How Much Does a PhD Cost at Harvard

Last Updated on December 13, 2022 by

Want to know how much a PhD program will cost at Harvard? Read our article where we cover all the expenses related to earning your degree – tuition, fees, living costs, and more.

Let’s be honest, paying for college is a challenge. And getting graduate school loans can be a source of even more stress. That’s why we created this calculator to help you get an idea of how much Harvard costs, and how much funding you’ll need. We’ve captured all of the relevant information that you’ll need to find your estimated price tag for Harvard’s PhD program.

Do you want to learn about the latest findings Harvard tuition? Get ready! Find out all the information you need right here on Collegelearners so you don’t have to go looking again. Find all the specifics you need, such as Harvard University tuition fees for international students, Columbia University undergraduate tuition and fees, how much does it cost to go to Harvard University for 4 years to Harvard University fees for Indian students and lots more. Do you really want to miss this?

How much does it cost to get a PhD from Harvard? You’ve come to the right place. On this page, we’ll tell you everything you need to know about what you can expect to pay for your PhD at Harvard.

First, here’s a quick rundown of the basics:

• There are three doctoral programs offered by Harvard University: Doctor of Arts (DA), Doctor of Education (EdD) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD). The EdD is offered in five different concentrations: Counseling Psychology; Curriculum, Instruction and Teacher Education; Educational Leadership; Human Development and Psychology; School Psychology. The PhD is offered in over 50 different fields of study.
• Each program has different requirements and takes an average of five years to complete. The dissertation process takes one year, which includes developing the proposal and completing the final document which is usually between 200-300 pages long. The total cost will vary depending on how long it takes you to finish your degree program–the longer it takes, the more expensive!
• The tuition rate per semester varies based on whether or not students are Massachusetts residents and if they are enrolled full-time or part-time. For example, full time nonresident students will pay more than part time residents due

Harvard University Overview

Harvard University is one of the oldest and most famous universities in the United States, whose graduates become the political and scientific elite of the world. The university is located in a science camp called Cambridge, which is located in Massachusetts. Harvard is part of the association of 8 private universities in the United States called the “Ivy League,” which is famous for its elitism and high standards of education.

Students are required to register continuously from the time they enter a degree program until they receive their degree. Nonresident students with Leave of Absence or Traveling Scholar status are charged, at minimum, the active file fee (see the chart below).

Annual tuition fees 2020/21:

*PhD students at Harvard University receive full financial support, including cover of tuition, other fees and the cost of living (cost of living stipend currently at US$2,980).

Bachelor’s Degree

As well as offering need-blind admission to domestic and international students, Harvard University offers international students the same access to financial aid as US citizens. Although federal aid and loans are often unavailable to overseas students, Harvard University provides more than 50 percent of all its students with financial aid and 55 percent of undergraduates receive the Harvard Scholarship. Aid given is based on financial need and if your parents earn less than US$65,000 annually, you are not required to make any contribution to payment.

Graduate Degree

Faculties of Harvard University

Harvard University is the strongest educational and research center, which has equally excelled in teaching the humanities, natural and technical sciences.

In total, there are 11 academic departments at Harvard — 10 faculties and the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study.

The largest division is Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS). This is the only faculty that offers training at two levels of training — undergraduate and graduate. Within the framework of the FAS, the following departments are present:

• Harvard College for Bachelor’s;
• Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS) for master’s and doctoral students;
• School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (awarding degrees on behalf of the college and GSAS);
• Continuing Education Department (includes Harvard Summer School and Continuing Education School).

The remaining faculties and the corresponding schools that teach design, education, medicine, dentistry, theology, law have only master’s and doctoral programs. Harvard Business School, in which students can earn an MBA or a Ph.D. in business, is also highly renowned. A place of honor is occupied by the School of Management named after John F. Kennedy and Harvard School of Public Health of T. H. Chan.
The most popular areas of Harvard University include medicine, economics, business, law and political science.

The process of admission to Harvard University

Harvard University only accepts applicants that are 17 years or older. The admission committee puts extra attention on the average mark of the graduate (as a matter of fact, the minimum requirement has not been established, but most applicants have a GPA of more than 3.8/4.0). Additional advantages can be leadership qualities, social activity and participation in volunteer projects.

Stages of admission to Harvard — Bachelor’s

At the bachelor’s level, Harvard University organizes a single admission to Harvard College, without distinguishing between academic programs and setting quotas for certain academic areas. The choice of a specialty takes place later during the studies at the university.
The admission process includes the following steps:

1. Passing the SAT/ACT exams (required) and TOEFL (optional);
2. Preparation of documents, including a letter of motivation;
3. Payment of a registration fee (75 USD) or a fee waiver request;
4. Submission of Common Application, Coalition Application or Universal College Application;
5. Tracking the application and uploading the missing documents on the Applicant Portal before one of the two deadlines (Early Action, or Regular Decision);
6. Passing an interview (the presence of this stage depends on the location of the candidate: often a representative of Harvard may not be in the country/region, but this should not affect the final decision);
7. Obtaining an admissions decision along with information on financial assistance;
8. Confirmation of intention to study at Harvard;
9. Sending a final report with a transcript of ratings;
10. Applying for student visa.

Harvard undergraduate admission calendar

Applications are submitted in 2 calls, but only once a year. Deadlines do not change over time.

Current dates must be checked on the university website. Documents for admission to Harvard University — Bachelor’

Harvard College admission statistics

Graduate programs

Unlike bachelor’s studies, the process of entering Harvard master’s and doctoral programs is quite fragmented. The key steps include:

1. Choose the right program on the university website;
2. Pass standardized tests and a language exam;
3. Prepare documents: collect letters of recommendation, write a statement of purpose, etc.;
4. Submit an online application (the form is individual for each school and posted on the corresponding website);
5. Pay a registration fee (80-105 USD depending on the school);
6. Pass an interview, sometimes it is required to send a written reflection report on its results within the 24 hours;
7. Obtain an admissions decision along with information on financial assistance;
8. Confirm your intention to study at Harvard;
9. Apply for a student visa.

Harvard Master’s/Doctoral calendar

Each school independently determines application deadlines for its programs. As a rule, applications are accepted from September to December. Most deadlines are in early December — mid-January. However, some schools additionally set earlier or later deadlines. For example, Harvard Business School also accepts applications until September (one year before the start of training) and until April (several months before the start of training) Exact dates can be found on school websites.
Application documents for Master’s/Doctoral study programs

Minimum English proficiency for admission to Harvard graduate programs

Scholarships and grants at Harvard University

It is believed that only a select few can afford studying at Harvard University, but this is not entirely true: 20% of families pay absolutely nothing, and 55% of students receive material support. The university takes into account the financial capabilities of each student, regardless of citizenship, and, if necessary, is ready to partially or fully cover the costs of studying and living. The scheme is simple: if a student successfully passed the competition for admission, but cannot afford to cover all the costs of studying, then the university gives a 100% guarantee of material assistance.

The amount of assistance at the bachelor’s level is determined as follows: the student’s parents (or himself) must contribute a certain amount of tuition (depending on the total income of the family), the student’s personal investments (for example, from part-time work), as well as help from third-party funds (if any). After calculating the total amount, the university decides on the appointment of financial assistance to the student. To receive full funding, it is enough to provide documents confirming that the annual income of parents is less than 65,000 USD per year.

Calculator Scholarship size for master’s and doctoral programs, in turn, is also calculated based on student income over the past three years. An additional factor is the school itself and the sources of its financing. The proposed scholarship does not always fully cover all expenses. Details should be specified on the websites of schools in the section Financial Aid.

International students are qualified for all aids at the institute as much as domestic students do except loans and federal or state aids. Additional financial documents may be required for the application for aids during admission application.

The institute awards over 1 billion USD in financial aid like scholarships and grants each year. The average grant amount received by students is 12,000 USD. Students from families with an annual income of less than 65,000 USD do not have to pay any tuition fees. Candidates from families with annual income between 65,000 USD and 150,000 USD have to pay 10% of the tuition fee.

Some of the aids available to international students include:

• Joseph Collins Foundation Scholarship with varying amounts.
• Academic Scholars Award awarded by the organization to in-residence international graduates. The award is four each year and it’s worth 67,000 USD.
• Graduate Consortium on Energy and Environment Fellowship with varying amounts.

harvard tuition and living expenses 2021

Learn more out about tuition costs and estimated living expenses for graduate degree programs and non-degree programs.

All GSAS students are charged tuition based on a tiered tuition structure that reduces over time as students progress through their degree program. Students in PhD programs and some master’s programs receive grants and fellowships that cover this cost.

how much does a PhD cost per year at Harvard

Studying at Harvard bachelor’s programs has a fixed cost of 49,653 USD per year. As for graduate schools, the amount can be from 29728 to 73,440 USD per year, while some schools set a lower cost starting from 2nd-3rd year of study. Despite the extremely high prices, it should be noted that Harvard offers a large number of scholarships and grants, and 70% of students receive financial assistance. The reason for this is the policy of the university, which does everything in its power to give talented students the opportunity to get the desired education.

PhD and Master’s Students

Students are required to register continuously from the time they enter a degree program until they receive their degree. Nonresident students with Leave of Absence or Traveling Scholar status are charged, at minimum, the active file fee (see the chart below).

Note: Subject to annual increases

* The Computational Science and Engineering (CSE) and Data Science master’s programs have different tuition structures than other degree programs in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences:

Computational Science and Engineering master of science (SM):  $56,528 (each year of the two-year program).

Computational Science and Engineering master of engineering (ME): $56,528 (first year); $28,264 (second year).

Data Science master of science (SM): $56,528 (first year); $28,264 (second year – one term only).

This estimated budget does not include costs of travel or summer support, fees for required tests, application fees, or such initial expenses as home furnishings. Your individual expenses may vary from these figures. Funding and aid are available to meet these costs.

*Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Harvard is still limiting the number of students living on campus. At this point, we are unsure if or when residential opportunities will increase, however, the University is currently evaluating the situation and developing guidance for the fall with resident safety in mind. We cannot currently guarantee housing for any student, including incoming G1s, in our halls for the fall and next academic year.

**Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020-2021 academic year housing contract will not include the meal plan.

The bottom line is that a PhD from Harvard will cost you. We recommend that you only embark on this if you’re certain it’s what you want to do, and you have a plan for how to finance it.

A Harvard PhD can cost anywhere from $40,000 to $80,000—but we know that anything more than zero is more than some people can afford. Fortunately, there are other ways to fund your education. If you want to go into academia, consider applying for assistantships, scholarships, or fellowships. They’re competitive and require a lot of work, but they exist! And many are geared towards helping PhD candidates who have been traditionally underrepresented in academia. You can also look into GAships and tuition waivers at other schools.

If you plan to work in industry after graduation, the best way to cut down your costs might be to get a degree from a different school—or an online degree. Many employers value the quality of the work you do over the name of your institution.