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Financial Aid

Harvard University has long been a leader in its commitment to student financial assistance both on campus and in Washington, D.C. Harvard College was one of the first colleges in the nation to adopt broadly the tenets of the GI Bill and provide institutional need based grant aid to qualified students. These practices served as a model for the creation of the federal system of student financial aid. Harvard remains active on this front today. Over the past several years, Harvard College has launched two major financial aid initiatives to benefit all current and incoming students. Our need-based scholarship program has increased by 54% in the last four years, bringing the total budget to nearly $68 million for the 2002-03 academic year. Close to 50% of undergraduates receive an average scholarship of over $22,000. As a result of those recent initiatives, students with financial need will now face less educational debt on graduation and will have more time to concentrate on academic and extracurricular opportunities.

In Washington, Harvard works to increase funding for federal student aid programs, including the Pell Grant program, College Work Study, Perkins Loans, and the Javits program for graduates in the humanities. We also pursue strong federal student loan policies that provide Harvard and other students with improved access to critical, but affordable, federal student loans.

FY2002 Financial Aid at Harvard College
Total $100,297,867
Source     Type    
  Institutional $68,358,353   Grants $74,290,020
  Federal $14,738,539   *Loans $16,835,847
  Other $17,200,975   Other $9,172,000
* Includes parent loans taken outside of identified need

Federal Aid by Program at Harvard University (undergrad and grad) 2002-2003

  Awards Amount
Pell Grants 655 $1,539,537
Federal College Work Study 1,643 $3,749,425
FSEOG 441 $1,726,503

 
  Number of Awards New Federal Capital Total Amount
Perkins Loans 4,267 $1,095,481 $17,174,775

 
Federal Loan Programs (estimated)
  Number of Loans Total Loan Volume
Direct Loans    
    Subsidized 4,500 $32,222,496
    Unsubsidized 4,313 $41,375,033
    PLUS 307 $4,789,280
FFEL 72 $725,896

Useful Links
Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
FastWeb: Free Scholarship and College Searches Plus Financial Aid
eduPASS: Financial Aid for International Students
The Student Guide: Financial Aid from the U.S. Department of Education
Committee on Education Funding
National Administration for Student Financial Aid Administrators

Find Out More
  Harvard University
  Research
  Higher Ed Organizations
  Congress
  Executive Branch
  Higher Education Act
  The Science Coalition
  ACE Primer on College Costs
  NSF Large Hadron Collider Info (AAU Primer)
  2008 Legislative Calendar
  Harvard Stem Cell Institute

Additional Resources
  College Access and Opportunity Act (HR 4283)
  Affordable College Education Act of 2003 (HR 826)
  Letter to Rep. McKeon Re: College Affordability Act
  What Colleges Contribute (NCES Report)
  What Students Pay for College (NCES Report)
  Expanding Student Options in Higher Education (Institute for Higher Education Policy Report)
Supported by WDS