To be considered for federal, state, or institutional aid, you must meet the following criteria:
- Be officially admitted to a degree or premedical program
- Be a US citizen or eligible noncitizen*
- Have a valid Social Security number
- Maintain satisfactory academic progress
- Be in good academic standing with Harvard Extension School and Harvard Summer School
- Be enrolled for the minimum number of credits specified by each applicable loan or grant program
- Not be in default on any federal student loans
- Not owe a repayment of any federal student grants
- Not be receiving federal grants from another school for the same term
- Not have an outstanding student account balance with the Extension School and Harvard Summer School
*Admitted candidates who have been granted Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status may apply for institutional aid only.
Citizenship Status
To be eligible for federal, state, or institutional aid, you must be one of the following:
- A US citizen or national (including natives of American Samoa or Swain’s Island)
- A citizen of 1 of the Freely Associated States (the Federated States of Micronesia and the republics of Palau and the Marshall Islands)
- US permanent resident who has an I-151, I-551, or I-551C Permanent Resident Card
- A refugee
- An individual who has been granted asylum
- A Cuban-Haitian entrant
- An individual who has been granted conditional entrance (valid only if issued before April 1, 1980)
You are ineligible for federal student aid if any of the following apply:
- You have a Notice of Approval to Apply for Permanent Residence I-171 or I-464
- You have an F-1 or F-2 visa
- You have a J-1 or J-2 exchange visitor or type H visa
The following are acceptable types of documentation to verify your citizenship:
- Your birth certificate showing that you were born in the United States or its territories
- A current or expired US passport
- A certificate of citizenship from the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (N-560 or N-561) with the certificate number and date of issue
- A certificate of naturalization from the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (N-550 or N-570) with the certification number and date of issue
- The following State Department documents:
- FS-240 Report of Birth Abroad of a Citizen of the US
- FS-545 Certificate of Birth-Foreign Service
- DS-1350 Certificate of Birth
Required documentation to verify Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status:
- An unexpired Form I-797C, Notice of Action from the Department of Homeland Security
Note: You must provide original documentation to a staff member in Student Financial Services in order to verify your citizenship. If you are unable to come to our office, you may submit a copy of your citizenship documentation electronically along with a notarized Citizenship Affidavit form.
Social Security Number
To be eligible for federal, state, or institutional aid, you must provide a valid Social Security number.
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) verifies that the Social Security number you submitted is correct and corresponds with your given name and birth date. If the Social Security number does not match (that is, if the number is not found in the Social Security Administration’s database), the FAFSA is rejected. The Student Aid Report that is generated by the FAFSA indicates the reason for rejection and the action you must take, as follows:
- If the Social Security number has been reported incorrectly on the FAFSA, you must submit a copy of your Social Security card to Student Financial Services.
- If your name and Social Security number match but the date of birth does not, you must make a correction on the FAFSA online.
- If the Social Security number exists in the database but there is a discrepancy regarding your name, you must make a correction on the FAFSA online.
Default Status
If you are in default on a federal student loan, you are ineligible for federal, state, and institutional funds. If you need more information about your defaulted loan, you may access your prior federal student loan and grant information by logging into your StudentAid.gov account and viewing your Dashboard.
Satisfactory Academic Progress
For financial aid purposes, satisfactory academic progress in your degree or premedical program is based on federal guidelines. (These may differ from your academic program standards.) To maintain satisfactory academic progress, your academic history at Harvard Extension School must show that you have:
- Successfully completed at least two-thirds of the courses you have attempted, and the courses must fulfill specific requirements toward your program.
- Maintained grades consistent with the graduation requirements for your academic program: a minimum of 2.0 for undergraduate degree candidates, and 3.0 for graduate degree and premedical program candidates.
Satisfactory academic progress is determined by a review of your academic record at the end of each term. If you are not making satisfactory academic progress, you may become ineligible for federal, state, and institutional financial aid. Your financial aid officer and your academic advisor can help you learn how many courses you need to take and what grades you need to earn to either raise your cumulative grade-point average to the minimum standard required for your program or to raise the percentage of successfully completed courses to at least two-thirds.
