Boston, March 21 (Reuters): Harvard University’s undergraduate tuition fees will rise 3.9 per cent next year to $31,456, increasing at a pace nearly double that of the US rate of inflation, a Harvard statement said yesterday.

The total cost of tuition, room, board and student services fees at the Ivy League school will rise 4.5 per cent in the 2007 academic year to $45,620, Harvard said.

The total cost for a year at the oldest US institution of higher learning is almost double the average undergraduate tuition at a private US college, according to figures compiled by the US department of education.

More than two-thirds of Harvard’s students in teh first year receive financial aid including scholarships and loans, while more than half qualify for scholarship assistance and an average total aid package comes to around $34,000.