Applying to Haverford: Application Instructions
At Haverford, we use the Common Application plus a brief Supplement as our sole application for admission.
Methods of Applying
At Haverford, we use the Common Application plus a brief supplement as our sole application for admission. The application and supplement may be submitted online via the Common Application website. If you’d like to use a paper application, the forms can be found on our website. All applicants must submit a $60 application fee or a fee waiver.
Application Programs
Regular Decision: You should postmark your application by January 15, and you’ll receive our decision in early April. If you’re admitted, you’ll need to reply to our offer by May 1. If you wish to remain on another school’s waitlist after May 1, let us know, and we can extend your deadline.
Early Decision: This is a good option only for those who have decided early in the college search process that Haverford is their clear first choice. As an Early Decision applicant, you agree not to be an ED candidate at any other college. You also agree, if admitted, to withdraw your Regular Decision applications from other colleges and to enroll at Haverford. Early Decision applications should be postmarked by November 15, and we mail our application decisions by December 15. ED applicants may be admitted, deferred for reconsideration with the Regular Decision pool, or denied admission.
Deferred Admission: If admitted through the Regular Decision process, you may request to defer enrollment for one year provided you make that request by May 1. During your gap year, you may not enroll as a full-time student at any other college.
Early Admission: If you want to enroll at Haverford after completing your junior year of high school, you may apply to do so through the Regular Decision process (Early Decision application is not allowed). You must include a letter with your application detailing your reasons for choosing this option. You are also required to have an interview with a member of our Admission staff.
Interviews
If you live within 150 miles of the Haverford campus (including New York City, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C.), we strongly recommend that you have an on-campus interview. Interviews are generally available beginning in the spring of your junior year through early January of your senior year. Please call (610) 896-1350 to schedule an interview in advance; the earlier you call, the more likely a convenient interview slot will be available. As a high school senior, you may also schedule an overnight visit during certain periods of the school year; again, the earlier you contact us, the more likely a host will be available.
Whether or not you have an interview, you may do the following without making a prior appointment:
- Join an hour-long campus tour given by a student tour guide.
- Have lunch in the student dining center.
- Visit a class.
- Explore on your own schedule. Our campus is open, and you can pick up a map and self-guided tour brochure at the Admissions Office.
If you don’t live within 150 miles of campus, we still recommend that you interview on campus if you are able to visit. Otherwise, you can request an interview with an alumnus or alumna near your home. Students in New England should email Donna Murphy; students in all other locations should email Adrienne Selinger. In your email, please be sure to include your full name, date of birth, home address and phone number, the name of your high school, and the name of the nearest large city to which you would be able to travel for the interview.
Standardized Testing Requirements
Haverford requires that you submit the results of the three-part SAT Critical Reasoning Test or the ACT with the optional writing test. All students must also submit two SAT Subject Tests (in any two subjects). Students applying Early Decision will abe able to have scores counted from the November test date even if it falls after the 15th, and students applying Regular Decision will be able to have scores counted from the January test date even if it falls after the 15th. You may register online at:
- SAT Critical Reasoning Test and SAT Subject Test – Haverford Code #2289, http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/sat/reg.html
- ACT - Haverford Code #3590, http://www.actstudent.org/regist/index.html
IB, AP, International Exams, and College Courses
If you’ve taken International Baccalaureate, Advanced Placement, international exams (such as A-levels), or college courses during secondary school, we view this as significant evidence of your academic accomplishment and preparation. If you have taken courses at a college or university, please have a transcript sent directly from the school to our office.
International Students
Currently, seven percent of our students have grown up and/or attended secondary school abroad. Our Admission Committee is familiar with worldwide education systems; regardless of your citizenship or geographic location, you should follow the same application process required of any other student. You are required to submit the same standardized tests as all other applicants if the tests are available in your country.
If English is not your first language and you have never attended a school where English is the primary language of instruction, you must also submit a TOEFL score. Haverford requires the following minimum scores for TOEFL: 600 for the paper-basted test, 250 for the computer-based test, and 100 for the Internet-based test. We do not accept IELTS or ELPT as substitutes for the TOEFL. You may register for the TOEFL online at www.toefl.org (Haverford Code #2289).
Transfer Students
If you plan to apply to Haverford as a transfer student (offered for fall entry only), a full-time visiting student for a semester or an entire year, or take an occasional class or two as a special student, you must use a different application for admission.
Please print, complete, and mail the appropriate application:
- Transfer Student Application (full-time, degree-seeking, fall only)
- Guest Student Application (full-time, non-degree-seeking, fall or spring)
- Special Student Application (part-time, non-degree-seeking, fall or spring)
- Exchange Student Application (for students specifically told to use this application by the Office of the Dean of Students)