If you’re a high school student, you may already be considering how to spend your summer. Summer is an excellent time for students to pursue and explore their interests, whether by volunteering, traveling, getting a job, or attending an academic program.
Harvard Summer School offers the opportunity for motivated high school students to take part in a transformative summer, with more than 500 courses to choose from, unique extracurriculars, and the freedom to experience college life.
The Harvard Summer School team offers guidance on the application process and how you can put your best self forward.
Meet Our Experts
Bill Holinger
Secondary School Program Director
Dr. Sandra Naddaff
Dean of Harvard Summer School
Dr. Jacqueline Newcomb
Director of Pre-College Program
Decide On the Right Program for You
Before deciding what program you want to attend, it’s important to figure out the right fit for you. Sandra Naddaff, dean of Harvard Summer School, urges potential applicants to spend time reading through the entire list of courses to find what interests you most — or challenges you to expand your comfort zone.
“Reach into areas that pique your curiosity or stretch your academic and intellectual boundaries,” says Naddaff. “Discover something new. Change your mind. It might well be the start of a transformative experience. And who knows? It might just change your life.”
7-Week Secondary School Program (SSP)
- An immersive program designed to offer a robust college experience
- Earn college credit
- Choose between residential, online, or commuting formats and 1 or 2 courses
- Residential students enroll in 8 credits
4-Week Secondary School Program (SSP)
- A residential program designed to provide a rigorous environment to focus students’ learning on one subject of interest
- Students enroll in 4 credits
- An intensive residential program designed to offer a glimpse of college life and the opportunity to explore learning for learning’s sake.
- 2 weeks
- Non-credit
Check Eligibility Requirements
The Harvard Summer School has strict requirements all applicants must satisfy to be eligible for admissions — no exceptions are made. Ensure that you meet these requirements before beginning your application.
Make a Checklist
There are many components to a summer program application, and it can be easy to lose track. While the Harvard Summer School online application includes a checklist, it may also be helpful to make a copy — or several — to keep the necessary materials top-of-mind.
Get your free 2025 Harvard Summer School application checklist!
Assemble Your Application Materials
Your application is not considered complete and will not be reviewed by the Admissions Committee until all required materials are submitted, so refer to your aforementioned checklist to prevent mistakes.
Bonus tip: Complete your application on a desktop computer; we recommend that you do not use a smartphone or a tablet.
Transcript
Your grades should reflect everything from 9th grade through the current academic term. However, if your fall 2024 grades are not final when you complete your application, you may include a progress report that includes your name, your school, your current courses and their accompanying grades, and the dates of the courses.
English language proficiency
If English is not your native language, Harvard Summer School requires a TOEFL, iBT, IELTS, or Duolingo English Test.
There will likely be a waiting time period between when you take the test and when you receive your scores. The Admissions Committee requires these scores to view your application, so schedule your test early!
Successful applications typically receive the following scores:
- TOEFL: 103 or above; 25 or above on the written section
- IELTS: 7.5 or above; 7 or above on the written section
- Duolingo English Test: 135 or above
Guidance counselor report
Similarly to the English language proficiency requirement, a report from your guidance counselor will likely require time to receive. Guidance counselors are extremely busy — and even more so during application cycles — and will appreciate your request well in advance.
In the application, you will request a link be sent to your counselor directly so they can provide the report.
If your school doesn’t have guidance counselors, reach out to your head of school to fill out the form instead. We prefer that the report is not filled out by a teacher. However, a teacher may provide a second letter of recommendation and a student may upload this letter into their application in the same section as their transcript
Maintain Deadlines
You are ultimately responsible for successfully completing your application by the deadline. Set regular reminders, whether on paper or digitally, find a trusted accountability partner, and follow up with individuals as needed to ensure your checklist is completed on time.
Also, check your application portal regularly so you don’t miss any important notifications from the Admission Committee about any missing or incomplete materials.
Apply Early!
Bill Holinger offers his best advice to applicants: Apply early.
Programs have limited space and are competitive, so applying early offers students the best chance of being admitted.
“It allows you time to review your application, time to follow up with your counselor and your parent or guardian about supplemental materials,” he says. “It allows you time to reflect thoughtfully on your short essays and review and rewrite and edit and polish those essays.”
In addition to a higher chance of admission, students admitted from the early application deadline have the opportunity to register for classes first.
“If there’s a topic you love or a specific course you want to take, applying early nearly assures you of getting into that course before it fills up,” says Holinger. “I can’t say it enough: apply early, apply early, apply early.”
Stand Out
Due to the high volume of applications, standing out positively will benefit you.
Dr. Newcomb recommends that your application should share who you are in your own words.
“An essay stands out when we feel like we’ve really gotten to know you,” she says. “Why do you want to study at Harvard? What do you want to study? And what are you looking for this summer? We’re looking for applicants who are going to get here and have a good experience.”
The Admissions Committee also seeks students who are not only enthusiastic about challenging themselves, but also who can manage the academic load of college-level courses. If your current school does not offer higher-level or Advanced Placement (AP) courses, the Admissions Committee will take that into consideration.
“However, if they do offer those highest level courses at your own school and you’re not taking advantage of them, it will be really challenging for you to do well in these programs,” Dr. Newcomb adds.
Seek Support
The Harvard Summer School application offers the opportunity to provide additional information to share any insight that might be beneficial for the Admission Committee to know. For example, grades that don’t accurately reflect your potential or a personal situation that may have impacted your academic progress.
In addition, you are highly encouraged to reach out to the Harvard Summer School team if you have any questions or concerns.
“A key takeaway from the Harvard Summer School is learning how to navigate the college admissions process, and that means admitting when you need help and getting comfortable with asking for help,” says Newcomb. “Applying to our programs can be nearly as much of a learning experience as attending one of our programs, so take advantage of the support our program staff can provide now so you’re ready when it’s time to apply to colleges in the future. We want to help you.”
Connect with our enrollment Services team
Phone
Hours: Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. ET
Walk-in Hours
Monday through Wednesday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. ET (no appointments required)
Please note that we are unavailable by phone or to walk-in visitors during all university holidays.
We respond back to all emails sent to the following accounts within 2-3 business days:
- General Information: Info@DCE.Harvard.edu
- Harvard Summer School: Inquiry@Summer.Harvard.edu
- Pre-College Program: PreCollege@Summer.Harvard.edu
- Secondary School Program: SSP@Summer.Harvard.edu
- Harvard Extension School: Inquiry@Extension.Harvard.edu
Double Check!
Before you submit your application, double — and triple — check all your information. Any inaccuracies will require additional paperwork to correct, so it’s especially important to ensure you’re not missing anything.
Additionally, the account must be created, and the application must be completed, by the prospective student and not by parents/guardians, agents, counselors, or anyone other than the applicant themself.
FAQs
When will the course catalog for Summer 2025 be available?
Our course offerings are not yet finalized for future terms, and we are unable to predict what will be offered at this time. While we tend to offer similar subjects from year to year, individual course listings, dates, and policies may change.
You may view Summer 2024 course offerings on the DCE Course Search. Our course listings for Summer 2025 will be updated in late-January, and general registration begins on March 3, 2025.
In the meantime, you may fill out a Request for Information to join our email list and be notified when updated 2025 information is announced.
What scholarships or financial aid resources are available? Do you offer scholarships to international students?
To be eligible for financial aid, you must be a U.S. citizen, U.S. permanent resident, or be granted Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status.
How does Harvard Summer School help build connections and strengthen college applications?
During HSS programs, students build relationships with peers from around the world. Pursuing advanced academic interests over the summer is one way to differentiate an application from the many other students who also have excellent grades and top test scores.
Summer activities can also highlight personal characteristics that many colleges look for, such as self-motivation, willingness to take on a challenge, and commitment to achieving a goal.
