Earn-Your-Way-In Admissions
You enroll in courses toward the completion of your degree before you apply for admission. Why? Because we know that standardized test scores and previous transcripts don’t always accurately reflect our adult learners’ current academic capabilities and drive to succeed.
Admissions Process
On this page we’ll guide you through the admissions steps, including:
- Requirements you must meet to be eligible for enrolling in courses toward the degree
- Courses you must take in order to apply for admission
- Materials you should have ready for when your application window opens
- How and when to submit your application
- The Application and Academic Standing and Conduct Review process
1. Check Your Eligibility to Enroll in Courses Toward the Degree
To pursue a graduate degree at Harvard Extension, you must meet the following criteria:
You hold a four-year U.S. bachelor’s degree or foreign equivalent.
The undergraduate degree must be awarded by a college or university that was regionally accredited at the time of your attendance, with a degree conferral date that precedes enrollment in graduate-level courses taken at Harvard Extension School.
Students who earned bachelor’s degrees outside the U.S. should visit Verifying International Credentials to find out more information before enrolling in any Harvard Extension courses.
Students who were once admitted degree candidates should refer to Enrollment Policies for Graduate Students.
The Office of Predegree Advising & Admissions makes all final determinations about program eligibility.
Additional Eligibility Requirements For:
Alternative Admission Pathway Applicants
To use the Harvard Business School Online CORe (Credential of Readiness) certificate, Harvard Kennedy School Public Leadership Credential (PLC), or MITx MicroMasters Program credential as an alternative pathway to admission at Harvard Extension School, you must first submit a separate application through these schools’ websites to be accepted into their programs in order to earn the credential. Not all students are accepted.
Before enrolling in any of these schools’ programs with the intent of pursuing a degree at Harvard Extension School using the credential, confirm your Harvard Extension School degree program eligibility. Then carefully read the degree program pathway related to the credential and be sure you understand the program requirements, if and how credit transfers, the degree courses and grades you’ll need to complete for your Harvard Extension application for admission, and the expiration date of your credential toward admission.
Prior to your enrollment in any Harvard Extension School courses, the school awarding the credential must confirm with the student that the credential has been earned.
International Applicants
Verify international credits and degrees.
This requirement should be completed before enrolling in courses at Harvard Extension School. For more information, visit our Admission Details for International Students page.
2. Complete Degree Courses for Admission
At Harvard Extension School, your admission journey begins in the classroom. Here’s how to qualify for admission.
Register for the 4-credit prerequisite graduate-level course(s) that your field of study requires for admission.
See the Degree Requirements page for your field of study to find the stipulated degree course(s) required for admission.
Meet the grade requirements for admission.
B or higher
Earn at least a grade of B in each of the degree courses required for admission.
Two-attempt limit on the proseminar
You are ineligible to apply if you fail to earn the minimum grade of B or higher in two registration attempts of the proseminar, if one is required for your field of study. If you repeat the proseminar, both grades will apply to your cumulative GPA unless the course has expired, as outlined below. A withdrawal (WD) is considered a registration attempt. See Enrollment Policies for Graduate Students for information about how repeat courses affect your GPA.
3.0 GPA
Earn the required cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 (equivalent to a grade of B) 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.
Be timely! Apply when you are completing your last required course for admission and within two years of earning your proseminar grade (if required).
Submitting an application promptly near the conclusion of your course(s) stipulated for admission is essential not only for your successful admission but also for degree program completion.
Degree and admission requirements are subject to change from year to year, and while Harvard Extension School makes every effort to communicate any changes, it is ultimately your responsibility to review the School’s website annually for updates to your intended program as you are held to the requirements in place at the time of your admission, not your first course registration.
Moreover, courses expire (as explained below), which may result in you losing degree credit if you postpone submitting your application.
As a result, students who do not apply for admission to the program in a timely manner are assessed an additional $300 delayed application fee.
Also, apply within two years of earning your proseminar grade. If the proseminar grade is older than two years at the time of application, you must retake the course and register for a section with a different instructor, if possible.
Refer to When to Apply for the dates between which you are able to begin an application. You cannot start an application outside these dates.
Course Expiration Policy for Admission
Courses over five years old at the point of admission will not count toward the degree. Potential degree candidates must plan accordingly and submit their applications to comply with this five-year course expiration policy, or they risk losing degree credit for completed course work. Additionally, admission eligibility will be jeopardized if, at the point of application to the program, the five-year degree completion policy cannot be satisfied.
3. Gather Your Supplementary Materials
Although you may apply only during certain times of the year, you can—and should—prepare your supplementary materials early so that you don’t miss a deadline.
Prepare for your online application.
Before the application opens, you can get a head start on it by following these preparatory steps:
- Collect the names of the colleges and/or universities you have attended and the dates of your attendance.
- Update your résumé to reflect your current work experience, education, skills, organizational memberships, and achievements.
- Start thinking about your short essays. These two, 250-word narratives add dimension to your academic history and resume.
- Applicants can refer to the OPA&A page in MyDCE for helpful resume and essay information. Open the navigation menu in MyDCE by clicking the three black lines next to the Harvard shield at the top of the screen. Choose “Predegree Advising & Admissions” from the menu and then scroll to the Application for Admission section. Choose the “Application Tips” tab.
- Review tips and tutorials. Review our Tips to Avoid Plagiarism and complete the free online tutorials: Using Sources, Five Scenarios and Using Sources, Five Examples. Complete these before beginning the application, where you will be asked if you completed the tests but will not need to submit your scores.
Request transcripts from previous schools.
We require a current official transcript (i.e., a transcript issued directly from the school to our office) from each college or university from which you have earned a degree.
Electronic transcripts may be sent by your school to Admissions@Extension.Harvard.edu.
Note: If your college or university issues transcripts using a third-party service, you must specify “Harvard Extension School” and/or our email address in the document recipient field. Transcripts sent to a general “Harvard University” account are not delivered to Harvard Extension School.
See the Submit Your Application section for instructions on how to submit paper transcripts.
Students with international credits and degrees must have them evaluated for equivalency as part of the admissions process. For more information, visit Admission Requirements for International Students.
Additional Materials Needed for Certain Programs
Finance Applicants Using HBS Online CORe
Order your official CORe transcript.
Apply to the degree program only after you have been notified of your passing grade in CORe, as it may take several weeks for your transcript to be produced by Harvard Business School (HBS) Online.
You must request that HBS Online send an electronic copy of your transcript to Extension School’s Office of Predegree Advising & Admissions at Admissions@Extension.Harvard.edu.
You must demonstrate proficiency in critical reading and writing skills by:
- Passing the test of critical reading and writing skills.
- Or completing the required expository writing course for your program before submitting an application.
Government Applicants Using the Harvard Kennedy School Public Leadership Credential (PLC)
Request a letter of completion confirmation.
PLC learners must contact the Harvard Kennedy School PLC Program to have this letter sent to the Harvard Extension School Office of Predegree Advising & Admissions at Admissions@Extension.Harvard.edu.
Management Applicants Using HBS Online CORe
Order your official CORe transcript.
Apply to the degree program only after you have been notified of your passing grade in CORe, as it may take several weeks for your transcript to be produced by Harvard Business School (HBS) Online.
You must request that HBS Online send an electronic copy of your transcript to Extension School’s Office of Predegree Advising & Admissions at Admissions@Extension.Harvard.edu.
You must demonstrate proficiency in critical reading and writing skills by:
- Passing the test of critical reading and writing skills.
- Or completing the required expository writing course for your program before submitting an application.
Applicants Using the MITX Micromasters Program Credential
Order your official MITx MicroMasters Program credential certificate.
To send your MicroMasters Program credential certificate to Extension School’s Office of Predegree Advising & Admissions, log in to your edX dashboard and share your student record with us. A secure link will be sent by edX directly to Extension School.
All application materials submitted to Harvard Extension School become the property of Harvard Extension School. Due to mandated record-keeping and archival policies, they cannot be returned under any circumstances.
4. Submit Your Application
There are three opportunities each year to submit an application. Your window corresponds with the semester during which you are enrolled in your final course(s) for admission. Details can be found on When to Apply.
Start your online application.
Refer to When to Apply for the dates between which you are able to begin an application. You cannot start an application outside these dates.
Log in to MyDCE to apply. Open the navigation menu by clicking the three black lines next to the Harvard shield at the top of the screen. Choose “Predegree Advising & Admissions” from the menu and then scroll to the Application for Admission section to begin.
If you don’t have the option to choose “Predegree Advising & Admissions” as part of your MyDCE menu, email us with a request to add it.
Pay the application fee.
A nonrefundable $100 fee is required to begin the application. You will be assessed an additional $300 delayed application fee if you have earned grades in more than four courses toward the graduate degree before applying.
Mail your transcripts (if applicable).
If transcripts must be mailed via post because your college or university does not offer electronic delivery, documents should be sent to:
Office of Predegree Advising & Admissions
Harvard Extension School
51 Brattle Street
Cambridge MA 02138
Here are some things to keep in mind:
- Do not open envelopes addressed to you that contain official copies of documents. Instead, mail them unopened in a larger envelope to the Office of Predegree Advising & Admissions.
- All materials must be received in the Office of Predegree Advising & Admissions no later than the application deadline date for your application to be considered complete.
Materials are accepted and processed by the Office of Predegree Advising & Admissions during regular business hours, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern Time.
How We Review Applications
After grades become available for the term, advisors conduct a final application review and consider the following.
Academic Standing and Student Conduct
You must be in good academic standing with Harvard University, with no disciplinary or administrative procedures pending, stemming from violations of our Academic Integrity and/or Student Conduct policies. The Office of Predegree Advising & Admissions will consider your academic disciplinary and student conduct records at Harvard University and other academic institutions in making admissions decisions.
You should be aware of our application expectations as well as our Right to Refuse Registration due to infractions that include criminal records, which will also be considered.
Harvard Extension School emphasizes that no student has a “right” to admission into an Extension School degree program. Satisfaction of the applicable academic requirements and maintaining good academic standing are necessary, but not sufficient, conditions for admission. For example, Extension School may deny any student admission to its degree program if it determines, in its discretion, that a grant of admission would conflict with applicable policy; or that the student’s prior personal conduct, including outside the School, demonstrates that the student is not an appropriate candidate for a Harvard degree.
Financial Standing
You must be in good financial standing at Harvard as well as previous schools.
English Proficiency
English is the language of instruction at Harvard Extension School. If your native language is not English, you must have provided designated proof of English proficiency to register in the courses that qualify you for admission. And you must be able to register in future courses according to Extension School’s current English proficiency requirements.
As part of your application review, advisors will confirm you have met these requirements and will ask you to provide a letter of explanation if you do not. Students who have misrepresented themselves will be found in violation of Extension School’s Student Conduct policy. Their applications will be removed from admission consideration, they will be prevented from applying again in the future to a degree program at Extension School, and their case will be reviewed by the Administrative Board to consider grounds for disciplinary action.
Your Complete Application and Admission Decision
The School’s receipt of a finished online application, which includes a current resume and satisfactorily written essays, ordinarily constitutes a complete application. However, the Office of Predegree Advising & Admissions may ask you to submit other supporting documentation before your application is considered complete and will contact you directly in that case.
Additionally, you must meet specific grade and GPA requirements in stipulated Harvard degree courses, as well as certain academic standing, student conduct, and English proficiency requirements as outlined above and on program-specific pages of this website.
Admission decisions are made according to the When to Apply schedule and appear in the Extension application portal. For details, log in to MyDCE, choose “Predegree Advising & Admissions” from the navigational menu at the top, scroll to the Application for Admission section, and select the Application Status & Decision tab.
If you did not earn the required GPA and/or grades by the end of the semester, you will be notified that you may reapply to the program after you have met those admission criteria.
You may register in courses for the upcoming term while you await an admission decision.
Harvard Extension School does not discriminate against applicants or students on the basis of race, color, national origin, ancestry or any other protected classification.
