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Harvard Campus Tour: 15 Best Places to Visit at Harvard

From lofty libraries to picturesque walks, from Harvard Square to Charles River, here are the 15 best places to include on your Harvard campus tour!

Whether you’re a new Harvard student starting your school year, or visiting Harvard University on a campus tour, there is so much to discover. My lovely university is a heaven for students, tourists and photographers alike. During my time at Harvard, I got plenty of visitors, both friends and family. And for everyone, it was an overwhelming experience taking in all the beauty of our breathtaking campus.

Harvard University is one of the most visited places in Boston, and even all of East Coast. A Harvard University tour is a memorable experience, since every visitor has seen parts of the campus either in movies, pictures or places that have been inspired by Harvard architecture.

Harvard Campus Tour – Where to Go

Harvard University is full of new and old buildings, beautiful architecture and iconic spots to take your pictures. Of course, some of the best places at Harvard are reserved for the students, so if you aren’t one, it’s best to visit with a student or during the Open House.

But whether you have a Harvard ID or not, Harvard University will have a lot to offer you if you’re visiting. From hallowed libraries to historic dining halls, busy dorms to picturesque riverside walks, here is my list of the 15 best places to visit at Harvard.

Harvard Square and the Coop

Harvard Square may not be the most iconic place at Harvard if you’re just googling images of the university. But for every student and visitor, this is where the tour starts. Harvard has a whole T station (metro, subway or underground) dedicated to it, called Harvard Square, which can be the starting point of your Harvard university tour. It’s also the meeting point if you ever lose your tour partners!

Located at the junction of John F. Kennedy Street and Massachusetts Avenue is the building of Cambridge Savings Bank, which has become something of a landmark over the years. Along with this building, other structures and shops such as bookstores, toy stores, and a Bank of America also surround Harvard Square.

Harvard Square is unmissable, central and is the congregation point, where students run into old friends, meet new acquaintances and grab a bite to eat. The most popular and central spot is Starbucks, below the Cambridge Savings Bank, which is right at the corner of Mass Ave, and opened while I was a student at Harvard. Right outside is the Cambridge Visitor’s Information Center booth.

Some other popular spots next to it are the Au Bon Pain, next to Starbucks, and The Coop, across the road, where you can buy all possible books and official Harvard merchandise.

Harvard Yard & John Harvard statue

The green space between undergraduate dormitories is called Harvard Yard, which is enclosed by iron fences, walls and gates. Harvard Yard is the most iconic place at Harvard University, and is a must on any Harvard campus tour.

It is one of the oldest areas that became a part of Harvard University in the late 1600s, housing Harvard College dorms. Now it is also home to the famous John Harvard Statue, where you can see throngs of tourists taking pictures every time, everyday, touching his shoe to take pictures.

However, Harvard students would never touch it, because we all know that urinating on John Harvard’s shoe is one of three traditional deeds some Harvard College students strive to complete. It still remains the most touched spots of Harvard University. Sigh.

Harvard Yard is spread over 25 acres (10 ha) and it’s boundaries have 25 gates, opening at Mass Ave, Science Center. The yard is also home to libraries and memorial church, where the Harvard graduation ceremony takes place annually.

The Yard is the best place to soak the sun and read, be around College students. If you’re traveling in the fall season, it’s a beautiful place to take pictures. Here, you can see the New England fall colors in their full glory.

Widener Library

This is right in the part of Harvard Yard that is behind the John Harvard statue (called Tercentenary Theater). Widener library is the oldest one at Harvard University. And it’s the largest private and university-owned library in the United States. It is home to 3.5 million books, countless stacks and all types of reading spaces.

The library is named after Harvard College alumus and book collector Harry Elkins Widener, who died in the sinking of the RMS Titanic in 1912.

Although Harvard has many beautiful libraries, Widener is my favorite one. With high ceilings, chandeliers and royal chairs, it’s easy to forget Widener can also have so many hidden low-lit spots in its depths too. I used to spend all my free time there as much as possible, discovering new reading spots and books. My favorites were the comfy high-backed chairs that face the tall windows opening into Harvard Yard.

Memorial Church

Situated right across Widener Library, this is another iconic building in Harvard University and one of the best parts of Harvard. Most Harvard students see and pass by it daily, whether on their way to their dorms, dining halls or classes. And of course, almost all Harvard students graduate here, although not every student has been inside it!

The interiors themselves are often used for ceremonies, commemoration, etc. For example, the only time I ever went inside was for a candlelight vigil for Japan’s 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

Although every year, the Church is home to bittersweet memories for everyone. The area in front of Memorial Church, the central green of Harvard Yard, is known as Tercentenary Theater. This is where the Harvard commencement ceremony takes place every year. Many celebrities and famous Harvard alumni have delivered graduation speeches on its porch, such as Steven Spielberg, Mark Zuckerberg, J.K. Rowling and John F. Kennedy.

Memorial Hall & Sanders Theater

Memorial Hall is yet another iconic building in Harvard University. The building is located near the Yard, at the junction of Cambridge, Kirkland, and Quincy Streets. It has high Victorian Gothic architectural style. Constructed in 1878, the building has many stained glass windows, ribbed vaults, spires and pointed arches.

Also called Mem Hall or just ‘Mem’, the building used to be the background of the John Harvard Statue in the early 1920s and before. Mem Hall houses three parts: Sanders Theater, Annenberg Hall and Memorial Transept.

Memorial Transept is a vault that anyone can enter, and is serves as the congregation space for Sanders Theater. It has a high vaulted ceiling and large stained-glass windows above the entrance on either side. Great place to take pictures, if only it were better lit. Either way, it’s an important one to include in your Harvard campus tour.

The Sanders Theater is Harvard University’s largest indoor space. Used for lectures, concerts and most notably, the annual graduation ceremony for Harvard College students. Sanders is where they receive their diplomas.

Even Harvard students aren’t allowed inside, unless it’s for a mandatory lecture or they have a pass for a particular lecture or ceremony. Most lectures that take place in Sanders are by celebrities or famous alumni, such as Winston Churchill, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Theodore Roosevelt have spoken there. One of the times I have attended a lecture there was when Bill Gates came to speak.

Although if you are accompanied by a Harvard student and you request, they may allow you to take a peek inside when the theater is not in use.

Annenberg Hall

Located inside the Memorial Hall, Annenberg Hall serves as the dining hall for freshmen of Harvard College. When it was constructed in 1874, people from all over the country came to visit, since it was one of the largest indoor meeting spaces ever constructed in the US.

It is also breathtakingly beautiful, and serves a large selection of food (yum!). With its large expansive, unobstructed space, Annenberg Hall is designed in Gothic style. It has stained glass windows, wooden trusses and vaulted ceiling. The hall is decorated with large hanging candelabras. Its walls have paintings of benefactors and presidents and its ceiling is so high I’m not even sure it exists!

Originally meant to be a place for alumni meetings, Annenberg was soon converted to a dining commons. Now it is used for the freshmen students only. And as a grad student, I only got the opportunity to eat there during the days my own dining hall was closed. (Of course, then my dorm mates and I loved it, because we were treated to their desserts, ice-cream and beautiful entrées.)

It is also used for dances, banquets, examinations and more. Also, Annenberg is what inspired the Great Hall in Harry Potter movies. Only Annenberg Hall is more beautiful.

Read more: Annenberg Hall & Harvard Memorial Hall: All You Need to Know

Science Center

Located north of Harvard Yard, Science Center is home to the computer labs, classrooms and science library for undergraduates. The first floor also houses a nice cafe where I frequently lunched.

To someone expecting the classic Harvard style of architecture, Science Center is not much to look at. In fact, not even many Harvard students find it pretty. That’s because it was constructed in the ’70s, amid the modernist movement, when designers sought to do something different than the existing antiquated Georgian architectural style.

The plaza in front of the Science Center is home to the beautiful Tanner fountain, where kids are often found playing and water-splashing! Students often put up Yard sales, College club events and protest rallies there. Oftentimes, you can also find food-trucks, farmers’ markets and even Quidditch practices there.

Harvard Graduate School of Design

Graduate School of Design or GSD is my alma mater, which is mainly located on 48 Quincy Street in a building named Gund Hall. The Gund is also constructed in glass, steel and concrete (just like the Science Center) and is different from the iconic Harvard architectural style.

Gund Hall has a stepped design, where different studios form the levels, called trays. The building has a lot of clear glass, allowing natural lights into the trays, where students have their drawing boards or desks.

GSD also has a yard where student works are often exhibited, including those using 3D printing, robotic machines, CNC machines, etc.

The area near the entrance at the first floor of GSD is used to exhibit student work throughout the year. These exhibitions are specifically designed to give a new “interior look” to the space with each exhibit, often theme-based or interactive. This space also houses temporary events, student performances and the spillage from the events happening in cafeteria called Chauhaus and the Piper Auditorium.

Harvard Law School & HLS Library

Harvard Law School (HLS) is located near the northwest of the Harvard Yard. The HLS library is a beautiful old building with a big yard in front of it. Named Langdell Hall, it is immediately recognizable with its large windows, columns and Harvardian architecture style.

HLS library has a large, high-ceilinged chandelier-lit reading space with countless stacks filled with law-books. But they serve free hot-chocolate at night, so it’s a good place for non-law-students to study, too. You can get in with a Harvard ID, and discover their chessboard coffee tables, too! HLS library is my second favorite library after Widener, and was also my first workplace after my Harvard graduation, where I worked for a whole year to create digital learning spaces.

Wassterstein Hall Harvard Law School

Take a secret underground passage from the HLS library and it takes you to the newly built Wasserstein Hall. (You can also get to it from above the ground, tho, but where’s the fun in that?) It is one of the newest and most beautiful buildings in all of Harvard University, and was opened when I was a student.

The Wassterstein houses a large fireplace-lit study space with the coziest high-backed chairs, two cafeterias and a bar, pool table and the most gorgeous toilets you can find on-campus. Even balconies and a grand semi-circular staircase. What more reason could there be to include it in your Harvard campus tour? I used to lunch here everyday when I was an employee at the HLS library, and the first-floor cafe is great for an evening snack (they have great fries).

Natural History Museum

Located north of the Science Center and near the graduate dorms, the Natural History Museum is a great place where many students don’t even go throughout their time at Harvard! Although admission is open only to Harvard community.

It is such a hidden gem within the university, especially to go if you’re visiting harvard with kids. In fact, the only time I went here was when I was showing my parents around the campus the day before my graduation ceremony (they loved it!).

The museum is home to many permanent and temporary exhibits that any student will love. These include a paleontology exhibit, which has the fossils of Kronosaurus, a 42-foot-long prehistoric marine reptile. Also, there’s exhibits of birds, wildlife microbes and a famous glass-flower exhibition.

Radcliffe Quad

Located north of the Harvard campus, the Radcliffe Quad, or just “Quad”, is not much of a touristy spot, but is a great place to visit if you’re a Harvard graduate student and looking to explore the campus. The Radcliffe Quadrangle houses the Quad green and undergraduate dormitories, including the oft-photographed Cabot house and Pforzheimer house.

The walk from Cambridge Commons to Radcliffe Quadrangle is a beautiful one, and depending on the season, you’ll see brilliant tulips or fall colors.

Malkin Athletic Center & Harvard Stadium

Harvard stadium.

The Malkin Athletic Center (MAC) and the Harvard Stadium are located at completely different parts of the campus, but I have to include them together here.

The Harvard Stadium is south of the campus, across from HBS. The world-renowned stadium was built in 1903, and is a National Historic Landmark. It’s an essential part of any Harvard campus tour.

The Stadium is primarily a College football stadium, but they also use it for music festivals and other sports. It’s next to the humongous Blodgett Pool (one one that you see Robert Langdon swimming in in the Da Vinci Code movie).

Malkin Athletic Center (MAC)

The MAC is my favorite gymnasium at Harvard and is the perf spot for all Harvard students to work out. The gym is located south of the Harvard square, and is a large five story facility.

In the center is a large pool, and the upper floors have the cardio rooms with a view of the pool. Actually, I find the group exercise mezannine space overlooking the pool even prettier! This is where I discovered my passion for Zumba (miss it!). The building also houses many weight rooms, strength training equipment, basketball court and what not.

Charles River

The Charles river is an iconic body that divides the main Harvard campus. The north part of the campus on the north of Charles is the Cambridge campus, that borders at Memorial Drive. And the southern one is Allston campus, that starts at Soldiers Field Road. These two are connected by the Anderson Memorial Bridge, which is the perfect spot to take pictures and view both sides. It’s a must-see spot when visiting Harvard and MIT.

The space next to Memorial Drive is where you’ll see the bike path, students lounging around after classes, and skateboarders. The John F. Kennedy Memorial Park is right next to it, featuring a fountain. And while you’re here, also walk around to discover tiny lanes, tree-lined avenues. If you’re on a self-guided harvard tour, walk west, and enjoy a quiet cappuccino at Darwin’s, or go up north to have a cup of tea at Pete’s Cafe.

Harvard Business School

Harvard Business School is the top-pick for MBA tourists or student-visitors who like business management. Located in Allston, the HBS campus is a bit separated from the main campus by the Charles River. However, it’s a beautiful campus that all students and visitors should check out on their Harvard campus tour.

Right from across the river, you’ll see the iconic Baker Library, a world-famous building. It has the best place to take a picture at Harvard – in the HBS yard, with Baker Library forming the backdrop. And if you want one with the Harvard sign, check out the HBS sign at the back entrance.

The next spot to check out is Spangler Center, which is the student center. A relatively new building, Spangler has the same Georgian architecture style that the old Harvard buildings have. Inside is a massive student lounge that’s actually the last place I can concentrate in, because it seems a bit daunting.

The HBS cafeteria is inside too, which is rather nice and serves different cuisines everyday. The dining hall is gorgeous with large tables and chandeliers (although nobody joins you if you’re eating alone). Step underground to their bar and also check out their underground passages while you’re at it. (It leads to the library).

– Experience the Harvard Student Life with Me: How is Life at Harvard – Is Harvard Worth It? Analyzing Costs to Benefits for a Degree – What Kinds of Students Get into Harvard?

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9 Things to See On Your Campus Visit to Harvard

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When you’re making your college list, it’s always a good idea to visit colleges in person if you’re able to do so. You can learn a lot about a college online and by speaking with students or alumni, but actually visiting campus can give you a much better idea of what it’s actually like to live, learn, and work there for four years of your life.

If you’re thinking about visiting Harvard University and possibly applying to the school, you’re not alone; the college is not only an educational powerhouse, but also a popular destination for visitors from around the world. Attending an information session and taking a guided tour through Harvard’s Office of Undergraduate Admissions is a good idea, but those activities may not tell you everything you want to know.

In this post, we’ll go over some options you may want to add to your agenda for your Harvard visit, both on campus and off. These sights and activities can give you a uniquely valuable perspective on whether Harvard is truly a good fit for your college plans.

Want to learn what Harvard University will actually cost you based on your income? And how long your application to the school should take?  Here’s what every student considering Harvard University needs to know.

A Brief Introduction to Harvard

As we describe in greater detail in our Ultimate Guide to Applying to Harvard , Harvard University is possibly the most recognizable institution of higher learning in this country, and is widely know as an exceptionally prestigious and accomplished school. It also holds the title of the oldest university in the United States, so it’s been a fixture of the American educational scene for a very long time.

Harvard’s main campus is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, just across the river from the city of Boston. Most of its undergraduate facilities and resources are nestled into this campus, which is both a historically significant site and a center of cutting-edge resources. Its ornate architecture is reminiscent of the venerable colleges of England, or, as some recent students have noticed, of J. K. Rowling’s Hogwarts.

As you would imagine, such a well-known and well-regarded school receives a huge number of applicants — nearly 40,000 per year in recent years. Consequently, its admissions rate is very low, and currently hovers around 5%. Still, many students dream of heading to Harvard after high school, and some number of them eventually will become students there.

Since Harvard is such a popular choice among college applicants, we’ve covered issues specific to the Harvard application process several times before on the CollegeVine blog .

In addition to our Ultimate Guide to Applying to Harvard , you may be interested in the following posts:

• What Does It Take to Get Into Harvard?
• How to Write the Harvard University Application Essays 2016-17
• Harvard College Sample Essay 2016-2017
• The Harvard Interview: What It’s Like From a Harvard Student
• Should You Submit the Harvard Optional Supplement Essay?

Things to See on Campus

Before we begin our list of things to see on Harvard’s campus, it’s necessary to mention a few items about how Harvard responds to and accommodates visitors, including prospective applicants touring the school. While, as we’ve said, Harvard is itself a tourist destination, it’s also a functioning university and community that has a lot going on besides entertaining guests.

One factor to keep in mind when visiting Harvard is that many campus buildings aren’t open to the public. For example, Annenberg Hall, the ornate first-year dining hall, is among these private facilities. Harvard’s libraries, while fascinating, are also very strict in their admission policies, with even some visiting scholars having to jump through hoops to get access. For some facilities, if you’re visiting with a current student, you can be admitted as a guest, but that isn’t true everywhere.

Another important reminder is that Harvard’s campus is a place where people live and work year-round, so as a visitor, you’ll need to be respectful of those who call the school home. In the past, students have complained of visitors blocking important pathways — a real hassle when you’re rushing to class — or even taking pictures through dorm windows. New policies posted on campus make the rules clear , but it’s mostly a matter of common sense.

Now that we’ve dispensed with the practical advice, here are a few things you may like to add to your agenda while you’re on Harvard’s campus.

Harvard Yard

It may seem like a bit of a cliché to start with Harvard Yard, as it’s arguably the most recognizable part of the Harvard campus. However, this area is genuinely important for you to see as a prospective applicant, not least because it’s the area in which all first-year students live. If you attend Harvard, you’ll spend a lot of time in Harvard Yard that year — there’s no way around it.

After the first year, Harvard’s students enter residential colleges that are scattered across the campus, but they still have plenty of reasons to go back to the Yard. Not only do student events take place there, but it’s a great place to kick back and read a book. It’s also centrally located, so walking through the Yard is often the most convenient way to get somewhere you need to be.

Allston Campus

Right across the Charles River from Harvard Square, you’ll find Allston, a neighborhood that’s technically part of Boston. This area has long had a Harvard presence — it’s the location of the Harvard Business School campus, as well as Harvard’s stadium and other athletic facilities.

More recently, the Allston campus has become the site of a great deal of expansion and development on Harvard’s part. Ongoing projects and those in the planning stages will move many of the university’s engineering and computer science resources to Allston under the auspices of the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. These are popular and expanding fields, so you may well spend time on that side of the river as a student.

The Allston campus is still a work in progress, but if you’d like to explore it, it’s easy to get to from Harvard Square. Multiple bridges make the area accessible on foot, by bus, or by car. Students, faculty, and staff also enjoy the use of a free shuttle that runs at regular intervals throughout the day.

Graduate School Campuses

As you may know, Harvard University is made up of twelve distinct degree-granting schools , most of which are graduate or professional programs. Each of these schools, from the Law School to the Divinity School to the School of Public Health, has spaces of its own on campus, whether large or small. Some are restricted to students from those programs, but some are open to the entire Harvard community.

You most likely won’t take courses at the graduate or professional schools while you’re an undergraduate at Harvard, but you may find yourself heading there for an event or navigating that section of campus on the way to somewhere else. These less central areas of campus can also be great places to find new study spots, explore different dining options, or see some impressive architecture and landscaping.

Harvard Museum of Natural History

Tucked away on the third floor of one of Harvard’s academic buildings, this small museum is nonetheless a gem — and not just because it’s home to a wide variety of mineral samples. You’ll also find treasures like massive whale skeletons, meteorites you can touch, an interactive simulation of the process of natural selection, and a world-renown collection of incredibly delicate glass models of plant specimens.

The Harvard Museum of Natural History is open to the public, and students and other Harvard affiliates enjoy free admission. Your ticket also gives you access to Harvard’s Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology , which houses an exceptional collection of historic artifacts from around the world.

Things to See Off Campus

Though Harvard is primarily located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the city of Boston itself is just across the river, easily accessible by bus or subway. (Driving is also possible, but traffic in the area is often heavy.) Cambridge has many of its own amenities, but the proximity of the larger city opens up additional possibilities, both for you as a student in the future and for you as a visitor right now.

Harvard Square

It would be nearly impossible to visit Harvard without walking through Harvard Square, which refers to the neighborhood around the Harvard Square subway and bus station. Located right in the center of campus, the square is an entertainment hub as well as a place where the Harvard community takes care of everyday errands, so if you end up attending Harvard, you’ll spend a lot of time here.

There’s always something new and exciting going on in Harvard Square, but you’ll also find fixtures like charming cafes, eclectic shops, and restaurants across the spectrum from cheap bites to exceptional cuisine. In the center of everything, don’t miss Out of Town News, an iconic news kiosk carrying a huge variety of periodicals.

Of course, being so close to such an intellectual powerhouse, Harvard Square’s amenities tend toward the intellectual side of life. The Harvard Coop, the official bookstore, is right down the street from The Harvard Book Store, which is not affiliated with Harvard. Both, however, are interesting places to browse, buy souvenirs, and get a better sense of Harvard Square’s atmosphere.

The Charles River

As we’ve mentioned, the Charles River acts as a boundary line between the cities of Cambridge and Boston. Besides being an unavoidable geographical feature of the Boston area, the river and its adjacent green spaces are popular for recreation, with paths for pedestrians and cyclists as well as boating, sightseeing, and picnicking opportunities.

Festivals and other public events also take place along the Charles, the best-known of which may be the annual Head of the Charles Regatta . This major annual rowing competition attracts huge crowds and competitors from around the world each October. Even if you’re not particularly interested in rowing, it’s an exciting and traditional part of life in Cambridge.

The Freedom Trail

One of the Boston area’s greatest claims to fame is its long history, particularly its importance during the American Revolutionary War. Many visitors to the area are eager to see what relics remain in existence from those foundational times. The Freedom Trail , a designated path through the city that passes by 16 important historical sites, is a convenient way to get a cohesive look at Boston’s past.

The Freedom Trail, which is marked along its length with a red-painted line on the ground, is a 2.5-mile-long walking trail that winds from Boston Common on one end to the Bunker Hill Monument and the U.S.S. Constitution on the other end. Y ou can take an official walking tour with a costumed tour guide or explore the trail on your own. Either way, you’ll have a unique opportunity to see the real-life sites of the events you’ve learned about in your American history classes.

Boston Common

This lovely public park in the center of Boston is a popular destination, both for casual relaxation and for large-scale community events like festivals, rallies, parades, and performances. Across the street, there’s even more green space: the Boston Public Gardens, another public park that’s more formally landscaped than the Common. It’s easily accessible by public transit and close to many other attractions in downtown Boston.

On the Common, you’ll find a number of different features, including public art, memorials and monuments, and a playground. In the winter, it’s home to an outdoor ice-skating rink and the city’s annual Christmas tree. It’s also a great place to view the Massachusetts State House, a beautiful historical building topped with an impressive golden dome.

Newbury Street

If you’re in the mood for some retail therapy in a classically Bostonian setting, Newbury Street is the place to be. This street in the Back Bay area of downtown Boston is packed with shops, cafes, restaurants, and other destinations, many of them in charming brick-and-stone row houses built in the late 1800s and later converted into retail space. 

Newbury Street is well known as home to some of Boston’s chicest — and most expensive — shopping destinations, but there are options along this block of shops for every budget. Even if you’re just window-shopping, it’s an enjoyable place to spend an afternoon enjoying the sights and sounds of Boston.

While we can’t possibly list everything there is to see when you visit Harvard, we hope this post can get you started on planning a trip that really helps you get to know the college and the surrounding community. We encourage you to do your research, seek out more destinations that reflect your interests, and have a great time!

If you’re currently embroiled in the process of preparing for and applying to college, you know full well that it can be complex and stressful — especially if you’re applying to prestigious, highly competitive schools with low acceptance rates and high standards.

Want access to expert college guidance — for free? When you create your free CollegeVine account, you will find out your real admissions chances, build a best-fit school list, learn how to improve your profile, and get your questions answered by experts and peers—all for free. Sign up for your CollegeVine account today to get a boost on your college journey.

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Introducing the visit harvard mobile app.

By Amy Kamosa

The Harvard Visitor's Center has launched a new Visit Harvard mobile app that will provide free, self-guided, self-paced themed walking tours of the University. The first tour released on the app is a historic walking tour of the Cambridge Campus. It incorporates 14 locations throughout campus that highlight some of the most important buildings and events of the University's nearly 400-year history.

In 2019, approximately 8 million people visited Harvard Square, and more than 35,000 visitors took part in public and private tours of the Harvard Campus. When the campus shut down in early 2020 due to the pandemic, Robin Parker, Associate Director of Harvard's Visitor Center, worked with colleagues and a small team of undergraduate tour guides led by Fari Mbaye '22 and Madi Fabber '22, to create a series of live, student-led online virtual tours as an option for would-be visitors who were no longer able to come to the Square.

The mobile app tour builds on the content developed for those virtual offerings, but provides a more accessible option that visitors can use to guide themselves while they visit campus in-person, or from the comfort of their own couch anywhere in the world.

"Our student tour guides really led the charge on the creation of these tours. Some of the images they've included have never been seen before, and the content weaves a really compelling story through Harvard's history," said Parker.

It was that storytelling aspect of the mobile tour that Mbaye said was the most challenging and important aspect of translating the live tour content to the app. "When we, as tour guides, give live tours, we're really just working off bullet points and we weave our own details and jokes in as we go. With the app, we had to turn the content into a complete story that people would want to read and listen to," she explained.

If app users choose to visit the campus, they can follow the geo-location tags on the app to travel point-to-point. The total distance of the tour is approximately one mile and should take approximately one hour to complete—including travel between stops, but the self-guided nature of the app means that users can complete this circuit at their own pace.

According to Visitor Center Manager Maggie Dawson, the ease of use and simplicity of design was an intentional choice to ensure that the app was as accessible as possible. Additional features like geo-location tagging, audio tracks with transcript, and image alternative text for visually-impaired users, all enable a large range of users to interact with the app in their own way, and according to Dawson, inclusion will continue to be a priority as more content is added. "Our hope is to tell many parts of the Harvard story to as many audiences as possible. Not only are additional tours in development, including a Black History Tour, and Arts Walk, and a Women's History tour, but we are expanding the tour languages as well," she explained.

The Visit Harvard App is available for download through the Apple Store and Google Play . There is also a desktop version of the app you can access here .

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Visit All Four Harvard Museums of Science & Culture

Photo by Tony Rinaldo

Museum Visit Information

Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments

Open Sunday–Friday from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm

General Admission

• Harvard Museum of the Ancient Near East

Harvard Museum of Natural History

Open daily from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm

Adults: $15.00 Seniors (65+): $13.00 Harvard ID Holders: Free Non-Harvard students with I.D.: $10.00 Youth ages 3–18: $10.00 Youth under 3: Free Free for members

• Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology

As a member, you will enjoy unlimited free visits to all four HMSC Museums and the Harvard Art Museums. Additional benefits include reading room privileges, shop and restaurant discounts, and exclusive behind-the-scenes opportunities.

• Wednesday, November 27, 2024 (day before Thanksgiving)
• Thursday, November 28, 2024 (Thanksgiving Day)
• Saturday, December 21, 2024
• Sunday, December 22, 2024
• Monday, December 23, 2024
• Tuesday, December 24, 2024 (Christmas Eve)
• Wednesday, December 25, 2024 (Christmas)
• Wednesday, January 1, 2025 (New Year’s Day)
• Tuesday, February 27, 2024 (Harvard Museum of the Ancient Near East third floor closure at 3:00 pm)
• Thursday, March 7, 2024 (at 3:00 pm)
• Tuesday March 26 (at 3:30 pm)
• Tuesday, May 7, 2024 (at 3:00 pm)

Discounted and Free Admission

Free for holders of a current Harvard ID (+1 guest);  Harvard Museums of Science & Culture  members, and  Harvard Art Museums  members.

Library patrons can reserve discount passes through their local, Massachusetts-based, library to visit our museums! Library pass admission includes entry to the Harvard Museum of Natural History, the Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology, the Harvard Museum of the Ancient Near East, and the Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments.  Please be prepared to show the physical library pass and proof of Massachusetts residency. Only one member of the party must be a MA resident.  The pass admits up to four visitors. The passes are non-transferable and may not be combined with other offers.

Are you a library looking to offer passes to your patrons? Contact Bethany Carland-Adams at [email protected] to learn more.

Free for Massachusetts residents who present an EBT or WIC card, and up to five guests. We are proud to participate in the  Card to Culture  program.

Free to active duty military with their families in collaboration with the  National Endowment for the Arts Blue Star Museums Program.  Year-round free admission is offered to the Peabody Museum and Harvard Museum of Natural History using the Blue Star Museums guidelines.

Free to members of institutions participating in the  ASTC Travel Passport Program . Local restrictions apply, please review the  guidelines and restrictions (PDF)  before your visit.

Free to Massachusetts residents every Sunday morning from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm and on Wednesdays from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm. Proof of residency required. This offer is not available to commercial groups. 

Free to Massachusetts Teachers (K-12).

Spend less, Experience more! Boston CityPASS® saves 45% on admission to top Boston’s top 4 attractions, including the Harvard Museum of Natural History. Visit the attractions at your own pace, in any order, over 9 days. One easy purchase and mobile ticket delivery saves time and money.  Buy CityPASS® online  and present your pass to the admissions desk for entry at the Harvard Museum of Natural History or Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology.

Harvard Museum of Natural History is one of the Boston attractions offered by Go City. Discover 40+ top Boston attractions and save up to 55% with  Go City . Choose between a 1, 2, 3, 5 or 7-day All-Inclusive Pass and get exploring—visit the Paul Revere House, get hands-on at the Museum of Science, hop on an entertaining guided trolley tour and meet the critters at New England Aquarium. There are different activities to suit everyone—all hand-picked by a team of local experts. Your pass is fully digital and comes with a handy city guide to help you plan your trip. See more. Spend less.

Frequently Asked Questions

The Harvard Museums of Science & Culture (HMSC) is a partnership of Harvard University museums:

• Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments  
• Harvard University Herbaria
• Mineralogical and Geological Museum
• Museum of Comparative Zoology  

HMSC works in concert with Harvard faculty, museum curators, and students, as well as with members of the extended Harvard community, to provide interdisciplinary exhibitions, events and lectures, and educational programs for students, teachers, and the general public. HMSC draws primarily upon the extensive collections of the member museums and the research of their faculty and curators.

Tickets for the Harvard Museum of Natural History and the Peabody Museum can be purchased at the admissions desks in those museums. One ticket grants admission to both museums. Admission is free at the Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments and the Harvard Museum of the Ancient Near East.

There are a limited number of two-hour metered spaces located on Oxford and Kirkland Streets. These meters only accept US quarters or credit cards or you can pay via the  parking app . 

Limited parking is available for museum visitors in nearby University-operated garages including the 52 Oxford Street Garage, located at the intersection of Everett and Oxford Street. Permits must be purchased in advance online . All major credit cards are accepted and sales are final. For customer service related to the purchase of permits, please contact the Harvard Parking Office at (617) 496-7827 or  [email protected] .

Weekend permits for the 52 Oxford Street Garage can also be purchased in person at the museum’s admission desk. A license plate number is required for purchase.

There is no eating or drinking allowed in the galleries, but we are located near Harvard Square where there is a variety of food and drink options. The Harvard University Northwest Café is also located near the museum.

You are welcome to bring strollers, wheelchairs, and scooters.

Yes, please! Photos and selfies are encouraged, but the use of flash and tripods is not permitted. Commercial photography or video cameras are not permitted without written permission. Information on photography and videography requests for commercial use can be found on the individual museum websites.

Drawing is encouraged in the galleries, but the use of clay, paints, pastels, and chalk is not permitted. Please do not block passageways; keep them accessible to other visitors.

We do not currently have nursing stations.

Changing stations are located in museum bathrooms.

The museums welcome  service dogs . Please note that emotional support animals and comfort animals are not permitted.

Take A Harvard Campus Tour on Your Visit to Boston

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It’s time to get wicked smart on your trip to Boston . A visit to the wonderful city of Boston wouldn’t be complete without taking a Harvard campus tour. After all, there’s so much history there.

I really wanted to visit Harvard University when I was in Boston. But I didn’t actually realize you could take a tour and walk around the university. In fact, the tours are run by students. What a great idea!

I was hoping for some serious osmosis just by being in the vicinity of this world renowned college. Still waiting for that to kick in – let’s hope you have more luck. But if you want to give it a go, keep reading to find more about this fun, unique tour.

Where is Harvard?

Harvard University is in Cambridge Massachusetts , on the other side of the river to Boston . Also in Cambridge is MIT (the Massachusetts Institute of Technology). That’s a lot of smart people in one small place.

Cambridge is a short distance from downtown Boston and is a stop on most city tours. I took a hop on-hop off bus tour when I was there with my parents and we could get off to walk around Cambridge and Harvard before getting back on.

How do I get there?

If you are not taking part in one of these bus tours , then you can still easily get to Harvard. The university has a stop on the red line of the MBTA subway. Clearly marked as Harvard you can’t get off at the wrong stop. If you do, then you might not be Harvard material.

The train journey is less than 15 minutes from downtown Boston if you’re along the Red Line . I stayed at the Fairmont Copley Plaza hotel, where there was a Green Line subway right outside. I connected at Park Street station and was there in only 20 minutes.

How much is the tour?

The Harvard campus tour is $20-25 for adults, costs can sometimes vary by day or season. We didn’t book our tickets in advance, but if you are traveling in the summer months when it might be busier this could be a good idea.

Gratuities are not included, but this is a fully guided tour and the students who lead the tours work really hard at delivering the best tour possible . So this is a really reasonable price for what you learn. To book your tour in advance, check out this Viator link .

What time does the Harvard campus tour run?

The tours go multiple times a day, seven days a week. From December to February inclusive the tours are more limited so make sure to check in advance. But all other times of year there are at least 4 or 5 tour start times. In the summer months June to August there are about a dozen times with the tour leaving every half hour between 10am and 4pm .

Will there be a lot of walking?

The Harvard campus tour is just over an hour long. It starts right outside the subway station and you’ll walk in through the university gates, around the yard and past some of the more historic buildings.

All in all you end up walking about a mile, but there are plenty of stops to listen to stories and the guides walk at a relaxed pace . We had a large group and no-one had trouble keeping up. We spent time around the college both before and after our tour though, so if you plan on doing the same make sure you have comfortable footwear.

Tell me more about Harvard

I thought you’d never ask! Well, I don’t want to give away all of the tour information, but I can tell you a couple of things about Harvard University that I found interesting.

As a total bibliophile I was amazed at how many books this university holds. I bet you can’t guess. Well there are 77 libraries. That’s right SEVENTY SEVEN! Between them all they hold over 18 million books .

The biggest of these libraries is Widener Library holding over 3 million books by itself. It goes six stories down and you’d walk two marathons (52 miles) to go past the same book twice if you went around it all. Harry Elkins Widener was a book collector who died in the Titanic disaster of 1912, and the library was commissioned by his mother in his honor.

Harvard University has had a number of famous residents. 8 US Presidents studied here, as well as countless other notable figures . Not all of the famous attendees finished studying at Harvard – Matt Damon and Mark Zuckerberg included. Although this is the university where Facebook began.

In Harvard Yard is a statue that has one foot much shinier than the rest of the statue. This is the statue of John Harvard, one of the founders of Harvard college. Touching his left foot is apparently lucky, hence the one shiny foot.

The biggest issue with the statue though is not the misdirected faith in good fortune coming from touching it, but that this is not actually John Harvard. See, when the statue was commissioned over 200 years after his death, they realized no-one knew what he looked like. So this statue takes inspiration from a descendant of one of the college’s earlier Presidents instead.

So what do you see on the Harvard campus tour?

Well our tour started with a walk through the side of Johnston Gate, the large wrought iron gate that leads to Harvard Yard. Most of the time the gate is closed. Why? Well because if you haven’t guessed it yet, there are a few superstitions when it comes to Harvard.

A big one is that you should only pass through the gate twice. Once on your first day as a Freshman, the next after you graduate. Any more and it’s considered bad luck.

We walked past the office of the President of Harvard, and into the main Harvard Yard. Here we were told about the people who have studied here and they told us a bit about the student housing (and the luck of the draw that comes with it).

We saw the statue of John Harvard. Well, almost (see above). Then walked through the yard, and across campus to the are that holds Praine Hall and the Sanders Theater, two of the larger structures where students gather for concerts and events.

Continuing around the perimeter we passed old buildings, museums and learned historic facts about the great university. I feel like I knew Harvard just by seeing it in so many movies. Channeling my inner Elle Woods, I soaked up as much Harvard knowledge as I could during this impressive Harvard campus tour.

What about the tour guide?

As I mentioned before the tour guides are all students. So what does this mean? Well it means they know a heck of a lot about this university. They eat, breathe and sleep Harvard. They worked their asses off to get there, and the excitement and pride shows in every story they tell . Our guide was incredibly personable and informative, and kept us all smiling throughout.

She was originally from Colorado and told us all about her dream to go to Harvard, the application process and the benefits of studying at Harvard. What I found most impressive is that Harvard is one of the top universities that is supported by financial aid for students.

Any student whose family earns less than $60,000 a year does not have to pay for tuition. While attending Harvard is by no means a free ride (accommodation and school supplies still add up), it is good to know that you don’t have to come from an investment banker family to be able to afford one of America’s top colleges.

Where can I buy some Harvard swag?

After the tour of the inner Harvard campus, the tour heads out into the streets of Cambridge , the small university town where the college is located. We had a number of shops, restaurants and pubs pointed out to us. But at the end of the Harvard campus tour we were taken to the Harvard shop where we said goodbye to our tour guide, and hello to Harvard branded everything .

Sweaters, t-shirts, mugs, stickers…you name it! If you want anything with a giant H on it, you’re in luck. Some of the items are more reasonably priced than others but a sweater is most likely going to set you back about $50.

Read more about some of the best food in Boston including Mike’s Pastry located in Cambridge, right outside of Harvard University .

Should I do this Harvard campus tour?

If you’re visiting Boston and you have an afternoon free then definitely. The first time I was in Boston I didn’t get to Harvard as I thought it was quite far. Boy was I wrong, it was super easy to get to. I’m glad I managed to get there though, and this tour was one of the best things I did in the city. It was unique and informative, and the students who run these tours are champs.

I would highly recommend you take this tour if you’re visiting Boston. Prepare to get smarter, and when you get home you can honestly use the phrase “well, when I was at Harvard…”. They don’t know you were only there for an afternoon!

If you’ve enjoyed this post leave a comment or share using the social media buttons below. Have you taken a Harvard campus tour? Or something similar?

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10 thoughts on “Take A Harvard Campus Tour on Your Visit to Boston”

I’ve been on the Harvard campus a few times but never realized there was a tour available. Seems like a great way to understand the history of the place.

Great detailed info! I didn’t know about the Harvard Tour when I visited Boston in October.

So cool that you can do a tour run by students! Definitely something I’d love to do when I’m in the area!

Wow, what a neat thing to be able to do! And such great information. Thanks so much for sharing 🙂

This is so fascinating!! I would absolutely love to visit Harvard and do the campus tour one day!

Woah I never thought Harvard had that many libraries! That’s wild! I love how thorough this guide is- this really seems like a must- do for a trip to Boston

Flashback!! I’ve been to Boston almost 10 years ago, visiting a friend back then. We also stopped by Harvard.

This is awesome! My son is going to graduate school at Boston University in the fall and I’m excited about visiting this famous campus!

A place with so much history! It’s somewhere I’ll definitely make sure to visit when I get to Boston. That’s so many books!

Thanks for the great article! I recently visited Boston and had the opportunity to take a Harvard campus tour. It was an amazing experience! The tour guide was very knowledgeable and gave us a great overview of the history and culture of the university. I was also able to explore the beautiful grounds and take in the stunning architecture. It was a great way to get a feel for the campus and learn more about Harvard. Highly recommend taking a tour if you’re ever in Boston!

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9 Harvard Experiences To Explore (And One To Avoid)

Despite its prim and proper reputation, Harvard's history has many surprises! Here are nine things to explore -- and one worth avoiding!

The fall is the perfect time to visit Harvard University when the leaves are aglow with amber and ruby hues, and the quadrangles are buzzing with students. Most travelers immediately think of Harvard Yard, but many hidden gems are tucked all over the campus that visitors can access without a student ID. What’s more, despite its prim and proper reputation, there are some surprising twists in the University’s traditions that are worth learning about and experiencing when you visit this centuries-old campus. Here are nine uniquely Harvard experiences and one event travelers might want to avoid.

10 Harvard Yard In Autumn

The place to start any Harvard tour, the Yard (as students affectionately know it), is the beating heart of the university. Dormitories circle the yard, enclosed by a wrought iron gate. Some of Harvard’s 25 gates close in the evening, so travelers should enter and exit at The Class of 1875 Gate. Within the Yard are many historical buildings that are interesting in their own right. However, a trip to Harvard Yard should include time to meander the zigzagging paths and soak in the ambiance of youthful ambition and tradition. To identify the campus buildings, Harvard provides a free interactive map of the Campus .

Related: US News & World Report Releases List Of Top 1,500 Global Universities

9 A Titanic Connection

It is no secret that many buildings on Harvard’s campus are named for wealthy and influential people. The grand and sprawling Harry Elkins Widener Memorial Library is no different, but there is a tragic twist. Harry graduated from Harvard in 1907 and was an ardent book lover. The twenty-four-year-old was aboard the Titanic to sail to England to buy books for his large personal library at home. Coincidentally, the Widener family was hosting a lavish party for the ship’s captain on the night the Titanic sank . In memory of her son, Harry’s mother donated millions of dollars to Harvard to erect a massive library. After renovations and expansions over the years, Widener Library is a bibliophile paradise, with over 50 miles of bookshelves with a capacity of 3 million books .

8 Landmarks Of Modernist Architecture

Harvard’s name calls up images of stone buildings, old-world propriety, and a sturdy grounding in the past. However, the reality of Harvard’s campus is modern and state-of-the-art. Contemporary buildings dot the campus and boldly make known their modern sensibilities. The Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts embodies a thoroughly modernist concept cast in concrete by iconic architect Le Corbusier. Harkness Commons was designed by Walter Gropius and serves as the graduate center. Spanish architect Josep Lluis Sert designed multiple buildings for Harvard while serving as the Dean of the Graduate School of Design, including the Science Center and the Holyoke Center in Harvard Square.

7 The Former Radcliffe College

At its inception, Harvard was an all-male institution. When women were allowed to enroll, they were educated at Radcliffe College and did not enjoy equal access to Harvard College’s amenities and resources. When co-education finally became the norm at the Ivy League school, Radcliffe became an institute of the University, and women were integrated into Harvard University. The Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study courtyard Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study has a much more human scale, without the massive buildings that tower over Harvard Yard. In the autumn, the trees in the Radcliffe courtyard are aglow against the lamp lights that still flicker on cool autumn nights. This hidden gem is one of the best places for an evening stroll in Harvard Square.

Related: New Feminist City Guides Put Travelers In Touch With Women-Led Businesses And Egalitarian Monuments

6 The First Stadium Built For College Football

Sports enthusiasts should head across the Charles River to Harvard Stadium. Built in 1903, the Greco-Roman-inspired athletic complex was the first stadium ever purpose-built for college football . It is also a National Historic Landmark. There are only four athletic stadiums with this designation, so visitors should take the opportunity to see Harvard Stadium while exploring the university. There’s more than football here, and outdoor athletics competitions from rugby to track and field are held here. The best time to visit the Stadium is during the long-held rival football match between Harvard and Yale, locally known as The Game. During this event, students and alumni hold tailgate parties outside the stadium and rally for their teams before filling the stands for a raucous match. Students of each school are known to play tricks and pull outrageous pranks on the opposing side before and during the game.

5 The Little Chapel That Wasn't

This charming, tiny Georgian building, tucked into a small corner quadrangle of the Yard, is often overlooked, but it holds some surprising history. The chapel has never actually functioned as such. Interrupted by the Revolutionary War, the building was used by revolutionary forces and even housed then-General George Washington’s troops for a time. After the war, it became a venue for medical lectures, and remains of human specimens were found under the building. The building is currently a convening space for performances, small lectures, and student events – a function it has performed consistently since 1880.

4 The River Houses

After completing freshman year in a Harvard Yard dormitory, most students go on to upper-class residential houses, which can be found all over Cambridge. These buildings range from traditional Georgian to modern. Visitors should enjoy an autumn stroll by the Charles River to visit a set of these residences affectionately known by students as The River Houses. The dormitories are tucked into bright, leafy scenery with the sparkling river as a backdrop. Interior access is limited to students for privacy and security reasons, but visitors can enjoy the architectural diversity and richness of the buildings’ exteriors and idyllic settings.

3 Primal Scream

This little-known Harvard tradition will surprise visitors. At midnight, on the night before final exams begin each term, Harvard students engage in a 70-year-old tradition that is more than a little unlikely. Students disrobe and run a lap around Harvard Yard while onlookers gather and the university band plays. This is Primal Scream. This tradition serves as a chance for students to let off steam after the long study days known as the reading period and before the start of finals. Initially, students only opened their windows and screamed for ten minutes , but at some point in the 1990s, the au naturale lap came into fashion.

2 The John Harvard Statue -- But Not Really

In the center of Harvard Yard stands a supposed statue of John Harvard , an early benefactor of the university. One of the most photographed statues in the US, visitors often rub their left foot for good luck. However, this regal statue is known within the Harvard community as the “statue of three lies,” and upon close inspection, it’s clear to see why. First, the pedestal mentions that John Harvard was the founder of the university when, in fact, he was a benefactor. Second, it claims the university was founded in 1638, although it was founded two years earlier. Finally, the face of the statue isn’t John Harvard at all. An unknown student was used as the model, and no one was sure of the student’s identity.

Related: Ocean Atlas: Take A Snorkeling Tour To See The World's Largest Underwater Statue

1 The Poet And The Food Fight

Visitors to Harvard Yard today will find a peaceful, grassy yard surrounded by brick and wrought iron gates. However, Harvard wasn’t always this peaceful. There is a long history of student rebellions and agitation. Between 1766 and 1834, seven riots demanded change for several grievances. The Rebellion of 1818 was sparked at University Hall, a gleaming white building in the heart of Harvard Yard, by a food fight between the freshman and sophomore classes . Students threw their meals at one another, and the sophomore instigator of the fight was expelled. His fellow students disagreed with the expulsion and demonstrated against the university administration. Eventually, the entire sophomore class was expelled. Some students were allowed to rejoin the university a short while later, including American author Ralph Waldo Emerson. Visitors can see University Hall today, although it no longer serves as a dining hall for students. And that’s probably for the best!

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Eight cool things to do around harvard.

What is there to do that Harvard?

That was a tough question to answer last year before I had gotten to explore Boston. Over the course of the year and the summer, I got to try out so many things in Boston.

Did you know you can go sailing? Go to a beach? See Cambridge and Boston from above (kind of…)?

TLDR, yes you can.

Harvard is situated in the heart of Cambridge, a quaint college town beside the great city of Boston. That is to say, there is so much to do right at the doorstep of campus. Are you looking for interesting things to do? If so, here are 8 of my favorite things to do at Harvard!

8) Go sailing!

Are you a fan of sailing? Have you ever sailed before? Whether you’re interested in joining the Harvard sailing team or trying sailing for the first time, there are ways for you to do it! I, for one, went sailing for the first time this past summer. One of my buddies took me out on the waters, and, wow, was it awesome!

My pal is an avid sailor now and cannot say enough good things about it. The best thing is? He learned how to sail this summer! Like kayaking, sailing is another fun thing to learn how to do, especially since the Charles River is right there. Did I mention, Boston is one of the windiest cities in the U.S., too? I have to thank my friend for this experience!

7) Go kayaking!

Like sailing, kayaking is a great way to enjoy Harvard’s proximity to the Charles River. My friends and I went kayaking this past summer, starting at the MIT stop and ending our voyage at Harvard. It’s not only a great sightseeing experience but also a great way to get outdoors. Plus, there are so many great restaurants right next to the many kayaking stops, from vegan cafés to affordable diners.

A Nature Ride

Kayaking on the Charles River was the right move on the right day. John Lin '25

I went kayaking for the first time this summer, and I loved it! If you have a few hours when the weather is nice, I’d highly recommend it!

6) Go thrift shopping!

Another great thing about Cambridge is it’s on the doorstep of thrift shops! Central Square, a T-stop away from Cambridge, has two great thrift stores: Boomerang’s (so far my favorite) and Goodwill. One of my friends got a nice pair of pants for a few dollars there. They have everything from coats to scarves to cool mugs. It’s a nice place to check out!

Those are just two near the yard. In Boston? There are so many more.

5) Visit the Boston Harbor Islands!

Boston is a coastal city, which means its ferry system is phenomenal. But, did you know there are islands off the New England coast? All you have to do to get a sense of Boston’s New England feel is to stop by Boston Harbor and take a deep breath. Aside from visiting the famous New England Aquarium, what better way is there to immerse yourself in Boston’s coastal wonders than to visit the Boston Harbor islands yourself?

Georges Island

After a warm, breezy ferry ride, we made it to Georges Island.

Right off the coast of the Boston Harbor, the Boston Harbor islands are some of the largest historic national parks in Boston. Many of the Boston Harbor islands house old forts and contraptions and are open for exploration. I went to Georges Island, and it was COOL! We even had a picnic afterward—the possibilities of things to do there are endless!

4) Go rock climbing!

For all of you rock climbers out there, fret not, because there are great rock climbing facilities both at Harvard and right outside of Harvard! My friends have gone many a time to Boston Bouldering, which is only a 20-minute walk from campus and even closer on the bus. Among others, this rock climbing facility has auto belays to help beginners learn the ropes, a gymnasium and weights, a meditation and yoga room, bouldering walls, classic rock climbing routes, and even a tightrope! They also have everything you need to get started, from rental shoes to equipment.

Awkward picture of me trying to complete a bouldering route.

If you’ve never been rock climbing before, this is sure to be a great place to do it for the first time!

3) See Cambridge and Boston (from above)!

There is a secret spot near Harvard where you can see almost all of Cambridge and even some of Boston: the Washington Tower at the Mount Auburn Cemetery. The Washington Tower was built in 1854 in honor of George Washington. From the top, almost all of Cambridge can be seen!

Washington Tower

From atop the tower, even the tip of Memorial Hall can be seen.

If you get the chance to visit, I think this is a spot you should visit at least once in your four years.

2) Explore Downtown Boston!

Nestled in Boston’s Downtown, the Boston Chinatown has some amazing restaurants with everything from traditional Chinese food to region-specific delicacies. Many restaurants even cater to the food from the specific part of China my family is from! Aside from the diners, the bakeries, boba and dessert shops, and dim sum places are all spectacular eateries to try.

Chinese Bakeries

Fresh Chinese pastries and a cup of soymilk in the morning hits differently.

There is also so much history and culture in Chinatown inscribed into the gate and into plaques scattered throughout the vicinity. Watch a traditional Chinese dance! Join in on a mahjong game! Visit a craft shop or supermarket—or even get a haircut! There are so many things to do and try in Chinatown. I think it’s a wonderful place to visit!

1) Go to the beach!

Boston? Beaches? No way.

Yes, way. While not right outside of Harvard, there are many beaches that aren’t too far away. Boston’s Revere Beach is one of the most popular beaches right in Boston, and Boston is located close to many great beaches. Cape Cod is a few hours' car ride away, and there are numerous beaches just out of the state in Rhode Island, also a few hours away on the commuter rail. My friends and I have gotten the chance to visit both Provincetown (at Cape Cod) and Providence (in Rhode Island), both of which were stunning.

Snapshot of Cape Cod

Provincetown was beyond beautiful, and Cape Cod in general was beyond fun.

When the weather gets nicer, maybe rent a Zipcar and schedule a day away at the beach. If you’re a beach person like me, you won’t regret it!

These are some of my favorite things to do off campus when the weather is nicer, but there are many other things to do. For sure, Cambridge and Boston do not lack things to do!

Raymond Class of '25

Hey everyone! My name is Raymond, and I’m a junior at Harvard College studying Neuroscience on the Mind, Brain, and Behavior track. I live in Currier House—objectively the best house at the College!

Student Voices

Dear homesick international student at harvard college.

David Class of '25

An International First Year's Guide to Thanksgiving Break

Faseeh Class of '27

Directing the 36th Ghungroo: Celebrating South Asian Culture at Harvard!

Hana Rehman Class of '25

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How To Visit Harvard On Your Next Trip To Boston

On your next trip to Boston, why not take the opportunity to visit the iconic Harvard University? Getting there is quite easy and so worth it!

I did it myself and it was so fun to see the most famous university in the world in person. (:

In this post, you will read about how to visit Harvard and take a free tour of the university.

Plan your Perfect trip to Boston

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Why Visit Harvard University

First, because visiting Harvard is one of the best things to do in Boston and it is a gorgeous place to visit all year round, I got to see the campus covered in snow, and it was so beautiful!

Second, if you never had the opportunity to attend one, exploring an Ivy League school is an interesting and unique experience.

Anyone can visit Harvard University and see with his own eyes the school chosen by brilliant minds like Barack Obama, Bill Gates, and George W. Bush.

How To Get To Harvard From Boston

The best way to get to Harvard is by driving, taking uber or public transportation.

I went with public transportation and getting there was easy peasy:

Public transportation

Boston’s public transportation system is very efficient and easy to understand. Taking the subway is a fast and cheap way to get to Harvard.

All you have to do is get to a subway station where you can take the Red Line and then get off at Harvard Station.

Climb the stairs and you will already find yourself right in front of the university, in Harvard Square.

Harvard Address

For those who prefer to go drive or take an uber the university’s address is Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.

In case you are driving, you might be asking yourself where to park to visit Harvard. Well, these are some commercial parking lots and garages where you can park:

• Smith Campus Center Parking Garage (managed by Propark)
• Harvard Square Parking Garage
• University Place Parking Garage
• Charles Square Garage
• Church Street Parking Lot
• Harvard Square Hotel

The history of Harvard University

According to Best College Reviews , Harvard University possesses the title of America’s oldest learning institution, founded in 1636.

In the beginning, its name was New College and was built mainly to educate clergy. In 1639, the school’s name became Harvard University, name after John Harvard, who donated half of his estate and his entire library to the school upon his death.

Taking A Tour of Harvard University

The best way to visit the Harvard Campus is by taking a student-led tour.

The tours last around 70 minutes and include a map of the campus.

When I did it, a very nice student called Jack showed us around and took us to one of the libraries (so beautiful!), the science building, the dorms, and so much more.

He also taught us about the university traditions and ended the tour on the famous statue of John Harvard.

It was such a fun experience!

What To Visit in Harvard Square

After you visit the university, you might as well make the most out of your day trip and stroll around the historic neighborhood of Harvard Square.

Some of the best things to do in Harvard Square include:

• Visiting one of the many souvenir stores
• Buy a book at the Harvard Book Store
• Catch a movie at the Brattle Theater
• Brunch at Henrietta’s Table

Other cool things to do in Boston

Besides visiting Harvard, there are many other fun and unique experience to have in Boston!

Here are some of my favorite:

Cruise along Charles River

Hop into a duck boat—renovated World War II amphibious vehicle—for a comprehensive tour of Boston. Pass Boston Common, Quincy Market, and the Celtics’ home turf at TD Garden. Then splash down into the Charles River for a view of the city by boat. Learn all about Boston’s history and landmarks as you go.

Go on a day trip to Martha’s Vineyard

Join Boston’s only award-winning, original, Martha’s Vineyard Day Trip! Leave the trouble of driving to someone else and enjoy a day trip to Martha’s Vineyard from Boston.

Then, take a short cruise to Martha’s Vineyard then enjoy free time to explore or upgrade to add an island tour.

Go on a Ghosts & Gravestones Night-Time Trolley Tour

Discover some of Boston’s deepest, darkest secrets on a “frightseeing” tour aboard the Trolley of the Doomed, which roams around the haunted streets and burial grounds of Boston

Tour Fenway Park, America’s most beloved ballpark

Revel in the history of Fenway Park, one of baseball’s most beloved stadiums, during this guided tour.

Revisit the careers of Red Sox greats like Ted Williams, Babe Ruth, and Carl Yastrzemski, celebrate the club’s numerous World Series titles and tour famous stadium locales like the ‘Green Monster,’ ‘Pesky’s Pole,’ and the Fenway Park Living Museum.

That’s a wrap! I hope this guide was useful to you and that you have a lovely time at the most famous university in the world.

Remember to send this post to any of your friends that still don’t know how to visit Harvard and follow me on Instagram for more travel tips (:

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[…] Going on a day trip to Harvard is an absolute must if this is your first time in Boston! The university is one of the most iconic in the world and it offers student-led free tours. You can see how to take one of those right here. […]

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[…] How to visit Harvard: taking a free tour of the university […]

This is so awesome! I’d love to visit Harvard one day and meet some of the brilliant minds who study there.

Camila Neves

I highly recommend it!! 🙂

Rebecca Scholes

We loved Harvard when we visited, would love to have done a tour. And Boston is one of our all time favourite American Cities, love it 😍

Daniel Barker

Love to visit the campus again and again. It’s the place from where many histories begin

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Visiting Campus

Planning to visit campus? We’ve gathered some information to help you plan your visit — virtually or in-person.

You can access the  Harvard University campus map to explore campus yourself.

Campus Tours

Whether you want to explore campus from the comfort of your home or you’re ready to Cambridge, MA and see it for yourself, there are a number of options for touring the Harvard University campus.

Virtual Tours

In addition to exploring campus using the campus map , you can explore Harvard from home using our Virtual Tour . On this tour, you can discover spaces that aren’t included on in-person tours, such as classrooms, laboratories, and residence halls.

Check out more, topic-specific virtual tours on the Harvard University Visitor Center website.

In-Person Tours

The official Harvard tour departs from the Harvard Information Center, in the Smith Campus Center. The tour is student-led and includes a walk through Harvard Yard, an overview of the University’s history, and a unique view on the student experience.

The one-hour tour is free, but you do need to register in advance. Visiting parties are limited to groups of 5. For groups of 6 or more, please contact the Harvard University Visitor Center to arrange a visit.

You can view the Harvard University visitors calendar for more details.

If you are interested in touring the campus on your own, you can go on a self-guided tour using the Visit Harvard mobile app, available to download on iOS and Android devices.

Harvard Division of Continuing Education

The Division of Continuing Education (DCE) at Harvard University is dedicated to bringing rigorous academics and innovative teaching capabilities to those seeking to improve their lives through education. We make Harvard education accessible to lifelong learners from high school to retirement.

Visitor Access

Visiting a library.

Interested in using our libraries, but are not a Harvard student, faculty, alum, or staff? You’re in the right place. 

While our libraries primarily serve the Harvard community, we strive to make our world-class research resources available to as many researchers as we can. There are plenty of opportunities for visitors to experience our collections.

Harvard ID holders may bring up to four guests into Widener Library. Guest policies may vary for other Harvard Library locations.

Events & Exhibits

Many of our events and exhibits are open to the public, and many are virtual.

Public Events

Many library events are open to the public online. Check the event details for admittance information.

Library exhibits tell the unique stories of our diverse and deep collections. Many are open to the public.

Browse upcoming library tours. Some tours are open to the public; others are open to Harvard ID holders and their guests.

Special Collections and Archives

Many of our libraries are home to rare and unique materials that can’t be found elsewhere. Those special collections are available to all researchers, regardless of academic affiliation.

• Our special collections and archives are open to all without a fee, by appointment.
• Please contact the holding library to learn more about accessing their special collection items in person. 
• Lamont Library’s collection of government documents  is available to the public.

See more about how to use our special collections .

Library Access Cards

Library access types.

If you would like to use Harvard’s library materials, including special collections and archives, and you are not a current Harvard student, faculty, or staff, we offer different types of access.

Special Collections

Harvard Library's special collections and archives are open to all without a fee, by appointment. Please contact the holding library to learn more about accessing their items in person.

Library Access Card

• Access a library’s physical space. You can access reading rooms for consulting general-use in-library materials. Book borrowing and access to restricted stack areas are not included.
• Use computers in the library space , which gives you access to many of our electronic resources.
• Charges may apply for some. See Request Library Access, below, for details.

Library Borrowing Card

• In addition to the access outlined for Access Card holders, Borrowing Card holders can also borrow materials from our libraries.
• Loan periods vary depending on your affiliation. 
• Charges apply for some.

How to Request Library Access

Whether you’re renewing an account or requesting access for the first time, please submit an application in advance.

Once your application has been approved, we’ll contact you to complete the application process.

For more information on eligibility and associated fees, please review the options below. If you do not see yourself in any of the descriptions, contact the Harvard Library Access and Borrowing Office and we’ll discuss available access options.

Harvard Alumni

All Harvard alumni are eligible to apply for a Library Borrowing Card, which comes with on-site library access at no charge. 

Research Assistants and Library Proxies

If you are working with a Harvard University faculty member, they can sponsor a Library Borrowing Card and submit a request form. 

Free | Expires after 1 year or with end of role

Domestic Partners of Harvard Faculty, Staff, and Students

Domestic partners and spouses of Harvard faculty, staff and students are eligible for borrowing and access to Harvard’s libraries. You will be asked to show a government-issued ID and a copy or picture of your partner’s HUID. If you and your partner’s last names are different, we ask that you also bring a copy of a lease, utility bill, marriage certificate, or other piece of official mail with both names listed as residing at the same address. 

Harvard-Affiliated Programs and Centers

If you are part of a program or center affiliated with Harvard University, you can request a Library Borrowing Card, which comes with full library access at no charge.  

Ivy Plus and BorrowDirect

Our partnership with BorrowDirect allows physical access to our libraries to affiliates of fellow Ivy Plus institutions: Brown University, Columbia University, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, Duke University, Johns Hopkins University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Princeton University, Stanford University, University of Chicago, University of Pennsylvania, and Yale University. You will be asked to show a government-issued ID and sign into BorrowDirect with your school credentials. 

Free | Expires May 31 each year

Nonprofit Institutions with Harvard Library Agreements

Several institutions have direct agreements with Harvard Library to allow library use by their members. If you are not sure whether your institution has an agreement, please contact your benefits office. 

• Library Access Card: Free, expires after 1 year or with end of role
• Library Borrowing Card: $250 for six months; $450 for 12 months 

Non-Harvard Faculty, Doctoral Students, and Librarians/Curators

Researchers from other institutions can apply for library access and borrowing. You may qualify if you are faculty, a doctoral student, or a librarian/curator from another university or academic institution.

• Library Access Card: Free of charge ($25 fee for new card), expires after 1 year or with end of role
• Library Borrowing Card: $450 for six months; $850 for 12 months 

Independent Researchers

If you would like to research using Harvard Library and you do not have a Harvard University affiliation or belong to another organization with an existing library access agreement, you can apply for either a Library Access Card or a Library Borrowing Card.

Please note that independent researchers must demonstrate a genuine need to use Harvard's collections in order to access our spaces.

• Library Access Card: $50 for 1 month; $100 for 3 months
• Senior Citizen rate, Library Borrowing Card: $250 for six months; $450 for 12 months
• Special Collections access: A card is not required , please contact the individual library to make an appointment.

Harvard Library Access and Borrowing

Staff in the Harvard Library Access and Borrowing Office are here to answer your questions about library access and borrowing. See our hours with Widener Library's hours .

We are located on the left when you enter Widener Library via Harvard Yard. An accessible entrance is available on the Mass. Ave. side of the building. Tell security you're here to register with Access and Borrowing and they will direct you.

Widener Library Room 130 Harvard Yard Cambridge , MA 02138 United States

• email: [email protected]
• Phone number 617-495-4166

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the free tour by the students are not operating during the thanksgiving weekend can we tour them ourselves?

Yes. You can certainly walk around both campuses. Parts of some buildings are open to the public, such as the main building at MIT or the Science Center at Harvard, but most are restricted. Both schools have facilities such as museums, chapels, &c that the public can visit. Guidebooks to Cambridge may have info on what tourists can do.

so they are generally open all the time? is it worth going around and visit them? or just tour around in boston? we are spending 2 days in boston

If by "open" you mean that you can walk around the campus, yes. You can do that at any time of any day. or night

You can catch the Red Line subway from MIT to Harvard or there is a T bus #1 that goes to Harvard via Mass Ave, there is a bus stop in front of MIT.

You can download a map and an audio tour for the Harvard campus here:

http://www.harvard.edu/visitors/audio-tours

Even though formal tours may not be available, there is also a company called Trademark Tours that offers an unofficial tour of the campus that many people enjoy.Not sure if they will be operating that weekend but you can check with them: http://www.harvardtour.com/tours/public-tours/classic-hahvahd-tour/

The Harvard Museum of Natural History is open every day in November 9am to 5pm except Thanksgiving Day itself (November 22nd). http://www.hmnh.harvard.edu/plan_your_visit/plan_your_visit.html

Harvard Square is easy to get to on the Red Line subway from downtown Boston , and a visit needn't take up more than a half day if you are trying to fit in a lot of sights.

This topic has been closed to new posts due to inactivity.

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Dear Class of 2028: Here's What Makes Harvard Unique

Hello, perspective prefrosh! First and foremost, I would like to congratulate you on stumbling upon the best piece of public service journalism you will find during your time as a Harvard student. But I’ll cut to the chase; here’s why you should attend this red-brick-road school that some call a “small liberal arts college outside of Boston,” instead of other colleges that are small OR liberal arts OR outside of Boston.

The Housing System

When you arrive at Harvard, it might be your first time away from home, but don’t worry; its support networks will always have your back!

When you’re a freshman student, you have the opportunity to participate in close-knit pre-orientation groups and you will receive a Peer Advising Follow (PAF) based on your entryway. A PAF acts as your upperclassman guide to the Harvard bubble.

Better yet, you will look forward to being sorted into one of our 12 upperclassmen houses on a magical campus holiday called Housing Day . You create groups of up to eight freshmen students, known as a “Blocking Group,” and you get to live in the same House for the next three years.

Each House has its own traditions and quirks. Maybe you’ll fall in love with Lowell tea or Mather’s monkey bread or even get lucky enough to secure a ticket to Eliot’s spring formal known as Fête.

The current housing system is a completely randomized lottery, but back in the day, freshmen students ranked upperclassmen Houses , so they had distinct personalities.

What if your House doesn’t turn out to be your perfect fit? You can transfer to another one. Whether you enjoy the Quad or the River, you will find your home here.

The Math Lounge

One of our biggest academic buildings on campus is the Science Center, which is home to all the premed introduction classes, random Gen Ed lectures, and probably all your 9 a.m. classes.

But many don’t realize that it is also home to a free espresso machine on the fourth floor in the Math Lounge. Do yourself a favor and learn how to use it; your sleep deprivation and wallet will thank you.

Apart from the free caffeine, the lounge is also a lovely place to study and do homework, especially if you're in need of a blackboard. It even has a spacious balcony if you want to people-watch or pretend you’re the main character and romanticize the view of Harvard Yard.

Being Boston-Adjacent

Cambridge is around half an hour away from anywhere you’d want to visit in Boston. Spend a Sunday morning visiting the Museum of Fine Arts or window shop on Newbury Street — there’s plenty of good food and shopping just a short MBTA ride away.

The good thing about not being truly in the heart of Boston is that you can always escape the chaos. Go thrifting in Central Square, explore the food court in Porter Square, or maybe even take a class at MIT. Cambridge has the duality of being integrated into Boston and living in its own little world.

Extracurricular Obsession Passion

Harvard students are just as passionate about their extracurriculars as they are about their studies, if not more! You’ll meet people creating startups, pursuing activism, or even working on presidential campaigns (yeah, that presidency). The passion people have here for their life outside of class makes for mind-blowing and motivating stories. But also, please chill sometimes.

Brain Break

Every school night, there’s this lovely thing called Brain Break! Harvard knows its students stay up until strange hours studying or binge-watching Netflix, so each dining hall offers an assortment of late-night snacks for students to refuel themselves or take a break.

The Jefe’s vs. Felipe’s Debate

Harvard students judge you on which Mexican restaurant you prefer, so you better make your choice wisely. These two spots are right across the street from each other, with one being known for giant portions while the other has a lively rooftop bar. You will most likely pledge your allegiance to one and grab it every time you need a late-night snack or miss dinner.

Never-Ending Supply of Cafés

From Pavement to Blank Street to Peets, you’ll find your favorite quickly. You can always count on Harvard Square for a caffeinated beverage that’ll fulfill your craving. We have coffee, tea, a CVS with a wide selection of energy drinks, and, of course, boba!

Sundae Sunday

Each Sunday night at dinner, you’ll find ice cream and a plethora of toppings to create your own ‘Sunday Sundae.’ Need I say more?

Myriad of Research Opportunities

Science? Social Science? Engineering? The Humanities? It doesn’t matter what interests you; Harvard probably has the perfect research assistantship or summer program for you. With dozens of stipend opportunities available to undergraduates, if research is your thing, dive right in. And Boston’s truckload of hospitals aren’t only great if you manage to break a bone tripping on the brick sidewalks: they have labs, too!

Cross-Registration

Have you ever wanted to cosplay as a law or medical student without all the loans? Or maybe you got rejected from MIT but don’t know how to break it to your grandparents. Do not fear, cross-registration is here! Harvard students can take classes at the majority of the graduate schools or even at MIT to count towards their degree by petitioning their academic department for credit.

Proximity to Trader Joe’s

You might not know it yet, but you’re going to fall in love with a grocery store named Trader Joe’s. With niche snacks, seasonal flavors, and prices that won’t leave you feeling robbed like CVS, you will become obsessed with it.

There’s a Trader Joe’s near the ~new~ Science and Engineering Complex in Allston, and a secret second one 15 minutes down Memorial Drive from River East. I promise you will find grocery shopping such a treat, and you will love trying all of their new snacks to find your favorites.

Unlimited D-hall Swipes

We may not beat Boston University for their top-ranking d-hall, but we do have unlimited swipes. It’s nice to never have to worry about which meal plan to choose or if I have enough on my card to grab a meal. While Harvard University Dining Services is not always the fanciest (cough, cough, Yale), it’s reliable and stress-free. Also, you will become besties with your House d-hall swiper, the member of HUDS who greets students as they enter the servery!

Flyby Blog (of The Harvard Crimson)

Come back and read Flyby for all the life hacks you need to know as a Harvard student, or maybe even join us! Rumor has that we are also part of a 150-year-old newspaper that has scooped the New York Times multiple times… Maybe you’ll make your own list of Harvard quirks. :)

Harvard Today

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Harvard University Statement Apr. 8

Harvard University unequivocally rejects hate of all forms and in all its manifestations. The University also condemns the harassment and intimidation of individuals based on their beliefs, including the deliberate targeting and intimidation of members of our community through what is commonly referred to as “doxxing” – sharing online of private identifying information that is not otherwise publicly available. This is reprehensible and appalling behavior and does not represent the values of the Harvard community.

The safety and wellbeing of members of our community continues to be our top priority. In line with that, Harvard has provided community members with  resources , including  online protection tools , and is committed to providing a safe campus environment. 

March 2024 Project Update

• Author By Vitaly Zakuta
• Publication date April 11, 2024
• Categories: News , Project Update

This is an overview of the DRS Futures project updates as of end of March 2024. For the full update, please visit the Monthly Reports page.

Current Project Status:

• Completed company profile research with HUIT Strategic Procurement and Gartner; will pursue recommendations on business continuity and disaster recovery plans as part of contracting
• Completed change management communication plan for Phase III: Implementation
• Started contract negotiations and requested draft SOW from vendor 
• Started planning, prioritization and design for integration components that will be developed by LTS team
• Surveyed stakeholders on functionality of prioritized components of the old system that will need to be replaced by new vendor or locally developed functionality and analyzed responses
• Complete draft of DRS content modeling design based on vendor metadata layout
• Define clear migration pathways for migration of DRS content to new system
• Complete prioritizing DRS local integration components and start working on design of prioritized components
• Continue planning and design for integration components that will be developed by LTS team
• Start work on testing plan and assembling test data corpus in advance of software implementation and testing

Harvard among more than a dozen schools to receive failing grade on ADL's Campus Antisemitism Report Card

The Anti-Defamation League gave Harvard University and 12 other schools a failing grade for policies to protect Jewish students from antisemitism on campus.

The ADL said it selected 85 of the top national and liberal arts colleges for assessment this year and chose those with the highest Jewish student populations. It assigned grades from A through F in a Campus Antisemitism Report Card  released Thursday.

"ADL produced this Report Card during a time of incredible volatility on college campuses," the organization said on its website . "It takes the temperature at a moment in time and provides a roadmap for improving campus climate."

Harvard, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Princeton University and the University of Virginia were among the schools to receive a letter grade of "F."

Since Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7,  numerous incidents of antisemitism have been reported at U.S. schools , with some resulting in arrests.

In November, the U.S. Department of Education announced an investigation  into a half-dozen U.S. colleges and universities and a local school district for alleged antisemitic and Islamophobic incidents. It opened a separate probe into Harvard following a complaint that alleged the Ivy League school discriminated against Jewish and Israeli students when it failed to respond to alleged incidents of harassment, The Boston Globe reported .

In December, former Harvard President Claudine Gay and two other elite university presidents  testified  before the House Education Committee on campus antisemitism. But Gay drew heated criticism for appearing to sidestep the issue during her testimony. Gay announced her resignation in January .

A spokesperson for Harvard said: "Antisemitism has no place in the Harvard community. We remain steadfast in our commitment to combating antisemitism and hate, in whatever form it manifests itself."

In March, the Ivy League shared its ongoing efforts to combat antisemitism with the House Education and Workforce Committee. Over the last several months, the school has taken steps to strengthen campus security, clarify policies, increase ways to report harassment and has organized community spaces where Jewish and Israeli students can connect.

MIT, Princeton University and the University of Virginia did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The ADL said it worked with a panel of experts to come up with a list of 21 criteria for assessment that was split into three broad groups: administrative action and policies, incidents on campus, and Jewish student life on campus.

It provided each school with a questionnaire, ultimately receiving responses from 84% of the campuses it assessed. ADL also conducted research to determine which campus fulfilled the criteria and looked at public information including high-profile investigations.

Twenty-four schools received a "D," 29 got a "C" and 17 schools received a "B." Only two schools — Brandeis University in Massachusetts and Elon University in North Carolina — received an "A."

"Every campus should get an A — that’s not grade inflation, that’s the minimum that every group on every campus expects," ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said in a statement . "Like all students, Jewish students deserve to feel safe and supported on campus. They deserve a learning environment free from antisemitism and hate. But that hasn’t been the experience with antisemitism running rampant on campus since even before October 7."

The ADL noted that Brandeis University was the first private university to revoke its recognition of the Students for Justice in Palestine chapter and quickly deemed phrases including "From the River to the Sea" as hate speech.

Elon University was praised for encouraging the community to learn more about the Oct. 7 attack and hosting an event attended by more than 200 students, faculty and staff.  

NBC News reached out to Brandeis and Elon for comment on their grades.

Other campuses still have work to do, Greenblatt said.

"As I travel the country, I’m constantly hearing from Jewish families agonizing over where they will send their kids to college," he said.

"School leadership must make serious changes to support Jewish communities on their campus; we expect nothing less. Along with the Report Card, we’re providing guidelines and resources for how schools can improve campus climate and therefore improve their grades, and we look forward to working with them and other partners to achieve that reasonable goal.” 

Minyvonne Burke is a senior breaking news reporter for NBC News.