UndergraduateUnited States · Psychology / Social Sciences

AB Psychology

Harvard University

✓ Last verified Oct 4, 2026

Entry requirements

Tests: SAT or ACTRequired
Required subjects: English, four years with extensive practice in writingPreferred
Mathematics, four yearsPreferred
Science, four years: biology, chemistry, physics and an advanced course in one of thesePreferred
History, three years including American and European historyPreferred
One foreign language, four yearsPreferred
Other: EssayRequired

Accepted English tests: Not required: first-year applicants are not required to take an English proficiency exam but may submit TOEFL, IELTS or Duolingo scores if they wish (https://college.harvard.edu/admissions/apply/international-applicants). These tests cannot be used to meet the SAT/ACT requirement.
Other requirements: Admission is university-wide to Harvard College, not to a concentration (major): all applicants, including those intending to study engineering and applied sciences, apply directly to Harvard College and declare a concentration later (Advising: 'Students must declare a concentration in their third term at Harvard'). Requirements: Common Application plus Harvard College Questions (five required short-answer questions, 150 words each); $95 fee or fee waiver; Secondary School Report with transcript and counselor letter; two teacher recommendations from different academic subjects; Midyear and Final School Reports. SAT or ACT required (self-reported scores accepted, official scores required on enrolment); REA applicants should submit scores by the end of October. In exceptional cases (e.g. financial hardship or limited test access) AP results, IB actual or predicted scores, GCSE/A-level results or predictions, or national leaving exam results may be submitted instead. TOEFL/IELTS/Duolingo cannot meet the testing requirement. No minimum grades and no subject requirements: 'There is no single academic path we expect all students to follow, but the strongest applicants take the most rigorous secondary school curricula available to them.' No China-specific or gaokao policy published. Alumni interviews are offered where possible but not to all applicants; the absence of an interview does not adversely affect candidacy. Optional supplementary materials (music, art, other media) may be submitted. Admission is need-blind for international applicants and Harvard meets full demonstrated need; no quotas. Concentration: Psychology (B.A.), with a General track, a Cognitive Neuroscience and Evolutionary Psychology track and a Cognitive Science track.