Lots of colleges do spring admissions because they have a structural imbalance between fall and spring registrations due to study abroad programs and early graduations. But even if that’s true at Harvard, it’s unlikely to affect Harvard’s first year students, and they are all housed separately from the rest of the undergraduates.
So, assuming this is true, does it mean (a) more students than usual failed to show up in September, or (b) Harvard predictably loses enough first year students during the fall semester to make spring admissions worthwhile?
I can see a scenario where lots of first year students decided to take a gap year in late August after the waitlist was closed and dorms were assigned.
If this is why the admissions was taking this unprecedented action it would imply they would have to cut down the slots for class 2024 drastically too.
Or late graduations. Students who take seven or nine semesters to graduate commonly have one extra fall semester (e.g. four fall and three spring, or five fall and four spring).
But Harvard seems like it would have few late graduations, and appears to discourage taking advanced standing to graduate early.