Harvard Masters Funding

[Expateacher]

I'm applying for financial aid from Harvard for a Harvard masters degree. Do they expect students to use up all their savings before they receive any assistance from Harvard? Are they expecting students to graduate penniless?

[Horb]

Usually, you'll have an expected contribution and then they will offer some aid. However, most students have to take out loans to fund a master's, as many are not paid. It is highly recommended that you don't pay for a graduate degree. Usually, the career prospects do not outweigh the cost of attendance (usually $30,000-$50,000 per year, if not more, depending on the degree). There are scholarships available for funding an MA, but they had deadlines in the fall. You might look at deferring the MA and applying for external fellowships.

[BeeKayCee]

Harvard in particular has a pretty good scholarship resource page that should make it clear which scholarships and funds you can apply for. A lot of them are internal. Also once you complete your application you will get a form to fill out to qualify you for all other merit/restricted Harvard Scholarships.