Special Options

Faculty Aide Program

If you have a 3.5 or higher GPA you may become a research assistant to a faculty member through the Career and Academic Resource Center’s Faculty Aide Program.

Special Student status

Special Student status enables you to enroll in a maximum of two Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS) courses. All other coursework for the degree must be completed through Harvard Extension School and Harvard Summer School. If by the deadline you have a 3.7 or higher GPA and have completed 24 credits at the Extension School you may apply with recommendations from Jody Clineff and two instructors. This option is only for courses not ordinarily offered at Harvard Extension School or Harvard Summer School.

The application is in two steps:

• First, submit the Special Student petition (see Forms) and schedule an appointment with Jody Clineff by September 1 for spring 2013 and February 1 for the 2013–14 academic year.
• Second, after approval by the associate director, submit the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Special Student Application by October 1 and March 1, respectively. If you don’t meet the deadline or receive approval for the first step, you can’t move on to the second.

Special Student courses are taken for a letter grade and count toward your cumulative GPA at Harvard. You pay the full GSAS tuition of $4,697.

Harvard Graduate School of Education tuition voucher

Harvard Extension School and Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE) offers a limited number of tuition vouchers to degree candidates. You can submit a one-time application to receive a voucher for a 4-credit HGSE course free of charge.

At the time of the application deadline, you must have completed 24 credits with a GPA of 3.7 or higher.

The deadlines are July 1 for fall and December 1 for spring. See Forms to download the voucher petition.