Class Rank

[hajpha]

On Harvard’s Common Data Set, it says that Harvard does not consider class rank in admissions. However, in section C10 (I think), they report information on the breakdown of admitted students in regards to class rank. Is this something they calculate after the fact? Or is it actually considered?

[GirlChild]

I have read somewhere that it is calculated after the fact. I can see how it makes one wonder, but when all of the other stats for the upper quartile are considered, it kind of makes sense that the holders of such stats might also be those in the top of the class.

[gibby]

Class rank is not considered for the purposes of Admissions, but it’s collected after the fact – just like this data: http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2015/04/harvard-college-admits-1990/

About 22 percent come from the mid-Atlantic states, 21 percent from the Western and Mountain states, 18 percent from the South, 17 percent from New England, 11 percent from the Midwest, and 11 percent from the U.S. territories and abroad. International citizens make up 10.8 percent of the class and 7.7 percent are U.S. dual citizens.

Or this data

Fifty-two percent of those admitted are men, reflecting the fact that more men than women applied. Asian-Americans comprise 21 percent of the admitted students, Latinos 13.3 percent, African-Americans 12.1 percent, and Native American or Native Hawaiian 2 percent.

Or, even this data

Compared to last year, larger percentages of admitted students intend to concentrate in the social sciences (26 percent vs. 23.8 percent), the humanities (15 percent vs. 13.6 percent), and computer science (6 percent vs. 4.5 percent). Those interested in biological sciences make up 19.6 percent of the class, 12.2 percent engineering, 7 percent physical sciences, and 6.4 percent mathematics. “Undecided” decreased from 8.3 percent to 7.8 percent.

As you can see, Harvard Admissions loves to collect data on their applicants after the fact.