Frequently Asked Questions

One credit in a Harvard Extension School (HES) course is equal to one semester hour. The hours you need to dedicate to your studies depend upon how many courses you take per semester and the intensity of the class.

Instructors determine the workload for their individual courses, but you should expect to have at least two hours of work outside of class for every hour in class. Please refer to course syllabi, once available (within the course catalog), to learn more about coursework and assignments.

Most courses are offered in an online course format to allow flexibility to our students. All graduate certificates may be completed entirely through online education. However, our graduate programs require at least one on-campus learning experience.

Yes, you can take more than one on-campus course if you choose. Please note that if you are a registered student who will have a presence on campus, you must comply with Massachusetts and Harvard University regulations requiring proof of immunization.

Flexible attendance courses may offer the option to participate synchronously online, the option to watch class recordings and participate asynchronously online, and/or the option to attend on campus. Please see the meeting information listed within the course catalog for details about which options are available in your course.

Harvard Extension School undergraduate and graduate degree programs offer students like you a flexible, affordable opportunity for academic and professional advancement.

You will complete required program admission courses (available online), which vary by program and count toward the completion of the degree. You must earn a grade of B or higher in each course and maintain a cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 or higher from all Harvard courses.

If you haven’t earned at least a B in all of your Harvard courses, use our GPA Estimator tool to determine your GPA. See Academic Standing for information on grade-point average calculation for the graduate degree program.

You should apply during the term in which you are completing your final admission course to ensure timely degree completion and avoid the delayed application fee.

Refer to our When to Apply page for dates and to our undergraduate admission and graduate admission pages for details about the late application fee.

Within the course catalog, see “Browse by Degree, Certificate, or Premedical Program” in the menu to filter courses by your specific degree of interest or certificate of interest. Once you have filtered by your specific degree or certificate, you may then also filter by Admissions Courses, Degree Courses, and other requirements.

If you are pursuing both a certificate and a degree, and would like a course to count towards both credentials, you should begin by familiarizing yourself with the requirements for your degree program and certificate program. Using the course catalog, you should confirm that your course of interest is listed in both the degree course catalog and the certificate course catalog.

You may take the Critical Reading and Writing Skills (CRWS) test once per term (fall, spring, or summer). If you do not pass your first attempt, you may take it again the next term; however, we strongly advise you to take the course that the exam graders have recommended.

If you do not pass the test after two attempts, you will not be allowed to take it again. For any course requiring a passing CRWS score for registration, you will need to earn a B or higher in the alternative expository writing course to meet the prerequisite.

By registering for a course at the Extension School, you become eligible for many Harvard student supports and services. Our degree candidates receive a Harvard student ID card, which grants them access to an wide range of other Harvard Resources and Benefits.

Several services are available to you as a registered Harvard Extension School student, including online study tools, writing resources, and student success coaching. Please visit our Academic Skills Building page for more information.

Some of our organizations are for degree candidates only, but plenty of virtual and on-campus events take place throughout the semester. Please visit the Harvard Extension Student Association for more information.

Harvard Extension School does not provide student employment for course takers; however, if you are a registered student, degree candidate, or alumni, you are welcome to use our Career and Academic Resource Center (CARC), which provides effective internship and job-search strategies. Please see CARC for more information.

The Gather Study Lounge is a tool built into your course’s Canvas site that gives you and your peers a space to meet outside of class time. You are able to access the lounge 24/7, without needing to have teaching staff open a Zoom room for you.

At Harvard Extension School, we believe that a quality education should also be affordable. Our tuition rates are comparable to public universities and only a fraction of the tuition of our peer institutions. Our tuition rate is calculated by credit, and the majority of courses are 4 credits. To see the average tuition rate per 4-credit course for the current school year, please visit our Paying for School webpage. To find the specific tuition for your course of interest, please consult the course description within the course catalog.

Tuition fees listed are the same for all students regardless of the course format. There are no additional fees on top of tuition. Full payment of tuition is due by the full payment deadline. Please view the academic calendar for the specific deadline each term.

Limited financial aid funding is available to non-U.S. citizens. You may be eligible to borrow a private education loan through a lender of your choice with a U.S. citizen as a cosigner. See Paying for School for more details.

Harvard Extension School is one of the 12 degree-granting schools at Harvard University, serving career-oriented adults who wish to pursue undergraduate or graduate degrees part time. Part of the Division of Continuing Education within the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, the Extension School is distinguished by its evening and online courses, the majority of which are available to the global community without requiring degree program admission.

Harvard Extension School is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education and its courses are approved each year by Harvard’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences to count toward the Harvard University degrees of Bachelor of Liberal Arts in Extension Studies and Master of Liberal Arts in Extension Studies.

For more information on our programs, please see Academics. Also, visit our Admissions, About Us, and Why Harvard Extension School? to learn more about the School’s unique positioning within the University and among its peer institutions.

Sixty percent of Harvard Extension School instructors are Harvard University affiliates (professors, administrators, or teaching fellows). See Our Faculty for more information.

Harvard Extension School does not offer certificates upon the completion of individual academic courses. However, if you are looking to receive proof of courses taken at the Extension School, you may request an official transcript. This document will indicate any courses from the Extension and Summer Schools that you have completed, and the grades you received in courses taken for credit.