Is a 32 ACT good enough for Harvard? What You Really Need to Know

Harvard doesn’t publish a minimum ACT score requirement. But if you’re sitting on a 32, you’re probably wondering: Is a 32 ACT good enough for Harvard? The short answer? It’s not impossible-but it’s not enough on its own.

What Does a 32 ACT Actually Mean?

A 32 on the ACT puts you in the 97th percentile nationally. That’s impressive. Most high school students don’t break 30. But Harvard doesn’t recruit from the national average. They recruit from the top 1%. In 2024, the middle 50% of admitted students scored between 33 and 35 on the ACT. That means half of the class scored higher than 33. A 32 is below that range.

That doesn’t mean you’re out. It means you’re competing against students who have near-perfect scores, perfect GPAs, national awards, and published research. If your 32 is your strongest asset, Harvard will likely pass. But if your 32 is just one piece of a much bigger story, you still have a shot.

How Harvard Actually Admits Students

Harvard uses a holistic review. That’s a fancy way of saying they look at everything-not just numbers. They care about:

• What you’ve done outside the classroom
• How you’ve overcome challenges
• Whether you’ve made a real impact in your community
• Who you are as a person, not just a transcript

There are real cases of students with 31 ACT scores getting in because they founded a nonprofit that helped 500+ underprivileged kids learn to code. Or because they published a paper in a peer-reviewed journal at age 16. Or because they were the first in their family to apply to college and carried a 4.0 while working 20 hours a week.

Harvard’s admissions office reads every application. They’re not just scanning for scores. They’re looking for people who will change the world-or at least, change their campus in a meaningful way.

Can a 32 ACT Still Get You a Scholarship?

Yes-but not from Harvard itself. Harvard offers need-based aid only. They don’t give merit scholarships based on test scores, grades, or extracurriculars. If your family makes under $150,000 a year, you likely get full tuition. If you make over $200,000, you pay full price-even with a 36 ACT.

So if you’re hoping a 32 ACT will land you a scholarship at Harvard, you’re looking in the wrong place. But you can use that score to win scholarships elsewhere.

Many private universities, state schools, and independent scholarship programs give merit aid based on ACT scores. For example:

• University of Alabama offers $10,000/year for 32+ ACT
• University of Tennessee gives full tuition for 33+ ACT
• Some private foundations award $5,000-$20,000 for scores above 30

That means a 32 ACT might not get you into Harvard-but it could get you into a great school that pays you to go.

What Should You Do If You Have a 32 ACT?

If your ACT is 32 and you’re aiming for Harvard, here’s what you need to do right now:

1. Don’t retake the ACT unless you’re confident you can hit 34+-most students only improve by 1-2 points, and Harvard won’t care about a 33 if the rest of your application is weak.
2. Focus on your essays. Harvard’s supplemental essays are your best chance to stand out. Write about something real-not what you think they want to hear. Show vulnerability. Show growth.
3. Boost your GPA. If you’re a junior, raise your grades. If you’re a senior, make sure your final transcript shows upward momentum.
4. Find your niche. What’s one thing you’ve done that no one else has? Start a club. Fix a problem in your town. Build something. Harvard wants doers, not perfect test-takers.
5. Apply for outside scholarships. Use your 32 ACT to get money from organizations that reward it. That money can help you attend any school-even if Harvard says no.

Real Stories: People Who Got In With Lower Scores

In 2023, a student from rural Nebraska got into Harvard with a 31 ACT. She didn’t have AP classes. Her school didn’t even offer honors courses. But she tutored 40 kids in math after school every week. She kept a journal of every student’s progress. She turned it into a research project that was later cited by her state’s education department.

Another student had a 30 ACT and a 3.8 GPA. He was a first-generation immigrant who taught himself Python to build an app that helped his family’s small business track inventory. He didn’t have a robotics team or a published novel. He had a story that showed grit, creativity, and purpose.

These aren’t outliers. They’re proof that Harvard doesn’t just want high scores. They want people who make things happen.

What If You Don’t Get In?

Let’s say you apply with a 32 ACT, strong essays, and a standout activity-and you get rejected. That doesn’t mean you failed. It means Harvard had 50,000 applicants, and they could only pick 1,900.

Many students who get rejected from Harvard end up transferring in after two years at a state school. Others go to other top schools like Stanford, MIT, or Brown-and thrive. One former Harvard applicant I know now runs a tech startup in Boston. He went to UC Berkeley. His ACT? 30.

There are hundreds of paths to success. Harvard is just one. Don’t let one number define your future.

Final Thoughts

A 32 ACT isn’t a dealbreaker for Harvard-but it’s not a golden ticket either. If you’re relying on that score to get you in, you’re setting yourself up for disappointment. But if you’re using it as a starting point to build something bigger-a project, a passion, a purpose-then you’re already ahead of most applicants.

Harvard doesn’t want perfect scores. They want people who change the game. If you can show them that, your ACT score won’t matter as much as you think.