Admitted Secondary School Program Students

Stay Notified: Please add SSP@Summer.Harvard.edu to your email contact list to ensure that you receive important updates. Be sure to check your spam and junk folders so that you do not miss important information from our staff.

Upcoming Deadlines

Please see the full Secondary School Program Calendar for all important deadlines.

Materials	Deadline
Course registration opens for admitted students	Monday, March 3 at 9 a.m. ET
Course registration deadline for admitted financial aid recipients Your award may be rescinded if you are not registered for courses by this date.	Friday, March 14 (Early Applicants)  Friday, March 28 (Regular Applicants)
Full payment deadline You must be registered for your course(s) by this date to make the full payment. If you do not, you risk being dropped from all courses and waitlists. If admitted after this date, full payment is due immediately upon registering for your course(s). Registration with immediate full payment remains open through June 17, 2025, or June 2, 2025, for on-campus courses.	Monday, May 12
Submit immunization documents You may be dropped from courses, even after classes begin, if you do not upload your documentation.	Submit proof to HUHS within 14 days of registering
Submit medical history and consent form	Submit proof to HUHS within 14 days of registering
7-Week Residential student move-in	Saturday, June 21
7-Week course changes deadline After June 22, all course changes, drops, and withdrawals must be approved by the Secondary School Program Office.	Wednesday, June 25
4-Week Residential student move-in	Sunday, July 13
4-Week course changes deadline After July 13, all course changes, drops, and withdrawals must be approved by the Secondary School Program Office.	Wednesday, July 16

Next Steps for Admitted Students

Enroll in Secondary School Program

Accept your admission to the program at the bottom of your admission letter. Once you respond “yes” to our offer, an email will be sent to you with next steps. Approximately one hour after accepting your offer, you will be able to log into your MyDCE account to register and pay for your course(s).

If you plan to join us, please accept your admittance by one of the following deadlines in correspondence with your early, regular, or late application acceptance.

• Early Admission: Tuesday, February 18
• Regular Admission: Tuesday, March 25
• Late Admission: Within two weeks of offer of admission

Log Into Your MyDCE Portal

MyDCE is the student portal where you will complete all of your post-acceptance requirements. You can access MyDCE by logging in using your DCEKey or HarvardKey login credentials. You should be able to access MyDCE one hour after you’ve accepted your admissions offer and received your “Next Steps” email.

Register for Course(s) and Submit Payment

You must accept your offer of admission before registering.

Visit Course Registration for detailed instructions on registration, including pre-registration and payment. You will be required to complete pre-registration (available in late February), which will confirm that your student and contact information are up-to-date prior to registering for your course(s).

If you are a commuting student, please make sure to update your “physical address” to Cambridge, Massachusetts, when you complete pre-registration to ensure that you are able to view on-campus activities.

To view the course catalog please visit the Secondary School Program Course Overview page. 

Course registration begins on Monday, March 3.

• Confirming your registration: To confirm that your registration submitted successfully, log into your MyDCE account and view the “My Courses” box on your dashboard. Any courses that you’ve successfully registered — or waitlisted — yourself for will appear here.

• Course website: Course websites are posted on Canvas. Canvas can be accessed directly at Canvas.Harvard.edu or by logging into MyDCE and clicking the link to Canvas from your Dashboard. To log in to your course website, you must use your HarvardKey. Please note, course websites are not published to Canvas until close to the start of the term.

• Payment: Payment for the program is required, in full, by Monday, May 12.
  
  Log in and pay in the Student Finance Portal in your MyDCE account with a credit card. Once you have selected your course(s) you will submit full payment for the program. Please note you can designate an authorized user, who can access your financial account information online – to view your student account details and submit a payment directly to your account via credit card or electronic check (U.S. bank accounts only). If you would like more payment information, please visit the payment options page. Program costs for SSP are available on our Cost and Aid website.
  
  You must pay for all courses for which you have registered or placed yourself on the waitlist for prior to the payment deadline. Harvard Summer School reserves the right to remove you from courses for nonpayment. If you intend to attend only one course, please drop yourself from all other courses and waitlists prior to the payment deadline.
  
  Note to residential students: SSP 7-Week residential students must be enrolled in 8 credits to be eligible for on-campus housing. SSP 4-Week residential students must be enrolled in one 4-credit course.

Choosing the Right Course

The Secondary School Program is an exceptional opportunity for intellectual growth. 

To select the best course for you, we encourage you to:

Consider your interests, goals, and previous experiences. What have you already studied? Is there a subject that you do not have the opportunity to learn about in high school? What might you want to study in college? All courses will be academically rigorous and enable you to step out of your comfort zone and explore topics that you’re passionate about. Take a look at our Course and Subjects website for course suggestions.

Check the prerequisites. Be sure that you meet the requirements to register for the course(s) that interest you. Prerequisites, if any, are listed below the course descriptions.

Contact academic advisors for assistance. The Secondary School Program advisors are here to help you choose the best courses for you, before registration and once the program begins. Our office is open Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. ET.

Balance your studies when enrolling in two 4-credit courses (7-week students only). Courses focusing on different subjects provide a well-rounded academic experience. Example course pairs include:

• Calculus I and Poetry Writing
• Macroeconomics and The Architecture of Boston
• Introduction to Psychology and Superheroes and Power
• The Essay and Principles of Physics: Mechanics 

Be mindful of the academic rigor of Harvard courses when selecting courses. 

Pending enrollment availability, you may be able to transfer into a different class during the first few days of the summer term. You can get academic advice from your SSP Resident Dean the weekend before classes start.

Immunization Requirement

All Secondary School Program students are required to provide documentation to Harvard University Health Services (HUHS) that they are fully vaccinated against certain communicable diseases. Students who are unable to provide this proof risk being unable to participate in on-campus activities/courses for summer 2025. Please refer to the HUHS Immunization Form for more information about this requirement.

Check In/Out and Orientation (Residential Students Only)

A housing request has already been entered on your behalf. You do not need to take any action to request housing. You will receive more information about your housing assignment 1-2 weeks before the start of the program. For more information about your room on campus and what to bring, read about your room.

If you need an accommodation or would like to request gender inclusive housing, please review the Housing Request website for more information.

H-Ticket: Approximately one week prior to your check-in, you will have access to your H-Ticket in MyDCE. The H-Ticket includes specific information about where and when to check-in, your on campus room assignment, and any other requirements you need before your arrival. Please bring either a printed copy or electronic one to check-in.

Travel to Campus: We do not provide airport shuttles, but transportation information is available along with directions to campus. Cars will be allowed access to Harvard Yard during check-in. We understand that delays en route may be unavoidable, and in Massachusetts, people not yet 18 years of age are prohibited by law from checking into a hotel unaccompanied by an adult. If you will be arriving after the designated check-in time, please contact the SSP team so that we can coordinate your arrival with the residential staff.

More information about move-in and travel to campus will be available mid-spring on our Preparation and Arrival website.

Activities Beyond the Classroom

The Summer School and the Secondary School Program offer a rich array of free virtual and in-person activities and events for all students.

Athletics. There are many ways to remain active around campus: Work out at Harvard gyms, participate in a basketball or soccer tournament, or join Weld Boathouse and row on the Charles River.

Music. Students may participate in a variety of musical opportunities, which in previous years has included the Harvard Summer Pops Band and the Harvard Summer Chorus.

Culture. Harvard museums and libraries are world famous and close at hand. Dance, music, and theater flourish in and around Cambridge, and the city of Boston itself has many world-class cultural, historic, and scientific institutions. Some highlights include:

• Harvard Art Museums
• Arnold Arboretum
• Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
• Harvard Museum of Natural History
• Museum of Science
• Peabody Museum of Anthropology and Ethnology
• Harvard Museum of the Ancient Near East

Excursions. On weekends, the Summer School sponsors day-long outings, including boat tours and whale watches, trips to Cape Cod and area beaches, trail hikes with sweeping vistas of Boston, and visits to Tanglewood, the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra in western Massachusetts.

Additionally, the Secondary School Program organizes several of its own activities, and these have included:

• College Admissions Programming (a series of events to help prepare you to apply to college)
  • Ask questions of current college students and experienced advisors
  • Join a Virtual Admissions Panel to hear from representatives across a variety college and universities
  • Prepare to write your college application essay
  • Gain an understanding of how to apply for financial aid
  • Learn about the Harvard admissions process from a Harvard Admissions officer
• Dances
• Talent Show (try-out near the end of the summer)
• Trivia Bowl (put a team together and enter)

Additional Resources

Accessibility Services: If you have a need for academic, residential, or dietary accommodation due to a disabling condition, please be sure to complete the registration process with the Accessibility Services Office by May 12, 2025.

Student Handbook: This student handbook is provided to inform you of the academic policies and rules of conduct that apply to resident and nonresident Summer School students. It also describes resources available at Harvard and opportunities available in the Greater Boston area that will help make your summer a rewarding one. Please read this handbook carefully and refer to it throughout the summer.

Accident and Sickness Insurance Plan (Residential Students Only): A Harvard Summer School accident and sickness insurance plan is included in your program fee as secondary coverage to your own health insurance plan. Read how and when you can use this coverage.

Meals (Residential Students Only): SSP residential students receive a meal plan and enjoy a comprehensive dining program. Your meal plan allows you to eat with peers in your designated dining hall and enjoy menus that reflect the international character of the Summer School. Please see our dining services page if you would like additional information.