Scholarships and Grants
On this page:
- Harvard Extension School Scholarship
- Harvard Extension School Summer Scholarship
- Faculty of Arts and Sciences Special Student Scholarship
- Kwan Fong Scholarship
- Federal Pell Grant
- Academic Competitiveness Grant
- National Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent (SMART) Grant
- Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant
- State funds
Harvard Extension School Scholarship
Harvard Extension School provides scholarship funding for admitted candidates. Recipients are chosen on the basis of financial need.
Awards generally cover tuition for up to:
- Half the total tuition per term for undergraduate candidates
- Half the total tuition per term for graduate candidates
- One course per year for a limited number of health careers candidates
Preference is given to students who submit a complete application by the priority deadline.
Harvard Extension School Summer Scholarship
Harvard Extension School provides scholarship funding to help admitted candidates pay for Harvard Summer School courses. Awards cover the tuition for one 4-credit course. To apply, complete and submit all required financial aid application materials, including the Summer Enrollment Plan for Financial Aid form. The priority deadline is March 1.
Recipients are chosen based on financial need and academic merit at Harvard Extension School. Priority is given to:
- Undergraduate degree candidates with cumulative grade point averages (GPAs) of 3.0 or higher
- Graduate degree candidates with cumulative GPAs of 3.5 or higher
- Certificate and health careers candidates with cumulative GPAs of 3.0 or higher
Faculty of Arts and Sciences Special Student Scholarship
Bachelor of Liberal Arts candidates who have been admitted as Special Students to Harvard’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) may apply for a Special Student Scholarship. Scholarships are awarded by the Extension School and cover tuition for 1 undergraduate course in a term. The course must be applicable to a candidate’s field of study at the Extension School and unavailable within the Extension School curriculum.
To be considered, complete and submit all required financial aid application materials and the supplemental FAS Special Student Scholarship application by the priority deadline for fall or spring. Recipients are chosen on the basis of financial need and academic merit. Scholarship applicants must have a cumulative grade point average of 3.33 or higher.
See important information about enrollment status for Special Students in Registering with Anticipated Funds.
Kwan Fong Scholarship
The Kwan Fong Scholarship is available each term to 1 management program candidate to cover tuition for 1 course. You are considered for this scholarship only after you have completed and submitted all required financial aid application materials.
Federal Pell Grant
Federal Pell Grants are awarded to undergraduate degree candidates with the lowest expected family contributions (EFC). The expected family contribution is calculated by the federal processor from the data submitted on the FAFSA. Pell Grant awards range from $609 to $5,350 per year depending on expected family contribution and enrollment status.
Pell Grants are awarded to:
- Full-time undergraduate degree candidates with EFCs of $4,617 or less
- Three-quarter time undergraduate degree candidates with EFCs of $4,500 or less
- Half-time undergraduate degree candidates with EFCs of $4,400 or less
- Less than half-time undergraduate degree candidates with EFCs of $3,900 or less
Academic Competitiveness Grant
The Academic Competitiveness Grant for the 2009–10 academic year is available to:
- First-year undergraduate candidates who graduated from high school after January 1, 2006
- Second-year undergraduate candidates who graduated from high school after January 1, 2005
The grant provides up to $750 for the first year of undergraduate study and up to $1,300 for the second year of undergraduate study if candidates:
- Are enrolled at least half time (8 credits fall or spring, 4 credits summer)
- Are US citizens or eligible noncitizens
- Are eligible for Federal Pell Grants during the same award year
- Have successfully completed a rigorous high school program, as determined by the state or local education agency and recognized by the Secretary of Education
Second-year undergraduate candidates must have a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0. The Academic Competitiveness Grant is awarded in addition to the Federal Pell Grant.
National Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent Grant
The National Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent Grant, also known as the National SMART Grant, is a federal grant available to third- and fourth-year undergraduate degree candidates.
The National SMART Grant award provides up to $4,000 for each year of study and is awarded in addition to the candidate’s Federal Pell Grant award for candidates who:
- Are enrolled at least half time (8 credits fall or spring, 4 credits summer)
- Are US citizens or eligible noncitizens
- Are eligible for Federal Pell Grants during the same award year
- Have declared a field of study of biology, computer science, or mathematics at Harvard Extension School
- Have maintained cumulative grade point averages of at least 3.0
- Are enrolled in at least 1 course each term that meets the specific requirements of the eligible declared field of study
Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant
Candidates in the Graduate Program in Mathematics for Teaching who intend to teach full time in a high-need field at a public or private elementary or secondary school that is designated as a low-income school may qualify for the TEACH Grant Program.
As a recipient of a TEACH Grant, you must teach for at least 4 academic years within 8 calendar years of completing the program of study for which you received a TEACH Grant. If you fail to complete this service obligation, all amounts of TEACH Grants that you received will be converted to a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loan.
The TEACH Grant provides up to $4,000 per academic year for full-time students (amount will be less for part-time students) with an aggregate limit of $8,000.
If you are interested in applying for the TEACH Grant, you are encouraged to review the TEACH Grant Fact Sheet then contact Katie Kelsall at kelsall@dcemail.harvard.edu for more information.
State funds
Commonwealth of Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts funds programs that provide financial assistance to residents who have the lowest expected family contributions based on the FAFSA data. To be eligible for funding, you must:
- Indicate your residency status on the FAFSA
- Have maintained legal residence in Massachusetts since August 31, 2008
- Be an admitted candidate in the Associate in Arts or Bachelor of Liberal Arts Program
To be considered for the MASSGrant, your FAFSA must have been received by the FAFSA processor no later than May 1, 2009.
If you are a full-time candidate enrolled in at least 14 credits per term, you may be eligible for the MASSGrant. If you are a part-time candidate enrolled in at least 8 but no more than 13 credits per term, you may be eligible for the Massachusetts Part-Time Grant.
Rhode Island
To be considered for the Rhode Island state scholarship, your FAFSA must have been received by the FAFSA processor no later than March 1, 2009.
Other states
If you are not a resident of Massachusetts or Rhode Island, you may be eligible for funding through your home state. A partial listing of deadlines is on the FAFSA website. Contact information for state financial aid agencies is available from Student Financial Services.