Haverford College Admission Requirements for International Students 2027: Acceptance Rate, Tuition, Scholarships and Deadlines

Haverford College admission requirements for international students are the same as for everyone else, plus proof of English: you apply through the Common App with Haverford’s short writing supplement, send your transcript and school reports, and submit a TOEFL, IELTS or Duolingo score unless you studied in English. Haverford asks for at least 100 on the TOEFL iBT, 7 on IELTS or 130 on Duolingo. SAT and ACT scores are optional.

Haverford admitted 15.4% of the 6,392 students who applied for the Class of 2030, and 12.3% of the entering class is international. Money is the hard part: Haverford gives aid to a limited number of international students each year and meets 100% of demonstrated need for those it admits with aid, so asking for aid makes admission more competitive. For fall 2027 entry, Early Decision I closes on 15 November 2026 and Regular Decision on 10 January 2027. I checked the figures in this guide on Haverford’s own pages on 29 October 2026.

Haverford College ranking

Haverford was tied #24 among National Liberal Arts Colleges in the U.S. News 2025 edition. I could not confirm its position in the 2027 edition, released on 22 September 2026, from a source I could load, so check the U.S. News site for the current number. Rankings aside, Haverford sits in the same small group of Philadelphia-area colleges as Swarthmore and Bryn Mawr, and students can take classes at both.

Haverford College acceptance rate and class profile

Haverford publishes a profile of each entering class. These are the figures for the Class of 2030 (students who started in fall 2026), with the Class of 2029 for comparison.

The Class of 2030 includes students from Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa, Egypt and Morocco, as well as India, Pakistan, Nepal, Brazil, Vietnam and others. Haverford does not publish a separate acceptance rate for international applicants. Because aid for non-US citizens is limited, I would expect the rate for aided international applicants to be well below the overall 15.4%.

Haverford tuition for international students (2026-27)

International students pay the same charges as US students. This is Haverford’s published cost of attendance for a first-year student in 2026-27.

Two things are missing from that total: international travel and health insurance. Haverford’s budget does not list either, so add your own estimate for flights. Haverford also publishes tuition estimates for later years: $77,178 for 2027-28, $79,493 for 2028-29 and $81,878 for 2029-30. A student starting in fall 2027 should budget against those higher numbers.

Haverford scholarships for international students: how aid works

• Limited aid, competitive admission: Haverford funds a limited number of international students in each entering class. Its FAQ says this makes admission especially competitive for international students who apply for aid.
• 100% of need met: if you apply for aid and are admitted, Haverford meets your full demonstrated need, mostly with Haverford grants.
• Need-based only: all Haverford aid is based on need. There are no merit scholarships.
• First year or never: international students who do not receive aid in their first year cannot get it later. A student admitted in Regular Decision without aid stays without aid.
• No aid for international transfers: Haverford keeps its international aid for first-year applicants.
• Work and savings expected: your need is reduced by a standard campus job expectation and a summer savings expectation. Haverford does not fund the summer savings amount.
• Some costs stay with you: aid does not cover international travel or living costs when the college is closed, such as winter break and summer.

Haverford also notes that part of a grant may be subject to US tax. Ask the Financial Aid Office for its tax guide once you are admitted.

How to apply for Haverford financial aid as an international student

1. Decide at application time: tick that you are applying for aid in the Common App. You cannot add aid later.
2. Complete the 2027-2028 CSS Profile: this is the form for foreign citizens living abroad. Do not complete the FAFSA.
3. Use the alternative only if you must: if you cannot complete the CSS Profile online, Haverford accepts its own International Student Financial Aid Application instead.
4. Meet the aid deadline for your round: 15 November 2026 for Early Decision I, 5 January 2027 for Early Decision II and 10 January 2027 for Regular Decision.
5. Answer document requests quickly: the Financial Aid Office may ask for more paperwork after it reviews your Profile.

Permanent residents, eligible non-citizens and US citizens living abroad are not treated as international students for aid. They file the CSS Profile and the FAFSA.

Haverford admission requirements for international students: the application

Testing policy

Haverford is test-optional and says that sending or not sending scores has no negative effect. If you send scores, they should arrive before the application deadline. If you self-report scores and enrol, you must send official reports, and Haverford warns that a mismatch can put your place at risk. Almost half of the Class of 2030 enrolled without scores. With middle-50% SAT scores of 720 to 760 in reading and 730 to 780 in maths, I would only send a score in or above that range.

English requirements

You need an English test if your first language is not English and you have never attended a secondary school where English was the main language of teaching. Haverford has no preferred test, so pick the one that is cheapest or easiest to book where you live. Scores must come directly from the testing agency. If the test fee is a burden, Haverford asks you to email its admission office.

Haverford deadlines for fall 2027 entry

Haverford’s international page gives the application dates without years; its financial aid page gives the same dates with 2026 and 2027, which confirms they are for the fall 2027 cycle. Haverford’s pages that I read do not state decision release dates.

How to write the Haverford supplemental essays

For 2026-27 Haverford asks two questions, each answered in 150 to 200 words, according to the Koppelman Group’s guide to this year’s supplement. One asks about a topic or issue that excites you intellectually and how you would pursue it at Haverford. The other points to values that shape the Haverford community and asks which values you look for in your next community and how Haverford’s values speak to you.

• Curiosity essay: pick something narrow enough to explain in 200 words. Show what you have already done with it (a book, an experiment, an argument you had), then name a Haverford course, professor, lab or Bi-Co option at Bryn Mawr where you would take it further.
• Values essay: Haverford is known for its student-run Honor Code and unproctored exams. If trust and shared responsibility mean something to you, give one real example from your school or family, then connect it to how you would live under that code.
• Keep it specific: 200 words leaves no room for general praise. One example per essay is enough.

A sample opening for the curiosity essay, for illustration only:

“Our borehole pump in Kisumu failed three times in one dry season, and each time the repairman blamed the water, not the machine.”

From there the writer can explain the question about groundwater chemistry it raised, and point to the chemistry or environmental studies courses they want to take.

What happens after you apply

1. Check your portal: Haverford confirms what it has received and lists anything missing.
2. Optional interview: book a Zoom interview or send an InitialView recording while there is still time before your round closes.
3. Aid review: the Financial Aid Office reads your CSS Profile and may ask for extra documents.
4. Decision: Early Decision applicants hear first; if admitted, you must withdraw other applications and enrol.
5. Enrolment: send official test scores if you reported any, pay the deposit, and complete the immigration forms so Haverford can issue your I-20 for the F-1 visa.
6. Arrival: the Office of International Student Support runs extra orientation and helps you keep your visa status.

Common mistakes international applicants make

• Skipping aid in Regular Decision to look stronger, then needing money later. Haverford will not add aid after year one.
• Applying as a first-year after a year of university. Haverford counts you as a transfer, and international transfers get no aid.
• Sending a screenshot of an English score. Haverford wants the score sent by the testing agency.
• Writing a generic values essay. Mention the Honor Code only if you can connect it to something you have done.
• Budgeting with the $100,026 total. It leaves out flights, insurance and summer living costs.
• Forgetting the summer savings expectation. Even a full-need package assumes you contribute summer earnings.

Costs that aid does not cover

• Return flights between home and Philadelphia each year.
• Housing and food during breaks when the college is closed.
• The summer savings expectation built into your aid package.
• Visa, SEVIS and passport fees, plus your English test and CSS Profile fees.
• Any US tax on the part of your grant that counts as taxable income.
• Warm clothing for Pennsylvania winters.

Graduate admissions at Haverford

Haverford is an all-undergraduate college and does not run its own master’s or PhD programmes. The closest option is the Accelerated Masters Program with the University of Pennsylvania: you spend four years at Haverford and then two or three semesters at Penn, finishing with a Haverford bachelor’s degree and a Penn master’s in engineering.

Majors, campus and life near Philadelphia

Haverford has about 1,479 students and a 9:1 student-faculty ratio. Its most popular majors are political science, economics, biology, chemistry, psychology and computer science, and it offers 31 majors in total. Students can take courses at Bryn Mawr, about a mile away on the free Blue Bus, and at Swarthmore. The 216-acre campus is in the Main Line suburbs, 8 miles from downtown Philadelphia, with a train station across from the campus entrance.

Student life runs under an Honor Code that students write and govern themselves, and exams are unproctored. International students can join groups such as the Black Student League, the South Asian Society, the Pan-Asian Resource Center and the Middle Eastern and Northern African Club.

Haverford compared with similar liberal arts colleges

Haverford’s acceptance rate looks friendlier than Swarthmore’s or Colby’s, but the limited international aid budget narrows the gap for students who need money. Bryn Mawr, Haverford’s partner college, is covered in our Bryn Mawr College guide.

Who should apply to Haverford

Apply if you want a small college with close teaching, like the idea of an Honor Code, and want Philadelphia, Bryn Mawr and Swarthmore within reach. Haverford is a strong fit if your family can pay part of the cost, because the aid pool for international students is small. If you need a full package, apply anyway, but apply for aid from the start and use Early Decision only if Haverford is your clear first choice.

It is a weaker fit if you want merit scholarships, a large university, or a dedicated engineering degree on campus. I would pair Haverford with need-blind colleges such as Amherst and MIT, and with other full-need options from our list of the best American scholarships for international students.

FAQ on Haverford College admission for international students

What is the Haverford acceptance rate for international students?

Haverford does not publish a separate rate. It admitted 15.4% of all applicants for the Class of 2030, and 12.3% of that class is international.

Does Haverford give full scholarships to international students?

It gives need-based aid to a limited number of international students and meets 100% of demonstrated need for those it admits with aid. There are no merit scholarships, and you must apply for aid in your first year.

What TOEFL or IELTS score does Haverford require?

The minimums are 100 on the TOEFL iBT, 7 on IELTS and 130 on the Duolingo English Test. You can skip the test if your secondary school taught in English.

How much does Haverford cost per year?

The 2026-27 cost of attendance for a first-year student is $100,026, including $74,930 tuition. Flights and health insurance are extra.

Sources and updates

Admission requirements, English minimums, testing policy and deadlines come from Haverford’s international students admission page and its international FAQ. Aid rules, forms and aid deadlines come from Haverford’s international financial aid page, and the 2026-27 cost of attendance and future tuition estimates from its Financial Aid Office. Class figures come from Haverford’s published Class of 2030 and Class of 2029 profiles, and campus facts from its At a Glance page and Haverford’s Wikipedia entry (acreage, majors, consortium). The supplement prompts are from the Koppelman Group’s 2026-27 Haverford guide. The ranking is the 2025 U.S. News edition as reported on Wikipedia; the U.S. News site could not be loaded. Checked on 29 October 2026. I will update this guide when Haverford posts decision dates and the 2027 ranking is confirmed.

Jude Chinecherem

I am Jude Chinecherem, a final-year MBBS student at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. I know what it feels like to want an education your family cannot afford. When my parents could not pay for my schooling, I had to learn how to find scholarships and work the system out on my own, with nobody to guide me. I came out the other side, and now I share everything I learned so the next student does not have to figure it out alone. This is the advice I wish someone had given me back then.