Eligibility for aid
Our generous financial aid program—bolstered by the Harvard Financial Aid Initiative, which seeks to increase low- and middle-income students’ awareness of Harvard’s affordability—aims to make Harvard accessible to any student who is admitted.
- Our program requires no contribution from Harvard families with annual incomes below $65,000. About 20% of our families have no parent contribution.
- Families with incomes between $65,000 and $150,000 will contribute from 0-10% of their income, and those with incomes above $150,000 will be asked to pay proportionately more than 10%, based on their individual circumstances.
- Families at all income levels who have significant assets are asked to pay more than those in less fortunate circumstances.
- Home equity and retirement assets are not considered in our assessment of financial need.
Gather together all of the following that apply, and submit them along with your Financial Statement. Please do not send draft or estimated taxes. We need the actual tax return as filed with the government. If you won’t be able to file your taxes before the deadline, please do not submit previous year tax returns. If your documents are not in English, please be sure to translate them.
- Parents’ income tax document for both parents: For many international students, this will be whatever documentation of income your parents submit to their national government. If your parents do not file tax returns, please submit a Tax Non-Filer Statement, and whatever documentation they do have, such as a wage statement, salary certificate, or letter from their employer(s) stating annual income.
- Student’s income tax document: if you do not file a tax document, please submit a Tax Non-Filer Statement.
- Business documents: if either of your parents has an interest in or ownership of a business or farm, submit:
- A Business/Farm Supplement Form for each business and/or farm. (Found under Forms and Resources).
- The business tax return for each business and/or farm.
- Trust or estate documents: if you or your parents are the beneficiary of an estate or trust, submit:
- The full Trust Tax Return.
- A letter explaining the contents of the trust or estate, value, and accessibility.
- Additional information: if you have any unusual expenses or special circumstances to share, feel free to submit a letter with the rest of your documents.
How to Submit
The best way to submit your documents is to use the uploader below. You may also mail your documents to our office (86 Brattle Street, Cambridge, MA, 02138). We cannot accept anything over email. We are unable to track or confirm receipt of any materials sent to our office until after admissions decisions have been made.