Harvard College Sees Early Applications Drop 17% From Last Year

(Bloomberg) -- Harvard College received 17% fewer applications for early admission from high school seniors this year, according the school’s website.

The drop comes following incidents of antisemitism on the Ivy League campus in the wake of the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Hamas. Applications were due Nov. 1, before university President Claudine Gay gave widely derided testimony on antisemitism and free speech at a congressional hearing Dec. 5.

Following the attack by Hamas, which is deemed a terrorist group by the US and European Union, Jewish students at Harvard reported incidents of antisemitism and harassment. Harvard leaders have been heavily criticized by alumni and students for failing to keep Jewish students safe.  

Read more: Harvard Backs Gay After Antisemitism Furor Engulfs Campus 

Harvard received 7,921 applications this year for non-binding early admissions, compared with 9,553 last year, according to the school’s website. 

Antisemitic incidents on US college campuses have soared since the attack and Israel’s subsequent invasion of Gaza, and the conflict has bitterly divided dozens of campuses including Harvard.

Harvard, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is under investigation by the Department of Education and the House Committee on Education after Gay’s testimony. 

Read more: The Economics of Small US Colleges Are Faltering

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