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Tuition and Fees

*This fee helps support graduate student clubs and organizations, pays for graduate students to attend conferences and conduct summer research, and helps the Graduate Student Council advocate on behalf of students for concerns such as mentoring, teaching, health care, and housing. It can be waived only by written request to the Graduate Student Council (Dudley House, M4) by September 15. Fee waiver requests are valid only for the academic year in which they are requested. Students on leave of absence and traveling scholars will not be assessed the fee. Students returning mid-year from leave or traveling scholar status will be assessed a fee of $10 for the spring term. These students may request a waiver by writing to the Graduate Student Council (address above) by February 12

TUITION REQUIREMENTS FOR GSAS DEGREE CANDIDATES

All PhD candidates must pay two years of full tuition and two years of reduced tuition as a requirement for the receipt of the degree, unless the time from their initial registration to completion of the degree is less than four years.

Master’s degree candidates are charged at the full tuition rate, for a minimum of one year, until receipt of the degree.

Ordinarily, full-time PhD students are charged full tuition for the first four terms and reduced tuition for the next four terms. Part-time students are charged at the appro­priate per-course rate until two years of full tuition have been paid. Thereafter they register and are charged reduced tuition as full-time students. They must have paid a minimum total of two years of full tuition and two years of reduced tuition prior to receipt of the PhD, unless the degree was completed in fewer than four years from initial registration. If a student who has been part-time completes the PhD in fewer than four years, the student will be charged what a full-time student would have paid over the same period of time.

Students applying for non-resident status may request a deferral of the scheduled tuition charges, and instead pay the active file fee or the facilities fee. Ordinarily, the total delay should not exceed two years prior to the completion of tuition requirements. Students deferring payment of tuition should be aware that the required tuition, at the rates current at the time of payment, must be paid prior to receipt of the degree.

Final charge for the PhD: All PhD candidates must minimally pay the facilities fee in their last term of registration. All PhD candidates must be in an active status to receive the degree. Resident students automatically will have paid at least the facilities fee for the term. Non-resident students who initially paid the active file fee for the term will be charged the facilities fee without the Harvard University Student Health Plan cost added (and given credit for the active file fee already charged). A $115 PhD processing fee will also be charged. These final charges for the PhD are billed when a student applies for the degree; they are canceled if the degree is not received at that time.

If two copies of the approved dissertation are submitted to the registrar prior to the registration day for a term, a student need not register for that term. If a student registers for a term and then submits the copies of the dissertation to the registrar by the last day to cancel registration for the term without payment of tuition, registration will be canceled and any tuition paid for that term will be refunded (however, see section on Student Health Insurance).

Candidates for master’s degrees are charged full tuition for a minimum of one year and until receipt of the degree while they are resident students. A master’s degree candidate who transfers to a PhD program receives credit for the tuition paid while in the master’s program. The student’s year of graduate study is calculated from the first date of registration in GSAS and will include those terms for which the student is in the master’s program. That student will begin the PhD program as a G2 or G3, depending on the length of the master’s program. A candidate for the PhD who wishes to obtain an AM may apply one of the two years of full tuition required for the PhD degree to meet the minimum financial requirement for the AM. Master’s degree candidates who need fewer than four half-courses to complete the degree requirements may apply for part-time study so as to be charged at a per-course rate (see Chapter V).

No tuition credit will be granted for tuition paid to other universities or to other Harvard schools. Former Special Students, or students who have taken FAS courses under the Tuition Assistance Plan (TAP), who are admitted to degree programs may be eligible to apply for academic and financial credit for Special Student or TAP coursework after completion of one term in GSAS (see Chapter V). Students who have successfully completed the Harvard AB-AM or AB-SM program should see Chapter II.

STUDENTS WITHDRAWING MID-TERM

The Academic Calendar (Chapter I) indicates the last dates by which students may cancel registration for fall and spring terms without being liable for tuition. If a registered student formally withdraws by 9/30 fall term and 2/28 spring term, HUSHP Basic and HUSHP Supplemental charges are removed from the student's term bill. HUHS reserves the right to bill for any services used. The student will not be eligible to purchase the Harvard University Student Health Plan (HUSHP).

If a registered student formally withdraws on or after 10/1 fall term and 3/1 spring term, charges for HUSHP Basic will be prorated to the last day of the month the student withdrew. The student is no longer eligible to be seen at HUHS after this date. Charges for HUSHP Supplemental coverage will remain on the term bill and coverage will remain in effect for the remainder of that term. The student is NOT eligible to renew coverage after this date.

Registered students who formally withdraw from the Graduate School after those dates are charged tuition according to the following schedule. (The active file fee is not prorated.) 

Students who are withdrawing should turn in their ID cards to the deputy registrar, 20 Garden Street, to ensure correct billing. Payment of less than a full term of tuition cannot be counted toward the minimum financial requirements for a degree.

When a student’s connection with the University is severed, all outstanding charges must be paid at once. 

HARVARD UNIVERSITY STUDENT HEALTH PLAN (HUSHP)

Mandatory Health Insurance Coverage
Every full-time and part-time student enrolled in a certificate, diploma, or degree-granting program of higher education must participate in his or her school's Student Health Program or in a health benefit plan with comparable coverage as defined in Mass. Law 114.CMR 3.05(2).

Harvard University Student Health Plan (HUSHP) consists of two parts

HUSHP Basic: Harvard University Health Services Fee

Covers most services provided at HUHS. Services include: Primary care, medical and surgical specialties, radiology, physical therapy, and mental health counseling. Urgent care is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year at HUHS in the Holyoke Center.

Note: Some services that are provided at HUHS (such as diagnostic labs) will be billed to the Harvard University Supplemental portion of this plan or to the plan used to waive HUSHP Supplemental.

HUSHP Supplemental: Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) Hospital/Specialty/and Medco Prescription Drug Coverage

This plan covers medically necessary hospitalization, emergency care and specialty care.

Note: To learn more about the Plan benefits and limitations, visit the website.

HUSHP Student Dependent Coverage

Dependent coverage is available for an additional fee. Refer to the HUHS website for details.

Waiving the Harvard University Student Health Plan (HUSHP)

Students who meet certain requirements may be eligible to waive the HUSHP Supplemental coverage. All waivers must be completed online prior to the waiver deadlines (fall deadline 9/30/09; spring deadline 2/28/10). Late waiver requests will not be granted. There are no exceptions to this policy.

Waiving the HUSHP Supplemental coverage needs to be seriously considered. Graduate students should make sure their insurance plan will allow them access to care in the Boston area. They will be financially responsible for all bills not covered by their insurance.

Dental Care

Dental coverage is not included in the Harvard University Student Health Plan.

Options for dental care are available; please see the HUHS website for details and deadlines.

HUSHP Student Dependent Coverage

Dependent coverage is available for an additional fee. Refer to the HUHS website for details.

November Degree Students

Students receiving PhD or terminal master’s degrees in November who have regis­tered either in residence or for non-residence for the fall term will have the option to retain the Harvard University Student Health Plan (HUSHP) coverage through January 21. (The Registrar’s Office will contact registered November degree candidates regarding this issue.) For those November degree candidates who do not register for the fall term, their health coverage will have ended July 31.

HUSHP reserves the right to bill for any services used or to put the plan charges back on the student's term bill.

March Degree Students

For students receiving terminal degrees in March the Harvard University Student Health Plan (HUSHP) will be canceled for the spring term and their coverage will end at the end of the fall term (January 21).

Health Insurance Options for Graduating Students

Student health insurance benefits expire on the last day of coverage for the term in which the student graduates (fall term: 1/21, spring term: 7/31). For more information on options that are available to you visit http://www.huhs.harvard.edu/Insurance/Students.aspx.

International students who are not permanent residents of the US must carry Harvard sponsored health insurance covering themselves. Students with J-1 visas are required to purchase coverage for their families as well, and it is strongly recommended that international students with other visas do so. 

PAYMENT OF UNIVERSITY OBLIGATIONS

GSAS students are expected to review the billing statement each month and make any payment due by the date indicated. Students with an outstanding amount due on the student bill will not be permitted to register until payment has been received, or in exceptional cases, until an arrangement for payment has been approved by GSAS Financial Aid office. For degree candidates, diplomas may be withheld and degrees may not be conferred until all indebtedness to the University is paid in full.

Billing statements detailing the charges and credits posted to the student billing account can be found at the Student Receivables office website. Each month a notification with a link to the current billing statement is sent out. The fall term bill is available online in mid-July and the spring term bill in mid-December. Please see the billing schedule for exact billing and payment due dates.

The University requires that the student bill be paid in full prior to registering each term unless the student enrolls in the monthly payment plan. The monthly payment plan costs $35.00 per term and allows the student to register by paying the current tuition and required fees in four monthly installments. Students who are negligent in making the monthly payments may not be permitted to use the plan in subsequent terms. To get more information or to enroll in the monthly payment plan, students can contact the Student Receivables office at 617-495-2739.

Candidates for degrees are required to pay any outstanding amount due to the University in full. Payments are due by noon on October 23, 2009, for November degree candidates; by noon on March 1, 2010, for March degree candidates; and by noon on May 14, 2010, for Commencement. The degrees of candidates who have an outstanding financial obligation to the University may not be awarded and will not appear on transcripts until payment has been received in full. Students who pay after the deadline for the degree period may also be subject to a reinstatement process. Candidates who need to have degrees voted on by the Governing Board should contact the Student Receivables office at 617-495-2739 regarding the reinstatement process and schedule. 

DISHONORED CHECKS AND E-PAYMENTS

There is a $50 charge assessed for the first dishonored check or e-payment and a $75 charge for the second and subsequent dishonored check or e-payment. After the initial dishonored check or e-payment, the University may also, at its discretion, require that all payments be made in cash or by certified check or money order. A check or e-payment is regarded as dishonored when it has been returned because of insufficient funds, lack of a bank account, or because payment has been inappropriately stopped.