Harvard is almost always seen as one of the best universities in the world. Another very famous school, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), is also nearby in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Many important people have studied at Harvard. Eight Presidents of the United States have graduated from Harvard. The university also has a lot of money, over $50 billion, which helps it offer great education and research.

Famous People Who Went to Harvard

Many well-known people have studied at Harvard. Here are some of them:

George W. Bush, who was the 43rd President of the United States.
Bill Gates, who started Microsoft, a huge computer company.
Al Gore, who was the 45th Vice President of the United States.
John F. Kennedy, who was the 35th President of the United States.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who was the 32nd President of the United States.
Theodore Roosevelt, who was the 26th President of the United States.
Natalie Portman, a famous actress and filmmaker.
Mark Zuckerberg, who created Facebook.
Barack Obama, who was the 44th President of the United States.

Images for kids

The seal of the Harvard Corporation, found on Harvard diplomas. Christo et Ecclesiae ("For Christ and Church") was an early motto.
An old picture of Harvard College made by Paul Revere in 1767.
The John Harvard statue in Harvard Yard.
A watercolor painting of Harvard University from 1906.
Memorial Hall, a large building at Harvard.
Memorial Church.
Harvard Medical School, where doctors are trained.
The university's official seal.
Massachusetts Hall (built in 1720), Harvard's oldest building.
Harvard Yard, a central area on campus.
Widener Library is a very important part of the Harvard Library system.
A tower at the University of Puerto Rico, showing the emblem of Harvard (right) and National University of San Marcos (left).
The 2nd President of the United States, John Adams, who went to Harvard.
The 6th President of the United States, John Quincy Adams, also a Harvard graduate.
Ralph Waldo Emerson, a famous writer and philosopher.
Henry David Thoreau, a naturalist and writer.
The 19th President of the United States, Rutherford B. Hayes.
Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr., a Supreme Court Justice.
Charles Sanders Peirce, a philosopher and mathematician.
The 26th President of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt.
W. E. B. Du Bois, a sociologist and civil rights leader.
The 32nd President of the United States, Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Helen Keller, a famous author and activist.
T. S. Eliot, a well-known poet.
J. Robert Oppenheimer, a physicist who led the Manhattan Project.
Paul Samuelson, an economist who won a Nobel Prize.
Leonard Bernstein, a famous musician and composer.
The 35th President of the United States, John F. Kennedy.
Mary Robinson, the 7th President of Ireland.
The 45th Vice President of the United States, Al Gore.
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the 24th President of Liberia.
Chuck Schumer, a leader in the U.S. Senate.
Benazir Bhutto, the 11th Prime Minister of Pakistan.
Ben Bernanke, who used to lead the Federal Reserve.
The 43rd President of the United States, George W. Bush.
John Roberts, the Chief Justice of the United States.
Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft.
Ban Ki-moon, the 8th Secretary-General of the United Nations.
Elena Kagan, a Justice on the Supreme Court.
Michelle Obama, a former First Lady of the United States.
Jennifer Doudna, a biochemist who won a Nobel Prize.
The 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama.
Ketanji Brown Jackson, a Justice on the Supreme Court.
Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook.
Louis Agassiz, a famous scientist.
Danielle Allen, a political scientist.
Alan Dershowitz, a lawyer.
Paul Farmer, a doctor and humanitarian.
Jason Furman, an economist.
John Kenneth Galbraith, an economist.
Henry Louis Gates Jr., a literary critic.
Asa Gray, a botanist.
Seamus Heaney, a poet.
Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr., a writer.
William James, a philosopher.
Timothy Leary, a psychologist.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, a poet.
James Russell Lowell, a poet and diplomat.
Greg Mankiw, an economist.
Steven Pinker, a psychologist.
Michael Porter, a business strategist.
Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr., a historian.
Amartya Sen, an economist.
B. F. Skinner, a psychologist.
Lawrence Summers, an economist.
Cass Sunstein, a legal scholar.
Elizabeth Warren, a politician.
Cornel West, a philosopher.
E. O. Wilson, a biologist.
Shing-Tung Yau, a mathematician.
Robert Reich, a political commentator.