How to Apply for a Harvard Degree?

Thank you for your interest in Harvard College. We know there are many fine colleges and universities from which to choose, and we are happy that you are looking closely at the exciting opportunities available here in Cambridge.

When to Apply:

You may apply to Harvard under either our Early Action or our Regular Decision program. Designed to provide freedom and flexibility for our applicants, both options allow students to compare admission and financial aid offers from other institutions and to wait until May 1 to make a final college choice.

• Early Action candidates apply by November 1 and receive notification by December 15.

• Regular Decision candidates apply by January 1 and receive notification by April 1. While the final deadline is January 1, it would be very helpful to us to receive your application by December 15 so that we can create your admissions file as early as possible.

  For more information about whether to apply to Harvard (or other colleges) under Early admission, please refer to the next page.

  Testing Requirements:

• While Harvard honors the College Board's Score Choice program and allows you to submit tests taken as late as January for consideration, we advise Regular Decision candidates to complete and submit at least one component of the required tests (SAT, ACT with Writing or two College Board Subject Tests) by the end of November. This will allow us to begin our evaluation process for those submitting applications by December 15.

• For Early Action candidates, we hope to receive all testing results by the end of October, but students are still eligible to apply using the November series. Those results will arrive in time for consideration without the need and expense of "rush reporting."

  General Application Tips:

• Keep copies of all materials submitted and ask your teachers to do the same. Materials can be lost in the mail.

• Supplementary materials or portfolios may be submitted, but you should do so only if you have an unusual talent. Such materials are neither required nor expected as the required components of the application provide ample basis on which to make our decisions. Because we cannot return materials, applicants should send only duplicates.

• Write about what matters to you. There are no "right" essay topics and no "right" answers.
  The answers to many questions about admissions requirements and deadlines are included on the following pages. For an expanded list

  of frequently asked questions and their answers, please consult the FAQ index on our website: www.admissions.college.harvard.edu.

  Each admission decision is made without any regard for a candidate's financial need — a policy we call "need-blind admission." Indeed the Admissions Committee may respond favorably to evidence that a candidate has overcome significant obstacles, financial or otherwise. Once an applicant is admitted, we create an individual financial aid package that will enable any aid applicant's family to meet the cost of attendance. Providing financial access to Harvard for every admitted student is one of our highest priorities.

  We hope you will take every opportunity to explore whether Harvard might be a good match for your academic, extracurricular and personal interests. Advice from your college counselor, your family and the many publications on college admission may help, as might a visit to Cambridge or a conversation with one of our more than 12,000 alumni/ae who help us recruit students in all 50 states and around the world.

  Please let us know if we can be of assistance to you during the admissions process. Best wishes for a happy and productive year.

  Applicants Outside the United States

  If you are applying from a school outside the United States, you should follow the same procedures and timetables as candidates applying from schools within the U.S. Below are a few special notes.

  Testing Requirements

  Even if you are submitting the results of your school leaving exams (e.g., A-levels, International Baccalaureate, Abitur, etc.) you must submit the results of the SAT Reasoning Test or the ACT (with Writing, if avail- able), as well as the results of two SAT Subject Tests by the appropriate deadline.

  A candidate whose first language is not English should ordinarily not take the SAT Subject test in his or her native language as one of the two required SAT Subject Tests. All students are encouraged to submit addi- tional Subject Tests (which may include one in a student's first language),

  Students are not required to take the TOEFL unless they do not have access to other standardized tests.

  Interviews

  While we try to make interviews widely available, it is not always possible to arrange one abroad. No candidate is at a disadvantage if an interview cannot be arranged. Please see our website to determine whether an interview is possible in your home country.

  Translations

  We appreciate the effort that many applicants make in providing the Admissions Committee with a translation of the recommendations submitted on their behalf. We ask, however, that any translations include the name of the translator and that the original untranslated reports be submitted as well.

  Application Fee

  You may pay online by credit card via the Common Application or the Universal Application websites. Please be sure that your credit card has been activated for Internet transactions.

  If paying by check, international applicants should send us the application fee in the form of a foreign draft—a check in U.S. dollars that is drawn through a U.S. bank, which is generally available at most foreign banks.

  To send the fee to us via wire transfer, please send an e-mail to college@ fas.harvard.edu and we will send instructions on how to do so. Please be sure to include your full name, date of birth and name of high school in your message.

  For More Information

  To request missing forms or other information, you may contact us through our website www.admissions.college.harvard.edu/apply/ international/ or via e-mail: intladm@fas.harvard.edu.

  All Applicants

  Harvard Admission Policy

  Harvard University makes all decisions concerning applicants, students, faculty and staff on the basis of the individual's qualifications to contribute to Harvard's educational objectives and institutional needs.

  Discriminating against individuals on the basis of race, color, gender, sexual orientation, religion, age, national or ethnic origin, political beliefs, veteran status, or disability unrelated to course requirements is inconsistent with the purposes of a university and with the law.

  Misrepresentation of Credentials

  Occasionally, a candidate for admission will make inaccurate statements or submit false material in connection with his or her application.
  In most cases, these misrepresentations are discovered during
  the admission process and the applicant is denied admission. If a misrepresentation is discovered after a candidate has been admitted, the offer of admission normally will be withdrawn.

  If a misrepresentation is discovered after a student has registered, the offer of admission normally will be revoked and the student will be required to leave the College. If the discovery occurs after a degree has been awarded, the degree normally will be rescinded.

  The determination that an application is inaccurate or contains misrepresentations rests solely with the Admissions Office and will be resolved outside the student disciplinary process.

  Application Content Verification Service

  Please be aware that Harvard, like most schools, uses outside companies to help process, review, and collect data for applications. For this purpose we share application materials and information with them. Examples of such outside companies include the Common Application and Universal College Application, transcript request services, and services that review materials for plagiarism. These companies in many cases will retain the application information in their databases. We also share application information with our alumni interviewers.

  Financial Aid Timetable

  Immediately

  Please review the financial aid application instructions found on the Prospective Students section of our website.http://www.fao.fas.harvard. edu/

  Early Action Applicants

  November 1, 2012: Submit the initial components of your financial aid application, following the instructions found on the Prospective Students section of our website. Even if you may not have access to your final 2012 tax information by this time we ask that you use the best available estimated figures.

  Regular Decision Applicants

  February 1, 2013: Submit the initial components of your financial aid application, following the instructions found on the Prospective Students section of our website. Even if you do not have access to your final 2012 tax information by this deadline we ask that you use the best available estimated figures.

  All Financial Aid Applicants

  March 1, 2013: Final deadline for all financial aid application materials, including 2012 tax and income documentation. 

  
  

  Application Checklist

  Requirements for All Applicants:
  Official score report from the SAT Reasoning test or ACT with

  Writing component

  Official score reports from two SAT Subject Tests

  Common Application or Universal College Application

  Harvard Application Supplement

  Application fee of $75 or a request for a fee waiver

  Secondary School Report

  and

  Mid-Year Report (not required of students who have already graduated)

  Two Teacher Evaluations

  Financial Aid Application (by November 1, if applying for Early Action; by February 1, if applying for Regular Decision)

  Update address, phone and e-mail if recently changed

  Helpful Websites

  Harvard Websites:

  Accessible Education Office | www.aeo.fas.harvard.edu
  Advanced Standing | www.admissions.college.harvard.edu/about/learning/advanced_standing.html Advising |www.apo.fas.harvard.edu
  Application | www.admissions.college.harvard.edu/apply/forms/
  Athletics | www.gocrimson.com
  Bureau of Study Counsel | www.bsc.harvard.edu
  Career Services | www.ocs.fas.harvard.edu
  Courses of Instruction | www.registrar.fas.harvard.edu/fasro/courses
  Departments and Concentrations | www.fas.harvard.edu/home/content/schools-departments-committees Dining |www.dining.harvard.edu
  Engineering and Applied Sciences | www.seas.harvard.edu
  Financial Aid | www.fao.fas.harvard.edu
  Freshman Dean's Office | www.fdo.fas.harvard.edu
  Health Services | www.huhs.harvard.edu
  International Applicants | www.admissions.college.harvard.edu/apply/international/
  Ivy Group Common Admissions Procedure Statement | www.ivyleaguesports.com
  Libraries | lib.harvard.edu
  Museums | www.harvard.edu/arts-museums
  Program in General Education | www.admissions.college.harvard.edu/about/learning/gen_ed.html
  Public Service Opportunities | www.publicservice.fas.harvard.edu
  Research Opportunities and Student Employment | www.seo.harvard.edu/
  Student Life | www.osl.fas.harvard.edu
  Study Abroad | www.fas.harvard.edu/~oip
  Taking Time Off | www.admissions.college.harvard.edu/apply/time_off/
  Visit | www.admissions.college.harvard.edu/visit/

  Standardized Testing:

  Applying Online:

  ACT | www.act.org/aap/
  AP | www.collegeboard.org
  College Board | www.collegeboard.org
  GRE | www.ets.org
  SAT Registration | sat.collegeboard.org/register TOEFL | www.ets.org

  The Common Application | www.commonapp.org
  The Universal College Application | www.universalcollegeapp.com