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If you’re looking to advance your career and need further education to do it, you’ve probably run into Harvard Extension School. It offers a wide range of graduate programs and certificates in such subjects as sustainability, creative writing, and back-end web development.
Like Harvard Divinity School, HES is a fully accredited Harvard school — though it’s predominantly remote and specifically designed for working adults. The average student’s age is 32, though people as young as 15 can enroll in undergraduate credits.
Courses are meant to be rigorous, and students are required to achieve a B minimum grade in two prerequisite courses before they’re officially enrolled in a program. The average Harvard Extension School tuition ranges from $5,760 for an undergraduate certificate (3 courses) to $61,440 for an undergraduate degree (16-32 courses).
Yes, Harvard Extension School is a fully accredited Harvard school, in the same way that a degree from the Harvard Divinity School is a Harvard degree. Your degree will say Harvard Extension School on it.
Once you graduate, HES students join the Harvard Alumni Association (just like every other Harvard graduate) and can access social and networking events, Harvard Clubs, career services, recreation facilities, regional chapters, and more.
According to the website, this is the range you can expect to pay to complete a degree or certificate in the 2021-2022 school year.
Type of Program
Number of Required Courses
Total Tuition
Undergraduate Certificate
3
$5,760
Graduate Certificate
3–5
$8,940–$14,900
Undergraduate Degree
16–32
$30,720–$61,440
Graduate Degree
10–12
$29,800–$35,760
It’s hard to say, but it’s a rare and unlikely situation. The majority of Harvard Extension School students enroll in HES as an end destination — continuing education while juggling other responsibilities — rather than as a transitional step.
There are teachers exclusive to Harvard Extension School and those who cross-pollinate and teach for both HES and Harvard.
Depending on the course, your instructor could be a Harvard faculty member or another university or industry expert.
There’s a HES Student Association, alumni groups, mixers hosted on campus for students from all Harvard schools to mingle, and networking events hosted through HES to connect current students with alumni.
On a case-by-case basis, yes. According to Pierre, it depends on what the instructor thinks is important for the learning experience of the class: “Some of the on-campus classes are capped at 14 to 20 students. Some are capped at 40 students. Some are capped at close to 100 students, and then if it’s online, there’s a much higher threshold because you’re online and don’t have a space constraint to consider.”
Once you’re accepted into a program, you’ll be able to pick some electives à la carte from HES’s online portal.
Unless your sole concern is expediency, we’d recommend prioritizing the fall or spring semesters over the summer session. The summer session is shorter than the others, so your classes will be truncated and more intense; you may have double the work each week, so it could be more difficult to hit your requisite B average. There also may be fewer course offerings in the summer.
In terms of course availability and the length of time between classes going up and registration closing, spring may be the best time to register. But, the fall is also good — there just might be slightly more competition for courses.
Yes, though the details (how much, from where, and when) depend on the student.
You’re not likely to get assistance for a single course, but you may qualify for financial aid with a full graduate or undergraduate program.
You can read more about financial assistance here. Once you’re a student (technically after you’ve passed the two prerequisite courses with a B minimum and enrolled in a program), you can apply for FAFSA, too.
If you’re a veteran or active military, you also may be eligible for funding.
If you have questions or want clarity on the types of aid you are eligible for, you can also contact Student Financial Services.
It’s possible, and Pierre mentions that you can petition for one if you think your situation warrants it, but we wouldn’t bet on it.
If you decide to drop early in the session, there’s a better chance you’ll get some of your money back. But if you get to the end and change your mind (or fall short of the requirements), you likely won’t get reimbursed.
Having said that, Harvard assigns you a counselor to check in with you about your performance, so it shouldn’t be a surprise if your academic standing is in jeopardy.
Write “Harvard Extension School” as your university name. It would likely be a mistake not to distinguish between an in-person Harvard school and Harvard Extension School — recruiters and hiring managers may see the omission as misleading.
It depends. There are professional certificates, free courses, and undergraduate and graduate degree options available on e-learning platforms such as edX and Coursera. Many are comparatively affordable and sourced from other top universities. (You can learn more about edX here and Coursera here).
To Pierre, the main draw for HES is its Harvard affiliation. “Harvard Extension is Harvard,” Pierre told me over the phone. “Students know they’re going to get Harvard rigor, but also the excellence in academics that Harvard is known for.” Plus, HES students can flexibly access the various advantages of a Harvard degree while working domestically or abroad, serving in the military, or taking care of their families. “Obviously, the name carries some weight with people, but it’s also the learning that they get,” said Pierre. “[And] you’re building a whole set of lifelong and personal connections as well.”
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