College Launches Scholarship Program for Summer School Courses

Harvard College will launch a scholarship application for Harvard Summer School courses, the College announced Tuesday morning.

The scholarship program will allow a number of undergraduates to take subsidized courses over the summer for credit. The selection process will prioritize students whose studies have been adversely affected by the coronavirus pandemic, as well as those who need the courses to fulfill Harvard College’s graduation requirements.

The College has also earmarked a limited number of need-based scholarships for students on financial aid.

A committee comprising members of the Office of Undergraduate Education, Dean of Students Office, Office of Academic Integrity and Student Conduct, Harvard Summer School, and the Financial Aid Office will review the applications. The College, rather than the financial aid office, provided the scholarship funding.

The application asks students to submit the summer school courses they hope to take, their reasons for enrolling in these courses, and their concentration or intended concentration. The application further requests approval from a resident dean or adviser.

Harvard Summer School Dean Sandra A. Naddaff ’75 wrote in an April 13 email that the program would hold its 2020 session online due to the COVID-19 pandemic

The announcement followed an email from Dean of the College Rakesh Khurana to the undergraduates, which informed students that the College’s 2020 summer programming would move to a virtual format. Spring term courses across the University transitioned online in mid-March after Harvard mandated students vacate campus to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

In a typical year, the summer school welcomes around 9,000 students to Harvard’s campus for courses at both the collegiate and high school levels. It also administers Harvard’s undergraduate study abroad programs, which the University canceled in late March due to the pandemic.

—Staff writer Juliet E. Isselbacher can be reached at juliet.isselbacher@thecrimson.com. Follow her on Twitter @julietissel.

—Staff writer Amanda Y. Su can be reached at amanda.su@thecrimson.com. Follow her on Twitter @amandaysu.