Part Time Petitions
Part Time Petitions
Degree candidates may apply for part-time status under special circumstances. These circumstances include:
- Having to care for small children at home
- Personal ill health
- Severe illness of other family members
- Extreme financial strain in cases in which the student has dependent
An application needs to be completed for each year the student requests this status. Students who are formerly enrolled in the part-time SM program in SEAS must also complete a Part-time Petition each year they are enrolled in the program. Part-time students are charged the per course rate. On the application students should indicate the reason(s) that the Part-time petition is sought and the number of courses for which they wish to enroll each term. A part-time student who is taking less than three courses may complete a Harvard University Health Services waiver to waive the health services fee. Please contact UHS Member Services at 617-495-2008.
Non-US citizens with student visas who are not permanent residents of the United States may only register for part-time study if they are in their last term and have three or fewer courses remaining to complete their program. International students must get the approval of the International Office on their petition.
Applications can be downloaded from this page (see above).
If you have further questions regarding this form, contact us at 617-495-1814 or via e-mail at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . You will find the rules governing this process in the GSAS Handbook.