Suzuki says credentials from what many Japanese perceive as the best university in the world elevate Harvard graduates to an almost "super-human" status.

"I often get compared to Masako [Owada '85], the Crown Princess [of Japan] who graduated from Harvard," Suzuki says. "They somehow think that I am destined to marry royalty or something along those lines."

And although a Harvard diploma may have its strongest draw in Japan, other international alums say Harvard has a universal draw.

The rule of thumb is that "the further you get away from Boston, the more famous [the Harvard name] becomes," says David G. Pumphrey, a 1970 HBS graduate and current president of the Harvard Club of Australia.

In Australia, he says Harvard is seen as one of the three best universities in the world, along with Cambridge and Oxford, both in England. And in the land down under, the Harvard grads stick together.

"There's no question that the network is very, very strong," he says.

Unlike in parts of the south and southwest, the Harvard network is also strong in parts of the U.S. West Coast, leading to a strong recognition of the Harvard name.