Part-Time Study

Last Updated

July 23, 2024

Introduction
Academic Requirements
Admissions
Conduct and Safety
Financial Aid
Non-Resident Students
Registration
Harvard Griffin GSAS students are classified as resident students (full time or part time) or non-resident students and must either check in and register through the FAS Registrar’s Office or apply for an alternate status through the Non-Residential Application Portal. The Registrar’s Office also tracks students’ year of graduate study (known as G year), which is calculated from the first date of registration in Harvard Griffin GSAS.
Residence Halls
Student Groups

On this page:

Part-Time Study
Part-Time Tuition and Financial Aid
Part-Time Status for International Students
Part-Time Health Insurance
Related Contacts and Forms

Students in Harvard Griffin GSAS PhD programs are enrolled full time.

Students in Harvard Griffin GSAS master's programs, in limited circumstances, may be eligible to explore part-time enrollment. A degree candidate who wishes to enroll as a part-time student must complete an application for part-time study and submit it to the Office of Academic Programs for approval. See the academic calendar for deadlines.

Before applying for part-time study, students should discuss their plans with their advisor and with their financial aid officer.

Part-time study may be approved if the student:

needs to care for small children at home
experiences personal ill health or severe illness of other family members
is under extreme financial strain and has dependents
is a master’s student in their final term of enrollment.

Students who are enrolled in fewer than 16 credits but do not have an approved petition for part-time study, may be considered under-enrolled and are at risk of being placed on involuntary leave for failure to register.

Tuition and Financial Aid

Part-time students are charged the appropriate per-course rate until the equivalent of two years of full tuition has been paid. Thereafter, they register and are charged reduced tuition as full-time students. They must have paid a minimum total of two years of full tuition and two years of reduced tuition prior to receipt of the PhD unless the degree was completed in fewer than four years from initial registration. If a student who has been part-time completes the PhD in fewer than four years, the student will be charged what a full-time student would have paid over the same period of time. Current tuition and health fee rates for all programs, including the per-course rates for part-time students, can be found on the Financial Aid section of the Harvard Griffin GSAS Website under Cost of Attendance.

International Students

Foreign nationals with student visas who are not officially permanent residents of the United States may register for part-time study if they:

are in their final term of enrollment
have three or fewer courses remaining.

The application must be signed by the Harvard International Office.

Health Insurance

According to Massachusetts law, part-time students must participate in a qualifying student health insurance program or in a health plan of comparable coverage. All Harvard students are automatically enrolled in the Harvard University Student Health Program (HUSHP) and fees are applied to their student account.