Financing Options for Non-Admitted Students

As a further example of Harvard Extension School’s foundational commitment to access, we award a limited number of scholarships to students who are PTK members seeking admission to our Bachelor of Liberal Arts (ALB) undergraduate degree program.

The PTK Scholarship covers tuition for the three undergraduate degree courses required for admission to the program. Upon admission, students are eligible to receive other forms of financial aid.

You are eligible to apply if you earned a cumulative grade-point average of 3.5 or higher while achieving PTK membership and are currently a US citizen or eligible non-citizen who qualifies for financial aid.

Additionally, you must meet the initial admission eligibility requirements for the ALB degree, including the expectation that your high school diploma or its equivalent must have been earned at least five years prior to enrolling in any ALB degree-applicable courses.

Awards are based on the following:

1. Financial need
2. Past academic performance
3. Scholarship application essays
4. Results of Harvard Extension School’s Test of Critical Reading and Writing Skills (CRWS)
5. An interview

Preference is given to applicants who primarily studied the liberal arts.

Apply for the PTK Scholarship between May 15 and June 15 for fall term enrollment and September 1 and October 1 for spring term enrollment. A complete application includes:

• The online Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Submit the most current version, entering the Harvard Extension School federal code of E00209 in the school section.
• The Application for Institutional Aid. The Fall/Spring aid application is found in the Financial Aid Portal in MyDCE.
• PTK Scholarship application. The application is available under “How to Apply” on our PTK Scholarship page.

Refer to How to Apply for Financial Aid for details about completing these forms and when to submit them.

The HES Student Financial Services Office may ask you to submit other supporting documentation (e.g., proof of citizenship or a verification worksheet) before your scholarship application is considered complete. They will contact you directly if additional documents are required.

If you are a scholarship recipient and do not complete the three courses for admission in the initial award year, you must submit a new financial aid application to receive the remaining PTK scholarship funds for the subsequent academic year.

Review our PTK Scholarship page for more information.

The Lowell Teachers Scholarships are available for middle and high school teachers in Massachusetts. The scholarship covers half the tuition rate for a single HES course in either the fall or spring term. You must first register online and pay the reduced rate of tuition in order for your application to be reviewed. Scholarships cannot be used for January session, summer courses, internships, independent studies, practicums, master’s theses, capstone projects, or for prior terms, nor can they be combined with any other scholarships. 

To apply for a Lowell Teachers Scholarship, complete the following:

1. Create a student account in MyDCE
2. Register for your course online
3. Pay 50% of the tuition
4. Submit the scholarship application form, signed by your school’s principal. Please note you may submit an email from your school’s principal providing the required information if you are unable to obtain a signature. Please forward your principal’s email along with the application form to:
   • StudentFinance@Extension.Harvard.edu
5. Scholarship applications for prior terms will not be accepted

For more information, contact Student Financial Services at (617) 495-4293 or StudentFinance@Extension.Harvard.edu.

The Lowell Student Scholarship is an academic scholarship offered by Harvard Extension School that gives select high school students the opportunity to enroll in (1) course (for undergraduate credit or noncredit) at the Extension School (no Management courses permitted) at a reduced tuition cost.

Eligibility & How to Apply:

Please review the info sheet PDF for everything that you need to know about the scholarship, including eligibility requirements and how to apply for it.

All eligible students can access the application from October 21, 2024–January 6, 2025.

Timeline:

Questions?

Please contact the Enrollment Services team at Inquiry@Extension.Harvard.edu with any questions/concerns that you have related to this scholarship.

Poetry in America (PiA) Teachers Scholarships enable middle and high school teachers to take one of the PiA courses per semester, for a reduced tuition cost of $250. The number of scholarships is limited. Teachers should apply early in the registration period. Scholarships may not be used for other courses

To apply for a PiA Teachers Scholarship, complete the following:

1. Create a student account in MyDCE
2. Register for your course online
3. Pay $250
4. Submit the scholarship application form, signed by your school’s principal. Please note you may submit an email from your school’s principal providing the required information if you are unable to obtain a signature. Please forward your principal’s email along with the application form to:
   • PIAScholarship@Extension.Harvard.edu
5. The Application cycle for the 2024/2025 year is now open. Complete all the steps by:
   • Fall 2024: completed application must be submitted by August 14, 2024
   • Spring 2025: completed application must be submitted by January 6, 2025

For more information, contact Student Financial Services at (617) 495-4293 or StudentFinance@Extension.Harvard.edu.

A limited number of scholarships are available for Cambridge Rindge and Latin students, Cambridge city employees, and Allston-Brighton residents. Scholarships cannot be used for January session courses.

Cambridge Rindge and Latin students. A limited number of tuition scholarships are awarded to eligible 12th grade students at the Cambridge Rindge and Latin School. For information please contact Enrollment Services at (617) 495-4024 or Inquiry@Extension.Harvard.edu.

Allston-Brighton residents. The Allston-Brighton Community Scholarships cover tuition for any course taken for noncredit, undergraduate, or graduate credit by residents of Allston and Brighton. Five scholars are chosen each term by the Allston Civic Association. For information about these scholarships, please visit the Harvard Ed Portal.

Cambridge city employees. The Leonard J. Russell Scholarship covers tuition for one Graduate Program in Management course for up to three City of Cambridge employees each term. Interested Cambridge employees may download an application and submit it to Student Financial Services before August 1 for fall semester courses and January 1 for spring semester courses.

Each year, Harvard seeks proposals from lenders offering non-federal education loans through an RFI to provide Harvard students with information on private loan products. Students are not required to use these lenders, and domestic borrowers may qualify for federal loans with better terms.

Once your loan has been preapproved by the lender of your choice, it must be certified by Student Financial Services. Certification of private student loans is based on the cost of attendance for your enrollment and is limited for non-admitted students to a maximum of three semesters, not to exceed $25,000.

Private student loans are primarily intended to cover tuition and fees, books and transportation, and are designed to be a supplement to your other financial resources.

Private student loans may not be certified for students who are not in good academic standing.  Non-admitted students intending to pursue admission to a degree program and who have earned any grades below B at Harvard Extension School or Summer School are strongly encouraged to request their GPA through online services (Degree Program Admissions menu) to discuss admission eligibility before requesting certification of a private loan.

To have your loan certified, you must:

1. Complete a request for private loan certification form and submit it to Student Financial Services
2. Receive confirmation from Student Financial Services regarding the loan amount that will be certified

The loan certification process may take up to two weeks. Additional processing time may be required by your lender.  To be able to use your anticipated private student loan funds to cover your balance due prior to the payment in full deadline, Student Financial Services must receive your completed Private Loan Certification Form and loan preapproval ten days before the payment deadline.  You should review your student account in MyDCE to determine if your loan has been certified by Student Financial Services. If a loan has been certified, the funds appear as either an account credit or an anticipated credit, which allows you to register without using another form of payment. You should also review the lender notification regarding the disbursement of your loan funds to Student Financial Services.

Student Financial Services certifies the following for your lender:

• Your enrollment plans
• That the amount you requested fits within the standard cost of attendance for your planned enrollment

When determining the cost of attendance for students enrolling half time or more (at least 8 credits per term for the fall or spring), Student Financial Services considers the following expenses:

• Tuition and registration fee
• Housing and food
• Books and supplies
• Personal
• Transportation

When determining the cost of attendance for students enrolling less than half time (6 credits or fewer per term for the fall or spring), Student Financial Services considers only the following expenses:

• Tuition and registration fee
• Books and supplies
• Transportation

If Student Financial Services has certified a private student loan for you and you change your enrollment, all or a portion of the loan funds may need to be returned to your lender.