Fact check: Did Donald Trump apply to Harvard University

1. Summary of the results

Based on the available analyses, there is no evidence that Donald Trump ever applied to Harvard University. Multiple sources confirm his actual educational path: he first enrolled at Fordham College in New York in 1964, then transferred to the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, where he graduated in 1968 ^{[1] [2]}. A White House spokesperson has explicitly addressed this topic, dismissing Harvard as "an overrated, corrupt institution" ^[3].

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

Several important contextual elements need to be considered:

• A hoax rejection letter from Harvard circulated on social media, which was originally created as an April Fool's Day joke by The Tab website in 2016 ^[4]
• The fake letter gained renewed attention during the 2016 campaign, possibly connected to the Harvard Republican Club's decision not to endorse Trump ^[4]
• There appears to be ongoing conflict between Trump and Harvard University ^[5]

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The question itself may stem from several sources of misinformation:

• The viral fake Harvard rejection letter has contributed to persistent misconceptions about Trump's educational history ^[4]
• The question's premise might be influenced by the current political tensions between Trump and Harvard University ^[5]
• Trump's own rhetoric about Harvard, calling it "overrated" and "corrupt" through his spokesperson ^[3], could be seen as an attempt to control the narrative around his educational choices

It's worth noting that both Trump's actual educational path through Wharton/UPenn and his criticism of Harvard could serve different political narratives:

• For Trump supporters: attending Wharton instead of Harvard could be framed as choosing a more business-focused education
• For critics: the hostile rhetoric toward Harvard could be seen as defensive positioning