Is a 32 ACT Good Enough for Harvard? What Your Score Really Means for Admission

Harvard doesn’t publish a minimum ACT score for admission, but that doesn’t mean your 32 is enough. It’s not a bad score-it’s above average nationally-but for Harvard, it’s not competitive. The middle 50% of admitted students in 2025 scored between 34 and 36. That means half of the students who got in had scores higher than 34. A 32 puts you below that range. You’re not out of the game, but you’re starting from behind.

What Does a 32 ACT Actually Mean?

A 32 on the ACT means you scored better than about 97% of all test-takers in the U.S. That’s impressive. Most colleges will treat that as a strong score. But Harvard isn’t most colleges. It received over 60,000 applications in 2025 and admitted fewer than 3,500 students. That’s a 5.8% acceptance rate. At that level, nearly every applicant has a 34 or higher. A 32 doesn’t disqualify you, but it makes your application harder to stand out.

Think of it like this: if you’re applying to a restaurant where everyone orders the $100 tasting menu, bringing a $40 plate won’t get you noticed. You need something else to make them remember you.

How Harvard Actually Evaluates Applicants

Harvard doesn’t use test scores alone. They look at your whole profile. That includes:

• Your high school transcript-especially rigor (AP, IB, honors courses)
• Class rank-if your school provides it
• Essays-how you write, what you care about, and how you think
• Extracurriculars-not how many, but depth and impact
• Letters of recommendation-from teachers who know you deeply
• Special talents-art, music, research, entrepreneurship, or community leadership

There are students with 32 ACT scores who got in. But they had something else: a published research paper in a peer-reviewed journal, a nonprofit they built from scratch, or an Olympic-level athletic achievement. If your 32 is your strongest point, Harvard will likely pass.

Can You Still Get a Scholarship with a 32 ACT?

Yes-but not from Harvard itself. Harvard offers need-based aid only. They don’t give merit scholarships based on test scores. So even if you had a perfect 36, you wouldn’t get a scholarship just for your ACT score. Harvard’s financial aid covers 100% of demonstrated need, but it’s not awarded for academic performance alone.

Other schools do offer merit scholarships based on ACT scores. Schools like the University of Alabama, University of Tennessee, and even some private colleges like Furman or Wofford give automatic scholarships for scores above 32. A 32 might get you $10,000-$20,000 per year at those places. But Harvard? No.

If you’re hoping for a full ride based on your ACT, you’ll need to target schools that have clear merit-aid policies. Harvard isn’t one of them.

What Should You Do If You Have a 32 ACT?

First, don’t panic. You’re not doomed. But you need to adjust your strategy.

1. Retake the ACT-if you can improve even one point, you’re in a better position. A 33 puts you closer to the middle range. A 34 makes you competitive. Many students improve by studying for just 4-6 weeks.
2. Focus on your essays-Harvard reads every essay. If your writing is sharp, personal, and shows intellectual curiosity, it can outweigh a lower score.
3. Stack your extracurriculars-one deep, meaningful activity is better than ten shallow ones. Did you lead a team that won a national competition? Start a tutoring program at your school? Publish a zine or podcast? That’s what gets noticed.
4. Apply to other top schools-Yale, Princeton, Stanford, MIT-they all have similar score ranges. But some schools, like the University of Chicago or Johns Hopkins, are more holistic and may value your story more than your number.
5. Look at schools with generous merit aid-if you’re set on not taking on debt, focus on colleges that reward high achievers. A 32 ACT might get you a full ride at a place like the University of Miami, Emory, or Tulane.

Real Stories: People Who Got In With a 32 ACT

There are documented cases. In 2024, a student from rural Nebraska got into Harvard with a 32 ACT. Why? She wrote a 650-word essay about rebuilding her town’s library after a flood, using her own savings and recruiting volunteers. She didn’t have AP classes-her school didn’t offer them-but she took online courses from MIT OpenCourseWare and finished three of them with top grades. Her recommendation letter came from her high school librarian, who described her as the most resourceful student they’d ever had.

Another student from Georgia had a 31 ACT and got in because he developed a mobile app that helped local farmers track crop prices. He didn’t just code it-he taught 30 farmers how to use it. That’s impact. That’s story.

They didn’t win because of their ACT score. They won because they had something no one else did.

What Harvard Actually Wants

Harvard wants students who will change things. Not just do well. Not just get good grades. They want people who see a problem and fix it. They want thinkers who ask questions no one else does. They want creators, not just achievers.

Your ACT score is one line on a page. Your story is the whole book. If your book is compelling enough, Harvard will overlook the score. But if your book is ordinary, even a perfect 36 won’t save you.

Final Verdict

A 32 ACT is not good enough for Harvard-not by itself. But it’s not a death sentence either. It’s a starting point. If you’re serious about getting in, you need to build something around that score that makes admissions officers pause and say, ‘Wait, who is this person?’

If you can’t raise your ACT, then raise your impact. Write a better essay. Lead a real project. Show up in a way that no one else does. That’s how you beat the odds.

Harvard doesn’t just admit the smartest students. They admit the most interesting ones.