FAQ for New International Students

Welcome to Harvard and to the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences! To ease your transition, here are answers to frequently asked questions about orientation, financial aid, and other concerns of new international students. Contact the This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for additional assistance.

Arrival and Orientation

How can I get to Cambridge from the airport?

You can either take a taxicab (approximately $30-35, plus 15% for a tip) or use public transit.

There are two ways of coming to Harvard by public transit:

1. Take a free shuttle bus from your airport terminal to the Airport subway station, take the Blue Line subway Inbound to Government Center, change to the Green Line Inbound to Park Street, and change to the Red Line Outbound to Harvard.
2. Take the Silver Line bus from your airport terminal to the South Station subway station. There, board the Red Line Inbound subway to Harvard.

In order to use the subway you need to buy a ticket from a vending machine at the stop. Tickets cost $2.00. (See here for a map of the subway system).

What should I do when I first arrive in Cambridge?

Report to the Harvard International Office (864 Holyoke Center, 617-495-2789, see map) with your passport and visa documents. The International Office staff will ask you to complete a brief registration form and will give you an informational booklet about orienting yourself to Harvard and to the Boston/Cambridge area. They also will be available for advice on where and how to find appropriate housing.

The International Office is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The office’s summer hours (until mid-August) are from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Which orientation programs should I attend?

Several orientation programs will be of particular interest to you, and you should make every effort to attend. Departments also run their own orientations and will contact you about these.

1. GSAS International Student Orientation
Monday, August 27
9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Harvard Hall, Room 202
(SEE MAP)

An advisor from the International Office will be present to talk about visas and immigration regulations. There will also be a panel of continuing international students who will talk about their experience with cultural and academic adjustments to the United States and Harvard. The panelists will also present a session entitled “Getting Started,” which will deal with nuts-and-bolts items such as winter clothing, telephones, and banking.

2. GSAS Orientation for Incoming Students
Wednesday, August 29

Welcome Remarks
Sanders Theatre, Memorial Hall
10:30 a.m.

Lunch, Harvard Yard
11:30 a.m.

DudleyFest, Dudley House
12:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m.

The program provides an opportunity for you to meet fellow students and Harvard staff and to learn about the University and its resources. The session at Sanders Theatre begins with welcoming remarks from the President of Harvard, the Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, the Dean of the Graduate School, and the Master of Dudley House, the Graduate Student Center. After lunch in Harvard Yard, you are invited to attend DudleyFest, where you will find information from various offices and services around Harvard, sign up for Dudley House activities and events, and enter drawings for prizes.

How do I register as a student in GSAS?

Registration in GSAS for incoming students is a two-step process. First, you will indicate that you are ready to begin classes by registering online. The window for registering online will be open from Monday, August 20, through Wednesday, August 29. You will enter the Registration site by beginning at www.my.harvard.edu and logging in with your Harvard ID and Personal Information Number (PIN). Click on the “Campus Resources” tab and follow the onscreen instructions and you will soon be registered.

See our early-term highlights page for essential registration resource.

Next, come to DudleyFest on August 29 and receive your ID card and your first stipend check (see below, Financial Aid FAQ). Should you have any problems registering, representatives from offices such as GSAS Admissions, and Student Billing will be present to help. If you do not have access to a computer before August 29, terminals will be available at DudleyFest.

To expedite receiving your ID card, submit your ID photo ahead of time so that your card will be ready for you on August 29. Click here for more information about submitting your photo.

I remember receiving information about a Host-Student Program and Dinner, but I didn’t do anything with it. May I still attend the dinner?

All incoming international students should have received an invitation to participate in the Host-Student program, which pairs current GSAS students with incoming international students. There is still time to participate in the program and to attend the opening dinner (on August 27) by submitting an online application as soon as possible. If you do so, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by June 30, 2012 and let her know that you want to participate in the match-up program. Because of space constraints, please do not come to the dinner without having first signed up.

The opening dinner for all hosts and incoming international students will be held on Monday, August 27, at 6 p.m. in Dudley House. On Friday, August 24, from 5 to 6:30 p.m. at Dudley House, we will also host an informal gathering of incoming international students. We encourage all of our Host students to rendezvous at Dudley with their guests and then go out together in the Square for coffee or a drink or dinner.

What is this Dudley House I keep hearing about?

Dudley House is the Graduate Student Center and is the locus for many events and activities designed for GSAS students. It is also the home of the Dudley Café, the dining hall where residents of the GSAS residence halls have their meals. On Friday, August 31, beginning at 7 p.m. an evening event called Discover Dudley will give you the opportunity to explore the House and meet other students, the Dudley House Masters, Dudley Fellows, and staff. In past years this event has proved to be one of the highlights of the opening days. Don’t miss the fun! For more information, visit the Dudley House website.

If I am not living in the GSAS residence halls, can I still eat in Dudley House?

Yes, there are a number of options that would allow you to eat at Dudley Café. Please click here.

What do I have to do about immunization?

You will already have received a certificate of immunization, which must be returned to the Harvard University Health Services prior to Registration. If you have any questions regarding the immunization requirements or the forms, please contact the Medical Records Office at (617) 495-2053 or check the HUHS Website.

Where can I find out information about health coverage?

Access the Harvard University Health Services Website to find a wealth of information about health coverage.

When will I be able to use my computer account?

You should have already received from the Admissions Office an e-mail giving you your Harvard ID number. The e-mail also contained information from FAS Computer Services about setting up your computer account and obtaining your PIN. This information is available on the HUIT website.

You will need your PIN to access a number of online services and to log in to register. Should you not have received this e-mail with your Harvard ID, please contact the Admissions Office at 617-495-5315, or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . If you have had difficulty setting up your account, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

I’m not very confident about my English skills, where can I get some help?

English as a Second Language (ESL) courses may be useful to some students. The Graduate School will pay the tuition for one part-time Institute for English Language ESL course in the Harvard Extension School or the Harvard Summer School for any GSAS international student. Alternatively, GSAS will pay for ESL tutoring at the Bureau of Study Counsel up to the cost amount of a part-time ESL course. Students should inquire with Rise Shepsle, Assistant Dean of Student Affairs, (617-495-1814, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ) for more information.

Financial Aid

What does my tuition grant cover?

Tuition grants cover GSAS tuition charges (normally the full tuition rate); Student Health Fee; and Student Health Insurance. Grants do not cover dependent health coverage or dental health coverage.

When can I pick up my first stipend check?

If you are receiving a stipend from a GSAS Humanities or Social Science PhD program, you may pick up your first check at DudleyFest, from 12 noon to 3 p.m. on August 29 at Dudley House. Students in the Natural Sciences, the Division of Medical Sciences, Molecular & Cellular Biology, and Biostatistics will receive their first stipend checks in their department. Students in all other Natural Science Programs will receive their checks at DudleyFest. Please make sure you pick up your temporary HUID (Harvard University Identification card) first, as you will need it to receive your check. With your first check you will also receive directions for setting up direct deposit.

Where can I apply for a loan deferment?

The Registrar’s Office, 20 Garden Street.

How do I apply for loans?

For information regarding educational loans, loan disbursements, or where your loan is in processing, contact your Financial Aid Officer.

Who are the Financial Aid Officers?

Please see Financing Graduate Study, where you can download a PDF with a detailed list of financial aid officers and their programs.

How do I set up direct deposit?

The first student stipend/disbursement is always in the form of a paper check. The direct deposit system will not recognize a student until one student payment has been issued. Instructions on how to set up direct deposit are included with the first paper check.

I have a hold and cannot register. What should I do?

There are three types of “holds” for incoming students:

Financial Hold. Although most PhD students have tuition/health fee grants to cover those charges, you may have put other charges on your term bill, including housing, and those fees need to be paid before you can register. Contact your financial aid officer.

Admissions Hold. It may be that you did not turn in required paperwork over the summer; contact the GSAS Admissions Office at 617-495-5315.

Medical Hold. Contact Harvard University Health Services.

Miscellaneous

We have added to our website some responses from past and current students to the question, “If there was something that you wish you had known before you came to GSAS, Harvard, Cambridge, or the United States, what would it be?” We hope you will find the answers useful.

Each university has its own vernacular and Harvard is no exception. Even if English is your mother tongue, it takes a while to get used to Harvard Speak. Click here for a partial list of acronyms and terms used by the Harvard community and their definitions.

Students who are living off-campus may be interested in purchasing a discounted Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority (MBTA, also known as the “T”) monthly pass through Harvard. GSAS offers this service to its students. Information about the GSAS T-Pass program can be found here.