Athletics
Harvard Athletics offers forty-two Division I intercollegiate varsity teams for women and men — more than any other Division I college — as well as numerous club and intramural sports and recreational activities. More than eighty percent of our students participate athletics of some kind.
- Varsity teams include baseball, basketball, crew, cross-country, fencing, field hockey, football, golf, ice hockey, lacrosse, rugby, sailing, skiing, soccer, softball, squash, swimming and diving, tennis, track and field, volleyball, water polo, wrestling.
- Club teams include aikido, archery, badminton, ballroom dance, basketball, bodybuilding, bowling, boxing, cheerleading, cycling, fencing, figure skating, hapkido, juggling, jujitsu, kendo, lacrosse, polo, rugby, Shaolin kempo, Shotokan karate, skiing, soccer, table tennis, tae kwon do, tai chi/kung fu, tennis, ultimate Frisbee, volleyball, and wushu.
Student Organizations
Join one of seven orchestras. Tour the world in an a cappella group. Write for the only daily student newspaper on the Associated Press wire.
Here is a sampling of our more than 450 student organizations:
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Join an orchestra, chamber music ensemble, jazz combo, concert band, choral group, gospel choir, or glee club.
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Take workshops in printmaking, ceramics, drawing, painting, pottery, photography, sculpture, or filmmaking.
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Work on a student newspaper, political publication, humor magazine, ethnic publication, student-run radio or television program, or the yearbook.
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Provide after-school tutoring, lead youth summer camps, or join in everything from refugee projects to health awareness campaigns and adult education programs.
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Explore our more than fifty cultural, ethnic, and international organizations. One of the most anticipated celebrations each year is “Cultural Rhythms,” a festival showcasing student performances and ethnic cuisine from more than thirty clubs and organizations.
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Take credit and non-credit courses in acting, directing, playwriting, dramaturgy, and design at the Loeb Drama Center; be part of drama productions at Farkas Hall, our newly dedicated theater; or participate in non-credit classes in dance, choreography, and improvisation at the Harvard College Dance Center. Harvard has more than sixty student productions a year and more than twenty student dance companies.
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Join student government, speech, debate, political, pre-professional, or special-interest groups.
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Explore religious, BGLTQ, or cultural groups to find students whose interests and background match your own.
Join ROTC
Join ROTC
Serve your country and gain valuable leadership experience through the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC). ROTC is an officially recognized student activity, and your military service counts as public service. To join ROTC at Harvard, cross-register with one of the three service programs:
Leadership & Service
Giving back to communities and serving actively in government are ideals that are fundamental to Harvard’s mission. Whether you have political aspirations, seek a career in nonprofit or non-governmental work, or simply enjoy service for the sake of service, we have activities and organizations—as well as a variety of funding sources—that support your goals to serve those around you.
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The Institute of Politics (IOP) at the Harvard Kennedy School connects students with political leaders and seasoned civil servants. Harvard undergraduates have access to the Institute's John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum, one of the world’s premier arenas for political speech, discussion, and debate.
The IOP also offers:
- Paid summer internships
- A nonpartisan quarterly journal written and run entirely by undergraduates
- A women’s leadership initiative
- A unique nationwide survey of youth attitudes toward politics and public service, every aspect of which involves Harvard students
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Join the many students who give back to Harvard and the surrounding communities through a variety of public service programs.
The Phillips Brooks House Association and the College Public Service Network coordinate many programs, and students direct more than 120 service initiatives in Greater Boston—from mentoring local youth and providing literacy tutoring to local adults, to promoting environmental sustainability and running a homeless shelter.
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For those dedicated to community initiatives, Harvard offers a Presidential Public Service Fellowship, which supports students who choose to spend a summer doing government, community service, non-governmental organization, or non-profit work, or who develop their own innovative projects that serve the common good.
