Dear Students and Families,

Welcome to the Harvard College Financial Aid Office. We are eager to help you and your family understand our financial aid programs and to assist you in finding ways to meet your college costs. Our goal is to work with each family to ensure access to the Harvard education students have worked so hard to secure. All of our financial aid is awarded on the basis of demonstrated financial need—there are no academic, athletic or merit-based awards. Harvard meets the full need of every student, including international students, for all four years.

Building on the success of the Harvard Financial Aid Initiative (HFAI), which eliminated the parental contribution from families earning $60,000 or less, Harvard recently announced major financial aid enhancements to ensure greater affordability for middle- and upper-middle income families. Beginning in the 2008–09 academic year, parents with incomes of $180,000 or less will be asked to contribute significantly less to the cost of a Harvard education. Additionally, home equity will no longer be considered in determining a family’s ability to contribute and students will not be expected to take out loans, which will be replaced by need-based Harvard scholarship. To learn more about the details of this initiative, (click here: FAQs about the new initiative)

We look forward to working with you,
The Harvard Financial Aid Office

g NEWS AND HIGHLIGHTS:

December 2007: Harvard announces sweeping middle-income initiative

March 2006: Harvard expands financial aid for low- and middle-income families