Harvard received more voluntary financial support last year than any other school in the country, an independent survey said yesterday.

The donations amounting to $52.1 million constitute the second largest amount ever contributed in Harvard's history-topped only by the $66 million donated in 1966.

Henry F. Colt '46, assistant to the President for development, confirmed the figure released by the Council for Financial Aid to Education. The report said that the 1970 figures were virtually the same as in 1969.

Donations for 1971 are expected to slightly surpass last year's figure. "Of course, that is excluding the possibility of a large bequest," Colt said. Last year's total did not include any such large contribution.

John A. Dromey, associate director of the Harvard College Fund, which handles all alumni gifts, said the Fund has received $2.48 million as of yesterday-$439,000 ahead of last year's April 1 total.

Harvard, expecting a $1.7 million deficit in the budget of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, sent a newsletter to parents and alumni last September in which Chase N. Peterson '52, dean of Admissions, said an additional $800,000 was needed to finance scholarships for the incoming class of '75.

Albert H. Gordon '23, chairman of the Fund said last November that he feared that alumni contributions would decline for the second consecutive year, and cited alumni concern over student unrest and a declining stock market as major factors in the drop of alumni contributions.

Dromey attributed the renewed alumni response to the rise in the stock market and to calmness on the Harvard campus.

"These conditions have put the alumni in a generous mood," Dromey said.

The fund comprises 60 per cent of the University's "unrestricted" portion of the budget. Half of all scholarship aid comes from these unrestricted funds.

Foundations and corporations donated 19 per cent of the $52.1 million Fund and bequests totaled 16 per cent. Twentyeight per cent of last year's support is being used for capital investments.