Harvard University vs MIT

Do you intend to study abroad in the United States? You should be looking for the right institution. Here, most Indian students get the doubt whether to choose Harvard University or it is MIT. The latter as you know is Massachusetts Institute of Technology. But, you will have to know certain things to do a comparative study of these two institutions. Then, by needs and preferences, you can choose one.

Which one of these is older?

When you compare these two institutions based on age, Harvard is older. Yes, Harvard was established in 1636, while MIT was established in 1861. The nickname for the former is Crimson, while for the latter it is Engineers. Of course, both of them have Cambridge as their hometown.

Which university has a better ranking?

Let us explore the rank secured by these two institutions in different rankings:

ARWU Ranking:

According to the Academic Ranking of World Universities shortly called ARWU, Harvard is ranked in the first position, while MIT is in the 4th place as per the 2017 record. ARWU uses the following objective indicators for ranking universities from across the world.

  1. The number of staff and alumni winning Nobel Prizes and Field Medals.
  2. Per capita performance by the size of the institution
  3. Number of articles recorded in Science Citation Index
  4. Number of articles published in journals of nature and science
  5. The number of highly-cited researchers selected by Thomson Scientific

Times Higher Education Ranking:

The British Magazine publishes the Times Higher Education Ranking once a year. The core mission of the universities is the criteria for ranking. It includes international outlook, knowledge transfer, research, and teaching mission.  As per the Times Higher Education Ranking, Harvard is in the 4th position, while MIT is in the 5th rank.

US News Ranking:

The U.S. News ranked MIT in the first position and Harvard University in the third place based on the QS World University Ranking in the year 2017.

Forbes ranking:

According to Forbes’ annual list of America’s 650 top institutions, MIT is ranked 10, while Harvard is ranked 8. This evaluation focuses on the things that matter the most to students. Yes, the factors include low levels of debt, high graduation rates, excellent career prospects, and quality of teaching.

The number of academic staff:

As per the data from agencies like the National Ministry of Education, the National Rector’s Conference, the National Association of Universities and Colleges, and the National Bureau of Statistics, the academic staff is 1018 at MIT, while in the case of Harvard, the number is 2017.

What is the tuition fee for international students?

As per the University’s Official statistics for 2017, the average tuition fee for international students at Harvard is $39,966, while the money charged by MIT for international students is $41300. Also, the cost of room and boarding is $13630 in the former and $12744 in the latter.

Percentage of Asian students:

As you are an Indian comparing these two universities, it is essential that you should be aware of the Asian student statistics in both of these schools. The percentage of Asian students at MIT in 2017 was 24.1% of the total number of students. The value of 100 is 15.2 in the case of Harvard.

What is the average admission SAT Score?

As you know, SAT scores is one of the criteria for the selection of students to these institutions. The average admissions SAT Score in the case of MIT is 1490, while for Harvard it is 1500.

How about the student-staff ratio?

It is one staff member for every eight students in the case of MIT, while the number of students is 7 for one staff member at Harvard.

Conclusion:

When comparing between these two institutions, the choice is purely yours. For instance, it relies on your interests. In the case of liberal arts, law, business, and humanities, you can choose Harvard. On the other hand, if you are into engineering, MIT is the best choice.

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