Another potential reason for the rise is the increase in financial aid that Harvard was able to provide to students, McGrath Lewis said.
“That was the great triumph of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences,” she said. “It was the largest single item in our last capital campaign…which has made it possible for us to have a substantial increase in the generosity of the financial aid program.”
The campaign, which concluded in 2001, made it possible for Harvard to add an average of $4,000 to all student aid packages, according to a press release.
The third factor that McGrath Lewis pointed to is what she called an increased level of outreach to students.
The rise came as a result of increased media focus on colleges and the college process, she said, which has caused students to think more—and more optimistically—about college.
—Staff writer Laura L. Krug can be reached at krug@fas.harvard.edu.