Khurana Says College Has Yet to Finalize Summer Housing, Planning for ‘Fully Operational Campus’ in Fall

Dean of the College Rakesh Khurana said in a Friday interview that Harvard has yet to decide whether it will offer on-campus housing for Harvard Summer School, though he said the College is planning for a “fully operational campus” in the fall.

As part of Harvard’s 2020-21 reopening plan, students who studied away from campus for the entire academic year would be eligible to “come to campus” to enroll in up to two courses at the Summer School free of charge “in recognition of the fact that many of our students will not have a residential campus experience this year.”

The arrangement also offered subsidized room and board for students on financial aid.

The Summer School announced in December it will hold all 2021 classes online in light of the pandemic. It “will not be hosting a residential program for high school students,” the Summer School website states.

Though Harvard previously told undergraduates they would be eligible to “come to campus” to take Summer School classes, Khurana said in the Friday interview that Harvard has yet to decide whether it will provide housing for College students taking the remote Summer School courses.

“We have yet to still communicate about summer 2021 housing,” he said. “Housing is going to be, in part, determined by public health conditions and guidelines, and we want to accommodate people as best as possible around that.”

“That is a dynamic situation, and we’re trying to work really hard to get people as much clarity on that as possible,” he added.

A frequently asked questions page on the Summer School’s website states current College students “may be eligible” for on-campus housing this summer.

The deadline for College students to apply for the Summer School tuition waiver is April 7, according to the Office of Career Services website. Students offered the waiver have until April 19 to accept.

Khurana said the College plans to communicate further information once it has “a fairly good sense about the kind of conditions” that would be safe for students in residence.

Though the College has not finalized summer housing, Khurana said its “goal is to have a fully operational campus” during the fall 2021 semester.

“We, of course, have to do that with humility — recognizing the uncertainty around Covid-19,” he said. “But our teams are working with a fully operational campus in mind right now.”

—Staff writer Alex Koller can be reached at alex.koller@thecrimson.com.

—Staff writer Taylor C. Peterman can be reached at taylor.peterman@thecrimson.com. Follow her on Twitter @taylorcpeterman.