Harvard College  ADMISSIONS

Yes. Nearly 70 percent of Harvard students receive some form of financial aid, and over 50 percent receive need-based scholarship. Our program seeks to remove the economic barriers to financing an education for all admitted students and their families by meeting 100 percent of their demonstrated need for assistance.

No. Each admission decision is made without consideration of a candidate's financial need - a policy we call "need-blind" admissions.

Financial aid is more widely available than most families expect. We determine need based on a variety of family circumstances with consideration of both income and asset strength. There is no income cap on eligibility for need-based scholarship assistance, and even families with incomes in ezcess of $200,000 may qualify for scholarship aid.

If paying the $65 fee would cause undue financial hardship for your family, we encourage you to request a fee waiver. You should contact your guidance counselor for assistance in obtaining the waiver. Information on the College Board fee waiver program is available at http://www.collegeboard.com/student/apply/the-application/922.html. Your counselor may use the College Board form, or your school's own form. If no form is available, your counselor may choose to write a personal letter testifying that he or she is familiar with your family's financial circumstances and believes payment would cause hardship.

If you submit a form signed by authorized school personnel, you can assume it will be accepted. If we have any questions, we will contact you.

We adjust individual financial aid packages to accommodate significant changes in a family's financial situation. Students apply for financial assistance each year, and we will meet students' demonstrated need for all four years.

No. Harvard is firmly committed to allocating resources to sustain our policies of need-blind admissions and need-based financial aid. Our unusually talented student populations -- chosen in a very competitive admissions process -- would, in any case, complicate the equitable distribution of merit-based awards. However, students last year brought with them to Harvard more than $10 million in scholarships from outside resources, thus enhancing their own financial flexibility during their college years.

There are always many jobs available at Harvard, and we guarantee on-campus employment for students whose financial aid packages include term-time work provisions. Employment opportunities range from dining hall duties to work in the University's libraries, laboratories and offices. Students have also earned money on campus as bartenders, teaching assistants, sportswriters, computer programmers, lifeguards and research assistants, to cite a few examples. Working on average eight to twelve hours per week, most students find that they can work, excel academically, and participate in a range of extracurricular activities. Read more at our Student Employment Office web site.