Tuition and Fees

	Academic Year	Per Term
Full tuition	$32,556	$16,278
Reduced tuition	8,464	4,232
Facilities fee	2,154	1,077
Active file fee	300	150
One-course rate	8,136	4,068
Two-course rate	16,276	8,138
Three-course rate	24,416	12,208
Student Health Fee (SHF)	1,426	713
Harvard-sponsored Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) health insurance	1,404	702
Graduate Student Council fee	20*

 

*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 30. 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 March 1.

 

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. 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 Health Services fee 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. Registered students who formally withdraw with a status change before Oct. 1st (fall term) or March 1st (spring term) will have the insurance charges (BCBS and SHF) removed from their term bill. Students are not eligible to renew their insurance or purchase insurance through Member Services Department. If the status change takes place on or after Oct. 1st (fall term) or March 1st (spring term) the insurance coverage which the student currently has under the Harvard Student Health Plan will remain in effect for the remainder of that term. The charges will not be removed from the student’s term bill. To view this policy please visit the Student Health Insurance Website at www.huhs.harvard.edu.

Note: HUHS reserves the right to retroactively charge a student previously credited for the insurance, if it comes to our attention that the insurance has been used during the time covered. Fee for services is not an option for services rendered prior to status change.

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.)

 

Fall—on or before	October 25: one-fourth tuition for the term
	November 25: one-half
	December 24: three-fourths
	after December 24: full tuition
Spring—on or before	February 25: one-fourth tuition for the term
	March 25: one-half
	April 25: three-fourths
	after April 25: full tuition

 

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

 

STUDENT HEALTH INSURANCE FEES

Massachusetts law requires that any full-time or part-time student enrolled in an institution of higher learning in Massachusetts must participate in a qualifying student health insurance program or in a health plan of comparable coverage. All Harvard University students are automatically enrolled in the Harvard University Student Health Plan, including resident students who are traveling scholars. Coverage for the Fall term is effective August 1 through January 31; coverage for the Spring term is effective February 1 through July 31. Charges are applied to the student’s term bill.

The Harvard University Student Health Plan consists of two parts:
Part I: The Student Health Fee (SHF) covers most services provided at Harvard University Health Services (HUHS) and includes a prescription drug benefit. Primary Care Providers are available at clinics on each Harvard campus for routine health care. Urgent care is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year at HUHS in Holyoke Center.
Part II: The Blue Cross Blue Shield PPO (BCBS) Plan of Massachusetts is designed to complement the health care provided under the SHF at the HUHS. This plan covers medically necessary hospitalization, emergency care, and some services and procedures not available through HUHS.

Waiving the Harvard Student Health Insurance Plan
Students who meet certain requirements may be eligible to waive all or a portion of the Harvard University Student Health Plan. Eligible students may apply to waive coverage for the entire year, or apply each term to waive coverage for that term only. All waivers must be completed online prior to the waiver deadlines (Fall term deadline 9/30; Spring term deadline 2/28).

Optional Coverage for Dependents
Dependent coverage is available for an additional fee, which can be applied to the student’s term bill. Eligible students may apply for dependent coverage for the entire year, or apply each term for dependent coverage for that term only. All enrollment forms must be completed prior to the enrollment deadlines (fall deadline 9/30; spring deadline 2/28). Dependent documentation is required when adding dependents. To view the policy when adding dependents visit the Website.

The charges for the Harvard Student Health Plan are applied to the student’s term bill in two installments, covering the periods August 1 through January 31 and February 1 through July 31. Coverage cannot be prorated for less than a six-month period. Any student who is not registered by September 28 in the fall or February 27 in the spring will have his or her tuition and health-care fees removed from his or her term bill.

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 their health coverage through January 31. (The Registrar’s Office will contact registered November degree candidates regarding this issue.) However, fall term registration and tuition charges will be cancelled for all students who complete the requirements to graduate in November. For those November degree candidates who do not register for the fall term, their health coverage will have ended July 31.

Please note that if medical services have already been rendered at any point during the fall term (coverage begins August 1), Member Services reserves the right to retroactively charge a student the health fees. For further information and deadlines, visit huhs.harvard.edu.

For students receiving terminal degrees in March (or students receiving degrees in June who file their dissertation by February 8, 2009), whether or not they have registered for the spring term, the spring term tuition/facilities fee charge and Harvard health care will be canceled, as will their registration for the spring term. Their fall term Harvard-sponsored Blue Cross Blue Shield and Harvard University Health Services coverage will end at the end of January.

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: 1/31, Spring term: 7/31). For more information on options that are available to you visit www.huhs.harvard.edu .

Foreign students who are not permanent residents of the US must carry Harvardsponsored 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 foreign students with other visas do so.

For detailed information on the Harvard University Student Health Plan policies, benefits, limitations, and exclusions, including waiver eligibility and dependent enrollment, please visit the Student Health Insurance Website.

 

DENTAL COVERAGE OPTIONS

Dental insurance is available for students and their dependents through the Delta Dental of Massachusetts PPO Value Plan. Coverage is effective October 1 through September 30. Renewal is not automatic; all enrollment forms must be completed prior to the enrollment deadlines for each year dental insurance coverage is desired. Preventive and specialty dental care services are also available at competitive fee-forservice rates through HUHS Dental Services and the Harvard School of Dental Medicine (HSDM). For information on dental care options, including insurance enrollment deadlines and forms, please visit the Student Health Insurance Website.

 

PAYMENT OF UNIVERSITY OBLIGATIONS

GSAS students are expected to review the billing statement each month and make any payments due by the due 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 semester bill is available online in mid-July and the spring semester bill in mid-December. Please see the billing schedule at www.termbill.harvard.edu for exact billing and payment due dates.

The University requires that the student bill be paid in full prior to registering each semester unless the student enrolls in the monthly payment plan. The monthly payment plan costs $35.00 per semester 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 semesters. 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 24, 2008, for November degree candidates; by noon on March 2, 2009, for March degree candidates; and by noon on May 22, 2009, 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 epayment 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.