Harvard Admits First Students Through QuestBridge Program

Harvard College admitted its first students through QuestBridge earlier this month, becoming the final Ivy League institution to enroll students through the nonprofit’s National College Match Program.

Harvard joined the program, which matches high-achieving, low-income students with selective colleges through a binding early admissions process, in January, making the Class of 2030 the first eligible to apply.

Maria M. Nguyen, a QuestBridge scholar from Shelton, Conn. who matched with Harvard this year, said she opened her decision immediately upon its release.

“I was just in shock,” she said. “It felt so surreal seeing that match with Harvard.”

QuestBridge requires applicants to submit materials by late September of their senior year of high school. Students selected as finalists may rank up to 15 participating colleges, and those who are matched are notified of their results on Dec. 1. QuestBridge also runs a preparatory program for low-income high school juniors to offer guidance ahead of the college application process.

Nguyen, who also participated in QuestBridge’s preparatory program, said the organization played an invaluable role in her application process.

“I think I’m one of QuestBridge’s biggest advocates,” she said. “I think it really shaped my college application experience, because it was a near impossible dream of getting in with financials and everything, and then through QuestBridge, it provided a gateway for me to have that dream come true.”

Virgil J. Guo ’28, a co-president of the Harvard QuestBridge chapter, said the partnership was long overdue.

“I think it’s a long time coming,” he said. “We’ve always talked about how we are accessible to students, and I feel like this is just another great step for us to take.”

Manton Q. Du, a newly admitted student from Weymouth, Mass., said he learned about QuestBridge from a friend while studying abroad in South Korea.

“I always knew that my family didn’t have the funding to put me through college, and I also didn’t want to burden them with the financial troubles of paying for a college education,” he said.

Du said he was drawn to QuestBridge because it introduced him to peers from low-income backgrounds whose stories resonated with him.

“They didn’t have much opportunity, but all of them had the same common trait of having a lot of resilience,” he said. “They were all super supportive, and that’s the type of person I want to be.”

Du said he was the first QuestBridge scholar in his high school’s history. Though Du believed that he believed he would receive comparable financial aid from Harvard outside of QuestBridge, the program gave him more confidence during the application process.

When visiting Harvard’s campus after matching, Du said he and his friend ran into Guo.

“It was a super great feeling because it really showed us that we had a place in the community, even though we weren’t even students on campus yet,” he said.

Members of the Harvard QuestBridge chapter said they plan to expand programming for incoming scholars. In addition to a joint Harvard-MIT QuestBridge event that took place earlier this month, the group plans to host a webinar for scholars over winter break, according to Alyssa J. Kerley ’28, the chapter’s event chair.

Many members of the Harvard QuestBridge chapter are former QuestBridge applicants who either did not match or chose to apply to Harvard outside the program. Outreach Chair Daniel P. Becerra ’28 said the group aims to foster an inclusive space for first-generation and low-income students at Harvard.

He added that increased awareness for Harvard’s QuestBridge partnership could encourage more Latino and underrepresented students to apply.

“They shouldn’t be afraid to apply to Harvard,” he said, “It’s possible to survive here.”

Guo also said the partnership could help counter misconceptions about the cost of attending Harvard.

“People often think that it’s super expensive for everyone,” he said. “But one thing we have to tell everyone is just how generous our financial aid policy is, and I think partnering with QuestBridge helps us with that message.”