Jobs
All students, regardless of their financial aid status, may work during the academic year. The Student
Employment Office (SEO) is looking forward to helping you find work. If you applied for and have been offered
financial aid, your aid package will indicate if you are eligible for the Federal Work-Study Program (FWSP).
Many aid packages list “Term-Time Job” as opposed to FWSP. This means that you are encouraged to find a job
to help cover your costs although you are not eligible to work in FWSP-only jobs. There are any
non-FWSP jobs available on campus as well, and last year close to 65 percent of all Harvard students chose to
work during the year.
While many first-year students prefer to work in traditional freshman jobs in the dining halls or on the
Dorm Crew, most students simply find their own jobs with the help of the SEO staff and website. All jobs
are posted on the website, and we always have many more job listings than students looking for work. Listings
do come and go quickly in the first weeks of the semester, however, so finding the right one can take time and
persistence. Whether you choose a traditional freshman job or find your own, you perform a valuable service to
the University and employers count on you. For more information on jobs at Harvard, please visit
(http://www.seo.harvard.edu/).
Outside Awards
Harvard’s outside award policy is to use the full amount of outside awards first to replace your term time
job expectation and then your summer earnings expectation. When outside award total are greater than these
expectations, the excess amount must be used to replace an equal amount of Harvard scholarship. Last year
Harvard students were awarded over $13 million in scholarships, grants, and benefits from outside sources.
These awarding sponsors were non-Harvard benefactors such as secondary schools, civic organizations, parental
employers, and corporations, as well as the National Merit and Robert C. Byrd Scholarship Programs. Many of
these awards are merit-based. Since the intent of these awards is that they be used for educational purposes,
they must be reported to Harvard and applied toward college expenses. For assistance in finding outside
awards, please visit (http://www.fao.fas.harvard.edu/outside_awards.htm).
To search for outside awards, you may consult the "Outside Award Resources" on our website.
Additionally, for students interested in ROTC opportunities,
please visit the following service websites:
Scholarships
If the term-time job expectation and outside awards do not fully meet financial need, students are awarded
scholarship assistance to meet their remaining need. These awards come from a variety of sources including
Harvard endowment funds, gifts from alumni/ae, general tuition revenues, as well as federal and state grants.
The Faculty of Arts and Sciences Scholarship program includes over 1500 individual endowment funds,
established over the past 370 years by generous alumni/ae and donors who wished to provide support for current
and future college students. The Harvard National Scholarship was established in honor of Harvard’s 300th
anniversary in the early 1930’s with the goal of encouraging and enabling a small number of the best students
from across the nation to attend Harvard, at that time populated largely by students from the Northeast corridor.
Often, donors may have received scholarship assistance themselves while at Harvard, and in recognition of this
important legacy, we report to many of them annually using the information we ask students to share with us over
the summer. Students may also be asked at some point to write a thank you note to their scholarship donor.
Federal Pell & SEOG Grants are restricted to US citizens or permanent residents and eligibility is determined
by the information provided on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). While Pell Grants,
including Academic Competitive Grants (ACG) and National Science & Mathematics Access to Retain Talent Grants
(SMART), are awarded by the federal government, Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (SEOG) are
administered by our office, based on financial need. Within ten days of filing the FAFSA, students should
receive a Student Aid Report (SAR) indicating whether or not they are eligible for a Pell Grant.
State Gilbert Grants are awarded to Massachusetts residents on the basis of need. These awards do not affect the
term-time job expectation of the financial aid package as they are based on need, not merit.
Loans
Even though Harvard has eliminated loans from its financial aid awards, students may still choose to borrow through one or more of the loan programs described below. The type of loan offered depends upon citizenship and other eligibility criteria.
- Federal Perkins Loan:
This loan has an interest rate of 5 percent. There is no interest accruing during enrollment or in periods of deferment. There are no origination or insurance fees. Repayment starts nine months after graduation or leaving school, continues for up to ten years, and can be deferred for graduate school. The monthly payment will be $10.61 per thousand borrowed and there is a minimum $40 monthly repayment.
- William D. Ford Federal Direct Subsidized Student Loan:
This loan's interest rate is fixed at 6.8 percent. The federal government pays the interest
during enrollment or in periods of deferment. Freshmen
may borrow up to $3,500. Under current federal guidelines,
loan fees will be deducted from the proceeds, so the
net amount will be approximately $3,350 from borrowing
$3,500. Repayment begins six months after graduation
or taking a leave of absence, and continues for up
to ten years. Federal Direct loan borrowers pay approximately
$11.50 for every $1,000 borrowed. The minimum payment
is $50 per month. There is no penalty if the student
prepays the loan(s) early.
- William D. Ford Direct Unsubsidized Student Loan:
This loan carries the same rate, terms, and provisions as the loan above, but the government does not pay the interest during enrollment in school. The interest accrues and is capitalized at repayment, which means the annual interest on the loan is added to the amount borrowed while in school.
- Harvard Loan Program:
This institutional loan program has an interest rate
of 5 percent. The interest is paid by Harvard during
enrollment or in periods of deferment. There are no
origination or insurance fees. Repayment starts six
months after graduation or taking a leave, continues
for up to ten years, and can be deferred for graduate
school. The monthly payment will be $10.61 per thousand
borrowed and there is a minimum $50 monthly repayment.
Students who are ineligible for the federal loan programs
may be offered this loan.
More information is available on paying the termbill and on Family Financing Options.
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