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.

Review Upcoming Dates and Deadlines

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

Materials	Dates and Deadlines
Pre-registration opens You must complete pre-registration prior to registering for your course(s).	Thursday, February 19, 2026, 9 a.m. ET
Course registration opens for admitted students	Monday, March 2, 2026 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Course registration deadline for admitted financial aid recipients Your award may be rescinded if you are not registered for courses by this date.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 13, 2026 (Early Applicants) Friday, March 27, 2026 (Regular Applicants)
Residential requirements and payment deadline Residential students must be registered in an eligible course load (8-credits for 7-Week and 4-credits for 4-Week) and paid in full by this date. Payment includes the program fee, room & meal plan, and tuition. If you do not, you risk being dropped from the residential program.	Tuesday, April 7, 2026
Commuting and Online payment deadline Commuting and Online students must be registered in course(s) by this date to make the full payment. Payment includes the program fee and tuition. 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 15, or June 1 for on-campus courses.	Monday, May 11, 2026
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 3 weeks of registering
Submit medical history and consent form	Submit proof to HUHS within 3 weeks of registering
Course changes deadline Course changes require SSP staff approval after June 21 (7-Week) and July 12 (4-Week).	7-Week: Wednesday, June 24, 2026 4-Week: Wednesday, July 15, 2026

Complete Next Steps for Admitted Students

Enroll in Secondary School Program

Once you respond “yes” to your offer of admission, 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).

Log in to 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 “Complete Your Harvard Pre-College Program 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 February 19), which will confirm that your student and contact information are up-to-date prior to registering for your course(s).

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

Course registration begins on Monday, March 2, at 9 a.m. ET.

Confirming your registration: To confirm that your registration submitted successfully, log in to 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.

Payment: Payment for the program is required, in full, by Tuesday, April 7 (for residential students) or Monday, May 11 (for commuting and online).

Log in and pay in the Financial Services Portal in MyDCE with a credit card. Once you have selected your course(s), you will submit full payment for the program. For residential students, it will take 1-2 business days for charges for housing and meal plan to populate after registering for a course.

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 page.

You must pay for all courses for which you have registered or placed yourself on the course waitlist prior to the payment deadline. Harvard Summer School reserves the right to remove you from courses for nonpayment. If you intend to only attend 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.

Claim Your HarvardKey

You’ll receive your HUID number and instructions on how to claim your HarvardKey 48 hours after you register. You can then use your HarvardKey to complete the remaining steps on the checklist.

HarvardKey is your login and password for most University web applications, including the Patient Portal used by Harvard University Health Services to review required vaccination documentation. You will also use your HarvardKey to upload your ID card photo. Check your email regularly (including spam/junk folders) for communication on claiming your HarvardKey and setting up two-step verification with your HarvardKey account.

Comply with Vaccination & Medical Requirements

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 2026. Please refer to the HUHS Immunization Form for more information about this requirement.

Attend Orientation

Plan Your Arrival to Campus

Choose the Right Course for You

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 page 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. If the “Notes” section of the course says “Open to admitted Secondary School Program Students by petition,” you will be required to submit a petition explaining how you meet the prerequisites of the course. You will be “conditionally registered” in the course as your petition is reviewed by the academic advising team.
• 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 Introduction to Biomedical Ethics
  • Introduction to Psychology and Beginning Spanish
  • The Essay and Principles of Physics: Mechanics

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

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)

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 Tuesday, April 7 (for housing and meal plan accommodations) and/or Monday, May 11 (for academic accommodations).

This video provides information on the Accessibility Services request process.

Student Policies and Regulations: The Harvard Summer School Policies and Regulations web pages include 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 our policies carefully and refer to them throughout the summer.

Specific SSP Information: In order to promote the well-being of students, and to provide a safe and peaceful environment for learning, social activities, and personal growth, Harvard Secondary School Program has additional policies for all students. These include curfew, guests, and the “do the smart thing” alcohol and other drugs policy.

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.