College Dean Khurana Says He Hopes Class of 2028 Attends Harvard Despite Controversies

Nine days before Harvard College is expected to release its regular decision admissions results, Dean Rakesh Khurana said he hopes the University’s recent controversies surrounding campus antisemitism will not deter accepted students from attending Harvard.

Khurana said in a Tuesday interview with The Crimson that his message for admitted high school seniors is that “we hope they come.”

Harvard has frequently made national headlines since the University’s initial response to Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel faced widespread condemnation. The ensuing cascade of controversy, which ultimately led to former Harvard President Claudine Gay’s resignation, further intensified the spotlight on Harvard.

“I would love to tell prospective students that if they’re admitted, we hope they come,” Khurana said.

“I also want to let them know that Harvard is not a perfect institution,” he added. “It’s made up of human beings, and it’s always in the process of becoming.”

The University is also facing lawsuits from students and alumni over its handling of campus antisemitism, a congressional investigation led by House Republicans, and donor backlash — all while divisions remain within the student body over the Israel-Hamas war.

Many observers are also paying extra attention to the number of students who applied to Harvard as part of the regular decision application cycle after early applications to the College for the Class of 2028 fell by 17 percent. The drop led to Harvard’s lowest total number of early decision applications in four years.

Some have speculated that the decrease in early application numbers was linked to the controversies plaguing the University, but the deadline for the early cycle was Nov. 1 — more than one month before Gay delivered her widely criticized congressional testimony on Dec. 5.

The total number of regular decision applicants, which is expected to be released by the University when decisions are announced next week, should provide a better indication whether Harvard’s fall turmoil had an impact on admissions applications.

The Class of 2028 also marks the first admissions cycle since the Supreme Court ruled last summer that the use of affirmative action in admissions was unconstitutional. The University is currently undertaking an internal review of its admissions practices in the wake of the Supreme Court decision.

“I understand that there’s lots of concerns, given this is also a post-Supreme Court admission cycle,” Khurana said. “I just want students to know that we’re so honored that they’re considering us, and that the most important thing is that people go to college.”

Khurana said that prospective students should choose to attend Harvard because they can shape its future and help solve some of the current challenges the University is facing.

“Our aspirations run ahead of our reality,” Khurana added. “But one of the opportunities you have of being a student at Harvard is actually shaping that reality and getting us closer to our aspirations and helping write this institution’s story.”

—Staff writer Michelle N. Amponsah can be reached at michelle.amponsah@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X at @mnamponsah.

—Staff writer Joyce E. Kim can be reached at joyce.kim@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X at @joycekim324.