• Charges/Expenses
• Tuition, health and activity fees
• Housing/Meal Plans (if Harvard affiliated)
• Library fines, missed health appointment fees, printing and plotting charges
• Refunds
• Credits/Payments
• Payments, including your tuition deposit
• Anticipated aid (if applicable)
• Reversed fees or fines

Tuition and fees are charged according to enrollment. If a student is enrolled for a full year, half of that amount will be charged for each of the two semesters.

Financial Aid and Your Student Account

If a student is receiving financial aid, that aid will be reflected on the Student Account.

For most students, aid credits will be applied to your account in two equal disbursements, once in the Fall and once in the Spring.  Students whose aid exceeds their charges may receive a refund after they have registered.

What Do I Do With My Student Account?

Any charges due on your Student Account must be paid. Students whose aid does not cover their charges will have to pay the balance by the due dates shown on the account or they will not be cleared to register. Once a student has enrolled, they are expected to resolve any balance due monthly, either during the semester or during the summer. Similarly, students who are finishing their degree can only be cleared for graduation once their bill has been paid in full.

If your Amount Due is $0, you do not need to do anything.  Those who have a credit after aid is factored in will be given a refund for the credit balance.

The Monthly Payment Plan

The terms of this plan allow you to pay any balance due over the four months of the semester. A per-semester application fee (currently $35) will be charged on your Student Account if you decide to take advantage of this plan. Prior semester balances will not be incorporated into the payment plan and must be paid immediately. Aid is subtracted from the balance before the payments are calculated. Participants are expected to make their monthly payments on time, or they may lose access to the plan in the future. To enroll in the Monthly Payment Plan, log in to your account, select Student Accounts from the left menu, and select the enrollment link under Payment Plan. You cannot opt out of the Monthly Payment Plan for the current semester, or a previous semester, after registration unless the amount owed was paid in full prior to the deadline. To cancel your payment plan before registration, Student Accounts Office can assist you further.

Harvard Affiliated Housing/Rent Charges

Students who live in Harvard Housing will see their rent charged monthly on their student account. Those students are expected to pay their rent as of the first of each month. Students who do not keep up with their monthly rent payments may be denied lease renewal options in the future. If you are charged rent on your student account during the summer, that must be paid out-of-pocket as it cannot be paid with financial aid.  Graduating students are responsible for paying June and July rent charges prior to Commencement.  For more information regarding bills and Commencement, go to the Enrollment Policies.

COVID-19

The public health crisis occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic has caused unprecedented social and economic disruption worldwide, in the United States, and in the Boston/Cambridge area. Anticipating that continued in-person, on-campus instruction would increase the risk of infections in our community, the University acted promptly in March to “de-densify” its campus and transition to online instruction. Harvard reached this decision after careful (but time-pressed) deliberation, drawing on insights and expertise from public health experts worldwide — including on the Harvard faculty.

As we look ahead to the fall and beyond, we are planning for several contingency scenarios that would protect the health and safety of our community, preserve our ability to adapt to evolving circumstances, and ensure the continuity of our teaching and research mission. The GSD continues to retain the discretion to apply its considered judgment to the question of how best to pursue its educational programs during the COVID-19 crisis, which may include, among other things, making recourse to online instruction and instituting compulsory testing and tracing programs as required conditions for accessing the Harvard campus or Harvard facilities.