REGISTRATION IN TWO HARVARD SCHOOLS

No student registered in GSAS shall at the same time be registered in any school or college either of Harvard University or of any other institution. GSAS students may not be simultaneously enrolled in two PhD programs at Harvard or elsewhere. Nor may a student be enrolled in more than one degree program within GSAS. Students ordinarily may receive the PhD degree from only one program in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. If the student at the time of admission has plans to enroll in another program, those plans should be discussed with the department or committee before the student accepts the offer of admission.

GSAS students enrolled in two Harvard degree programs should not register simultaneously in residence in the two faculties. When registered in another Harvard school, a GSAS degree candidate should file an application for non-resident status with GSAS (see Chapter V, Non-Resident Students). Ordinarily, no GSAS fees are charged for terms in which a student is registered in residence in another Harvard school. Students may defer the payment of GSAS tuition, but they are responsible for meeting GSAS academic and tuition requirements before they receive their degree (see Chapter VIII). GSAS students who wish to take a course in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences while their primary registration is in another Harvard school should do so by cross-registering back into FAS. The registrar’s calculation of Graduate-year (G-year) does not stop while the student is nonresident in GSAS and attending another Harvard school. 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 registered at another Harvard school.

 

CREDIT FOR GRADUATE WORK DONE ELSEWHERE

A PhD student who has completed at least one full term of satisfactory work in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences may file an application at the Registrar’s office requesting that work done in a graduate program elsewhere be counted toward the academic residence requirement. No more than the equivalent of eight half-courses may be so counted for the PhD. An application for academic credit for work done elsewhere must contain a list of the courses, with grades, for which the student is seeking credit, and must be approved by the student’s department. In order for credit to be granted, official transcripts showing the courses for which credit is sought must be submitted to the registrar, unless they are already on file with the Graduate School. No guarantee is given in advance that such an application will be granted. Applications are available in the student’s department.

Only courses taken in a Harvard AB-AM or AB-SM program, in Harvard Summer School, as a Special Student in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, or FAS courses taken as an employee under the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) may be counted toward the minimum academic residence requirements for a master’s degree.

Academic and financial credit for courses taken as a FAS Special Student or FAS courses taken as a Harvard employee prior to admission to a degree program may be granted for a maximum of four half-courses toward a one-year master’s and eight halfcourses toward a two-year master’s or the PhD degree. Applications for academic and financial credit must be approved by the student’s department and should then be filed with the Registrar’s office at 20 Garden Street.

HARVARD SUMMER SCHOOL COURSES

51 Brattle Street
617-495-4024

The Harvard Summer School offers eight-week and four-week courses. Students enrolled in the graduate school may, with the approval of their departments, take Summer School courses for academic credit toward a higher degree. A separate application must be made and tuition paid to the Summer School. Tuition paid to the Summer School does not count toward the minimum financial requirements for graduate degrees.

GSAS students may obtain academic credit toward a higher degree for work done in the Summer School. The student must file an application at the Registrar’s office, 20 Garden Street, Application for Academic Credit for Work Done Elsewhere, requesting that the work be counted toward the higher degree. Courses taken at the Harvard Summer School following a student’s registration in GSAS will be listed on the student’s GSAS transcript. Summer School courses taken prior to registration in GSAS will not be listed, but a notation that credit was granted for courses taken at the Summer School will appear on the transcript.

Although no academic credit is granted for them, courses offered by the Institute for English Language Programs (IEL) can be useful to international students. For information about IEL Programs, visit www.iel.harvard.edu. The Graduate School will pay the tuition for one four-hour IEL course at the Summer School for any GSAS international student. If a student has been funded by GSAS for one course, the IEL may fund the student to take additional courses. Students should inquire at the Dean’s office in Holyoke Center for more details.

Summer School catalogs and information are available at 51 Brattle Street, Cambridge, MA 02138; by calling 617-495-4024; or on the Web.

HARVARD EXTENSION SCHOOL

51 Brattle Street
617-495-4024

The Harvard Extension School offers reasonably priced evening courses for students who are unable to take full-time academic programs. Extension School courses may not be counted toward higher degrees granted by the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, but only toward the Extension School undergraduate and graduate degrees and certificate programs. However, some graduate students find these courses useful in preparing for language examinations or to fill other educational needs. Harvard Extension School courses are not part of Harvard cross-registration. GSAS students interested in taking these courses must register and pay full tuition, unless they receive an Institute of English Language Programs (IEL) course tuition waiver, as described below.

In particular, international students may find courses offered by the IEL useful. For information about IEL, visit the Website at www.iel.harvard.edu. The Graduate School will pay the tuition for one four-hour IEL course at the Extension School for any GSAS international student. If a student has been funded by GSAS for one course, the IEL may fund the student to take additional courses. Students should inquire at the Dean’s office in Holyoke Center for more details.

Extension School catalogs and information are available at 51 Brattle Street, Cambridge,
MA 02138; by calling 617-495-4024; or on the Web.

REGISTRATION FOR RESIDENT STUDENTS

Resident students are expected to register online at the beginning of each term by the deadline indicated in the Academic Calendar (Chapter I). (Special Students should contact the Special Students and Visiting Fellows office for possible variations.) The late registration fee is $50.00 during the first week and increases by $5 for each additional week. Students who know in advance that their academic work will delay their return to Cambridge more than three weeks past registration should file an application for nonresident status by the August 1 deadline. Non-resident students can retain resident student privileges as indicated earlier in this chapter.

A student registering late for a term is charged tuition from the beginning of the term. All international students registering in the Graduate School for the first time, or reregistering after an absence of one or more terms, must report to the Harvard International office, Holyoke Center, eighth floor, before registration. Upon presentation of their passport and entry permit, or other evidence of immigration status, they will receive a clearance for registration.

Student identification cards are available at registration. Students should note that use of a Harvard ID card is limited to the person to whom it is issued. The loan or any other unauthorized use of the card will render the rightful bearer liable to disciplinary action. If an ID card is lost, there is a replacement fee of $20 for the first and second losses; a fee of $40 is charged for the third and subsequent losses.

Students must file a study card each term by the date indicated in the Academic Calendar (see Chapter I). Study cards may be filed at the Registrar’s office, 20 Garden Street, prior to the day on which they are due in Dudley House, Lehman Hall. If a student registers late, the study card is due within five working days of registration. The study card must list at least four half-courses, or the equivalent in TIME, unless an application for part-time study has been approved. Instructions explaining the process of obtaining signatures on the study card are provided with the study cards. Students should contact their departments or the Registrar’s office to determine which signatures are required. The fine for late filing of study cards is $40 per week or part of a week late. Any study card filed after the prescribed date must bear the instructor’s signature for each course listed. Degree candidates may register for up to six half-courses in each term without payment of additional tuition.

The seventh Monday of a term is the last day students may register for courses; after that date they may register for TIME only.

Resident students who will continue in residence for the spring term must register online by the date indicated in the Academic Calendar (see Chapter I) and then file a study card by the designated date. Students must have paid all outstanding University bills, including spring term tuition, in order to be allowed to register.

Students who had non-resident status for the fall term but are returning for the spring must register online by the day indicated in the Academic Calendar, and then file a study card by the designated date. Late fees apply as in the fall.

At the time of registration, Voter Registration Affidavit forms will be available for those students who wish to register to vote in Massachusetts. Students may also obtain information on voter registration online.

 

CROSS-REGISTRATION INTO COURSES OFFERED BY OTHER FACULTIES

Through cross-registration, GSAS students may audit or take for credit courses given by other Harvard faculties (except for the Harvard Extension School and the Harvard Summer School), and courses given by the Episcopal Divinity School, the Tufts University Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Brown University, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. (Special Students should contact the Special Students office for possible variations.)

The following limitations govern courses taken for academic credit by crossregistration:

1) They usually may not represent more than one-half the student’s total program of study in any term.

2) They must be of an advanced nature, i.e., equivalent to this faculty’s courses "For Undergraduates and Graduates" or "Primarily for Graduates." In the case of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, they cannot be graduate courses of reading and research.

3) Students may not cross-register for courses so crowded that the additional
enrollment by cross-registration would create an undue burden on the instructors.

4) The courses must cover subjects not available under this faculty. If there is apparent duplication of the requested subject in the two schools, acceptable reasons for wishing to enroll in the other school must be presented along with the petition described below.

5) They must not constitute a program that is alien to the program in which the student is formally registered.

All GSAS students who cross-register at another school must file cross-registration petitions, whether or not the course is to be taken for credit. These petitions must be obtained from the FAS Registrar’s office, filled out by the student, signed by the FAS registrar and the course instructor, and filed at the Office of the Registrar of the other school before their deadline for cross-registration.

The deadlines for cross-registration in the other schools and faculties for 2008-2009 are:
School of Business Administration*—September 4; January 15
School of Design—October 10; February 20
Divinity School—October 1; February 16
School of Education—October 9; February 19
Kennedy School of Government—October 2; February 19
Law School*—September 9; February 6
Medical School—contact HMS
Dental School—October 8; February 18
School of Public Health*—contact HSPH
Episcopal Divinity School—September 26; February 13
Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy—September 12; January 23
Brown University—September 16; February 3
Massachusetts Institute of Technology—December 12; May 13
________________________

* These Schools have additional short terms for some courses. For information, students should contact the registrar of the appropriate School of the FAS Registrar’s office.

Students taking courses outside the Faculty of Arts and Sciences by cross-registration are subject to all the rules and regulations of GSAS as well as those of the other school. It is the student’s responsibility to find out about the grading policy of other Harvard schools or other institutions. The students are graded according to the other school’s grading policy. Students should note that all courses listed in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Courses of Instruction must be taken through GSAS, and graded accordingly, even though they may also be listed in another school’s catalogue. Only courses not listed in the Courses of Instruction may be taken by cross-registration and graded according to the other school’s system.

Full-time GSAS students cross-registering in other schools must maintain the equivalent of at least four half-courses in each term (see this chapter, Resident Students). GSAS students who wish to change their programs after filing the cross-registration petition must file a petition to add or drop a course with the FAS Registrar, who will notify the other school. GSAS students must comply with GSAS deadlines for such things as adding and dropping courses and petitioning for extensions of time to complete incomplete grades, unless the other school’s deadlines are earlier. GSAS students should also confirm these deadlines with the Registrar at the other school. GSAS students cross-registering into full-year courses must file both fall and spring term cross-registration petitions.

Full-time students in the professional schools of Harvard University, and in the Episcopal Divinity School, the Tufts University Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Brown University, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology may take courses offered by the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences, subject to the above limitations. Students in those schools wishing to cross-register must obtain a petition in the office of their dean or registrar. This petition must be completed by the student, signed by their dean or registrar and by the course instructor, and filed at the FAS Registrar’s office, 20 Garden Street, by October 6, 2008 for the fall term and by March 2, 2009 for the spring term. Students taking courses in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences may register for 100/1000-level or 200/2000-level courses, which are letter-graded courses of instruction, or for 300/3000-level courses, which may be individual courses of reading and research, graduate seminars, or direction of the dissertation. Courses at the 300/3000 level are graded only SAT or UNS. The option to enroll in designated language courses on a SAT/UNS basis is not open to cross-registered students.

Students in other schools taking courses in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences must comply with GSAS regulations concerning examinations, make-up examinations, and the completion of incomplete grades (see section, Grade and Examination Requirements, in this chapter). Students who wish to make a change in courses after the original cross registration petition has been filed should notify their own registrar, who will inform the FAS Registrar. All of the above must conform to GSAS deadlines, unless a student’s own school’s deadlines are earlier.

 

THE EXCHANGE SCHOLAR PROGRAM

The Exchange Scholar Program enables a PhD candidate to study at one of the other participating arts and sciences graduate schools for up to one academic year, so as to take advantage of particular educational opportunities not available on the home campus. The courses taken for credit and/or research conducted at the host institution will be listed on the student’s academic record at the home institution. Exchange scholars are generally accorded all the benefits of the host institution’s resident graduate students, and receive a student identification card that permits access to libraries, laboratories, health services, and athletic facilities. Exchange scholars who are G4s and above will receive extended library check out privileges at Widener Library like those given to current Harvard graduate students who are G4s and above.

Harvard exchange scholars visiting elsewhere are charged the appropriate GSAS resident tuition. They retain eligibility for Harvard tuition and stipend grants. GSAS exchange scholars are charged health care fees, which will remain on their term bill unless these fees are waived. Exchange scholars who are interested in waiving Harvard University Health Services and/or Harvard-sponsored Blue Cross Blue Shield should visit the Health Services Website. Students may instead enroll in the health insurance program at the institution they are visiting.

Exchange scholars visiting Harvard from other schools are billed the Student Health Fee for the use of the Harvard University Health Services and the Harvard-sponsored Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) health insurance fee each term. The BCBS fee may be waived for those with comparable insurance that is based in the United States. The BCBS online waiver form is available at huhs.harvard.edu.

Exchange scholar agreements currently exist between the Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and: University of California, Berkeley; Brown University; University of Chicago; Columbia University; Cornell University; Massachusetts Institute of Technology; University of Pennsylvania; Princeton University; Stanford University; and Yale University.

Exchange scholar applications are available from the Dean’s office in Holyoke Center and at www.upenn.edu/grad/exchange.html. Applicants should describe what is to be studied, where, when, and with whom.

The application must be approved by the applicant’s academic advisor, department chair, and dean at the home institution. The application is then forwarded to the host institution for approval of the professors with whom work is to be done, the department chair, and the graduate dean. Applications should be completed two months before the registration date of the host school. Students considering this status should inform their host department of their interest and if possible find an appropriate advisor in that department prior to submitting their application. Indicate on the application the host advisor’s name.

If an exchange scholar would like to participate in a program for more than two terms, the student should arrange to have his/her advisors at the host and home institutions write letters to the GSAS assistant dean of student affairs explaining the student’s activities at the host institution and why continuing at that institution would be in the student’s best academic interest. The student should also complete and submit a new exchange scholar application.

 

CERTIFICATE IN TEACHING ENGLISH TO SPEAKERS OF OTHER LANGUAGES

The job-market for graduates in the Arts and Humanities has become difficult at the same time that classrooms across America are enrolling increasing numbers of non-native speakers of English. Similarly, the global importance of English in industry and commerce is fuelling interest in education via the English language in all phases of education around the world.

These trends suggest that Harvard graduate students who are planning to become educators—whether in the USA or abroad, and at all levels of instruction—would enhance their career prospects and professional success by adequately preparing themselves to teach English as well as other subjects to non-native speakers, The course of study leading to the Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (CITESOL) offers precisely such an opportunity—free of charge to all GSAS students.

The CITESOL program, which is meant to be taken over the course of fifteen months, involves applied linguistics training and practice during the course of the PhD studies of GSAS students who have completed their general exams. Students in the program take four courses, including a practicum in teaching.

Students completing these requirements work with full-time IEL instructors in the subsequent Harvard Summer School session to acquire classroom experience in the context of an intensive ESOL program before receiving the Certificate at Commencement in the following spring.

Interested students should complete an application form available from the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and submit it along with a current c.v. and a letter of recommendation from their department by January 9, 2009.

Questions about the application process should be directed to Dr. Lilith M. Haynes (617-495-2947, email: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ) or Rise Shepsle, GSAS Dean’s office (617-496-5275, email: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ).

VARIATIONS IN PROGRAM

Changing Courses During Term

To change a course after the study card has been filed, a student must file a petition to change a course during the term with the registrar, 20 Garden Street. (Special Students should file petitions at Holyoke Center 350.) There is a fee schedule that is listed in the Academic Calendar.

Students must obtain the instructor’s signature in order to add a course or TIME. The seventh Monday of a term is the last day a student may add a course; thereafter only TIME may be added.

The ninth Tuesday of a term is the last day to drop a course. The instructor’s signature is not required to drop a course; however, unless the course being dropped is a fifth course, students must add another course or TIME in order to maintain registration at the four-course level. A course that is dropped by the deadline will not appear on a student’s record.

The ninth Tuesday of the spring term is the last day students may elect to divide a full course with half-course credit for the fall term and receive the mid-year grade as the fallterm grade. Petition forms are available in the Registrar’s office; the instructor’s signature is required. Students may not divide with credit courses designated in Courses of Instruction as “indivisible.”

If a student wishes to postpone taking the spring-term half of an indivisible full course or an hf course, that half may be “suspended,” with the instructor’s permission, by filing a petition to add or drop a course by the deadline for dropping a course in the spring. The student may then take the second half at a later time and petition to “combine” both halves of the course for one grade.

Students who wish to add or withdraw from a course after the deadlines for adding or dropping courses must file a petition with the Dean’s office in Holyoke Center (available online at www.gsas.harvard.edu/current_students/petition_and_withdrawal_notices.php). Such petitions ordinarily are approved only in cases of serious illness or emergency or other exceptional circumstances. There is a $50 fee for petitions filed and approved after the deadlines.

If a petition to withdraw from a course after the drop deadline is approved, the course will appear on the student’s record with the notation WD in place of a grade, indicating that the student withdrew from the course. Students may petition to withdraw from a course through the last working day before the first day of the examination period.

Change of Subject

Each degree candidate is admitted to work toward a specific degree in a specific discipline under a specific department. A student who wishes to work toward a degree at the same level in a different subject within the department to which he or she was admitted should file an application for change of subject with the registrar.

 

Transfer to a Different Degree Level or Department

To change degree level or to transfer to a different department, division, or committee (including an ad hoc committee), a degree candidate must file an intra-Faculty of Arts and Sciences transfer application with the Dean’s office in Holyoke Center. Applications are available there or on the Web and are due December 15. Transfer students should contact the departments to which they are applying to determine what supporting documentation should be submitted with their application. These students should submit a current GSAS transcript and at least two new letters of recommendation.

Courses completed for a master’s degree in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences may count toward academic requirements for the PhD at the discretion of the department.

A student who transfers from a GSAS master’s degree program to a PhD program receives financial credit toward the PhD tuition requirements. A student transferring from one GSAS PhD program to another also receives financial credit for tuition previously paid. Graduate students are permitted to apply only three times as a transfer student to other programs and only twice during one admissions season.

GRADE AND EXAMINATION REQUIREMENTS

THE GRADING SYSTEM

Letter Grades

The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences uses the following letter grades: A, A-, B+,
B, B-, C+, C, C-, D+, D, D-, E. The grade of E is a failing grade.

Non-letter Grades

ABS
Students who miss a regularly scheduled mid-year or final examination, administered by the Office of the Registrar during the mid-year or final examination period, are given a failing grade of ABS, which will be changed only if the student is granted and takes a make-up examination. (See Examination Requirements below.)

EXC
Graduate students may be excused from a final examination or other course assignment by their division, department, or committee chairs on the basis of having passed departmental examinations or other requirements. At the written request of a chair, the registrar records the grade of EXC (Excused). If students elect to take the final examination and complete the course, they receive a letter grade.

INC
A graduate student who receives a grade of INC (Incomplete), which is granted only at the discretion of the instructor, must complete the work of the incomplete course before the end of the term following that in which the course was taken, even if the student’s registration status during that term is leave of absence, unless she or he is given an earlier deadline by the instructor. If the work is not submitted by that time, the INC becomes a permanent grade, unless the student has petitioned successfully for an extension. Petition forms may be obtained from the registrar, the Dean’s office in Holyoke Center, or online; the fee for each approved petition is $15. Petitions must be approved by the instructor, the director of graduate studies, and the student affairs office. Petitions ordinarily are granted only in cases involving serious illness or other unforeseen events beyond the control of the student. Extensions, when granted, ordinarily will not exceed one additional term. INC grades incurred in cross-registered courses in another school are subject to GSAS rules and deadlines unless the other school’s deadlines are earlier. Extensions must be approved both by GSAS and by the other school. Incomplete grades cannot be changed once a final degree has been awarded.

SAT/UNS
For graduate students, Satisfactory indicates that the course was passed with distinction (B- or above). The grade of SAT/UNS is used in graduate courses of Reading and Research (300-level courses) which must be graded Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory. SAT/UNS is also an option for GSAS degree candidates in some foreign language courses. Permission of the course head is required to take language courses on a SAT/UNS basis. These courses may not be counted toward the minimum course requirements for a higher degree.

GRADE REQUIREMENTS

The minimum standard for satisfactory work in the Graduate School is a B average in each academic year. A grade of C or INC is offset by a grade of A, and a D by two A’s; no account is taken of plus or minus. Grades of E or an unexcused ABS are failing. A grade of UNS is unsatisfactory. A course in which a student receives an E or a permanent INC or ABS may be retaken for credit at a later time, in which case both grades will appear on the student’s transcript. The pass/fail grading option is not available to graduate students. In many departments, students are expected to maintain an average well above the GSAS minimum (see Degree Requirements, Chapter VI).

Until September 2003, the Faculty of Arts and Sciences used a 15-point scale for averaging its letter grades: A=15, A-=14, B+=12, B=11, B-=10, C+=8, C=7, C-=6, D+=4, D=3, D-=2. E, ABS, and UNS = 0. B average is numerically represented by 11.

Beginning in September 2003, the Faculty of Arts and Sciences replaced the 15-point scale for averaging its letter grades with a 4-point scale: A=4.00, A-=3.67, B+ =3.33, B=3.00, B-=2.67, C+=2.33, C=2.00, C-=1.67, D+=1.33, D=1.00, D-=0.67, E, ABS, and UNS=0. The grade-point average will continue to be the numerical average of all grades.

 

EXAMINATION REQUIREMENTS

To obtain credit in a course for which there is a regularly scheduled final examination, or both a mid-year and a final examination, a student must take such examinations unless previously excused by the department. A student absent from a final examination because of illness must fill out a petition for a make-up examination at the Harvard University Health Services (HUHS) within twenty-four hours of the beginning of the examination. In an emergency, if the student is unable to go to HUHS, or is being treated elsewhere, the petition may be requested from the Registrar’s office; in this case, the student must also file a letter from a physician certifying the date and nature of the illness. Students who, because of a documented condition, are unable to take an examination at the scheduled time, should contact the Accessible Education Office as soon as the need is apparent to discuss make-up examination accommodations and procedures. When make-up examinations are necessary as a result of a condition, the usual fee associated with this process will be waived.

Students who must be absent for reasons other than illness, such as a death in the family or a reason of like gravity, should obtain a make-up petition from the Registrar’s office. All make-up petitions must be filed with the deputy registrar, 20 Garden Street, within one week of the end of the examination period. Students who do not take the regularly scheduled final examination in a course receive a grade of ABS (Absent), unless excused by their department (see above). A grade of ABS is permanent on a student’s record if a make-up petition is not filed or not granted, or if the make-up examination is not attended.

Make-up examinations are given in February for fall term final examinations and in October for spring term final examinations. The charge for each make-up examination requested and granted is $25 and is not refundable, unless a student requests of the registrar that the examination be canceled at least four weeks prior to the beginning of the make-up examination period.

Students who, for sufficient reason, cannot be in Cambridge at the time of a final or make-up examination may petition to take the examination in another place. In absentia petitions and information are available at the Registrar’s office. Completed petitions must be filed thirty days before the regularly scheduled examination date; there is a $100 fee for each approved petition.

 

STORM AND EMERGENCY CONDITIONS

The Faculty of Arts and Sciences rarely cancels classes. However, faculty and section leaders who need to commute should not put themselves in danger during serious storms, and may choose to cancel their individual classes. Students may find the following information helpful:

• Graduate students who decide that they cannot make it to class should consult the course materials for instructions on informing the course’s instructional staff of planned absences from class. If such procedures have not been provided, then the student should inform the instructor or the teaching fellow of the planned absence by email or by telephone.

• Students may find instructions in the course materials that indicate how the instructional staff would inform students of the cancellation of a class or section meeting. For example, many courses inform students of the cancellation via an announcement posted at the course’s home page on the Web, via an e-mail to the class attendees, or by leaving a message on the voice mail system of a centralized departmental telephone.

• FAS offices and academic departments will be open depending on staff availability and whether there are critical functions in progress. Call the central number for that office before going there.

• Final examinations and make-up examinations are never cancelled and students should report to their examination rooms on time.

• On the very rare occasion when FAS cancels classes, an announcement will be posted at emergency.harvard.edu and the University Website (my.harvard.edu).

PRIVACY AND DIRECTORY INFORMATION

Harvard policy protects the privacy of students. Consequently, only “directory information” is generally available. “Directory information” is: a student’s full name, reported date of birth, dates of attendance, digitized image (note that although Harvard classifies photos and images as directory information, these are rarely released to parties outside the University without the student’s permission), local address and telephone number, e-mail address, undergraduate college, home town or city at time of application for admission, and dates of degrees received or expected with field and department of study, University prizes, fellowships, and similar honors awarded.

A student may choose not to allow the above information as it applies to himself or herself to be designated “directory information,” in which case the Registrar’s office will omit all the information listed above from records containing “directory information.” However, the student must inform the Access Officer in the FAS Registrar’s office, 20 Garden Street, in writing, of that decision. Students should be aware of the possible consequences of withholding “directory information,” such as missed mailings, messages, and announcements, non-verification of enrollment or degree status, and non-inclusion in the Harvard Commencement booklet. All other educational records are routinely available only to University officers and staff with a legitimate need for access. Exceptions to this firm policy, such as those in connection with judicial proceedings, are very limited and are permitted only when authorized by law and by Harvard policy.

 

ACCESS TO STUDENT RECORDS

Under the provisions of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974, students registered in the Graduate School have the right to review their educational records. A student who wishes to examine these records should make the request in writing at the Dean’s office in Holyoke Center, indicating which records are to be examined. A response will be made within ten working days of the receipt of the request as to arrangements for the examination. If students wish to obtain a photocopy of any part of their records, there will be a charge to cover costs.

Student records generally include course grades; information concerning fulfillment of degree requirements; evaluations provided by instructors and others; copies of correspondence; various statements, forms, and study cards filed by the student; financial aid and admissions documents; letters of recommendation; and the application for admission filled out by the student.

Many of these educational records are normally maintained indefinitely. Prior to January 1, 1975, all letters of recommendation for admission were confidential, and they may not be examined. Similarly, letters subsequent to that date for which a student has specifically waived his or her rights may not be examined. Students may direct questions about their records to the appropriate officer in the department or the Graduate School.

The Graduate School’s policy is that letters of recommendation for admission are to be used only for the purpose for which they were intended. Exceptions to this policy may be made only upon written request of the student and receipt of the written permission of the recommender. Students who are applying for fellowships and prizes are encouraged to establish a dossier with the Office of Career Services.

Students have the right to request the amendment of their educational records to ensure they are not inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise in violation of their privacy or rights. Requests should be directed to the official in charge of the office where the records are kept. If necessary, the matter may be referred to the Dean’s office, followed by the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Committee on the Privacy, Accessibility and Security of Records, which is available to hear formal challenges concerning the accuracy of records in cases where informal discussions have not resolved challenges.

In appropriate cases, educational records are disclosed without a student’s knowledge or consent to Harvard officials with legitimate educational interest in the records. “School officials” include faculty, administrators, clerical, professional employees, and agents of the University such as independent contractors performing functions on behalf of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences or the University. The determination of whether an official has a legitimate educational interest will focus on whether disclosure of the information is appropriate for the effective functioning of the person’s office, their position, or the University.

Complaints regarding alleged violation of rights of students under FERPA may be submitted in writing within 180 days to the Family Policy Compliance office, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, S.W., Washington, DC 20202-5920.