A selection of heads of state holding Harvard degrees:
| Alumnus/a | Year degree granted | Title |
|---|---|---|
| Tshering Tobgay | 2004 | Prime Minister of Bhutan |
| Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj | 2002 | President of Mongolia |
| Felipe Calderón Hinojosa | 2000 | President of Mexico |
| Barack Obama | 1991 | President of the United States |
| José María Figueres Olsen | 1991 | President of Costa Rica |
| Jamil Mahuad | 1989 | President of Ecuador |
| Eduardo Rodriguez | 1988 | President of Bolivia |
| Masako Owada | 1985 | Crown Princess of Japan |
| Ban Ki-Moon | 1984 | Secretary-General of the United Nations |
| Sir Donald Tsang | 1982 | Chief Executive & President, Executive Council, Hong Kong |
| Ma Ying-jeou | 1981 | President of Taiwan |
| Juan Manuel Santos | 1981 | President of Colombia |
| Lee Hsien Loong | 1980 | Prime Minister, Singapore |
| Annette Lu | 1978 | Vice President of the Republic of China |
| Sebastian Pinera | 1976 | President of Chile |
| John Roberts | 1976; 1979 | Chief Justice of the United States |
| George W. Bush, Jr. | 1975 | President of the United States |
| Benazir Bhutto | 1973 | Prime Minister of Pakistan |
| Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf | 1971 | President of Liberia |
| Al Gore | 1969 | Vice President of the United States |
| Miguel de la Madrid | 1965 | President of Mexico |
| William Rehnquist | 1950 | Chief Justice of the United States |
| Pierre Trudeau | 1945 | Prime Minister of Canada |
| Andreas Papandreou | 1943 | Prime Minister of Greece |
| John F. Kennedy | 1940 | President of the United States |
| Fan S. Noli | 1912 | Prime Minister of Albania |
| Franklin Delano Roosevelt | 1904 | President of the United States |
| William Lyon Mackenzie King | 1898 | Prime Minister of Canada |
| Theodore Roosevelt | 1880 | President of the United States |
| Rutherford B. Hayes | 1845 | President of the United States |
| John Quincy Adams | 1787 | President of the United States |
| John Adams | 1755 | President of the United States |