Admission and Registration Information for Harvard Extension School 2022

 

The extension school of Harvard University is called Harvard Extension School (HES), and it is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts.


Nearly 1000 courses are available at the School to help people broaden their horizons, hone their professional abilities, and obtain a Harvard certificate.

One of Harvard University's 12 degree-granting institutes is the Harvard Extension School. Their certificates and degrees bear the Harvard University seal, making degrees from the Harvard Extension School valuable.

History of the Harvard Extension School

Why is it called Harvard Extension School?

This is the reason why it is called Harvard Extension School.

The origin of Harvard Extension School can be traced back to 1835. This was when John Lowell Jr. founded the Lowell Institute.

In 1906–07, A. Lawrence Lowell, a trustee of the Lowell Institute and Harvard professor of government, revealed a plan to offer public courses in collaboration with Harvard University. In 1909, when Lowell became president of Harvard, he made that vision a reality.

Later in 1910 Lowell founded the Commission on Extension Courses—hailed by the Boston Evening Transcript as “a new milestone” in education. He saw the commission as an experiment in “popular education.”

The goal was to serve those in the community who had the ability and desire to attend college but had other obligations that kept them from traditional schools.

Admission and registration

A variety of enrollment options are available at Harvard Extension School. You'll discover an easy path to achieve your goals, whether you want to obtain a set of new abilities through a certificate or degree or fill a knowledge gap in a single course.


There are 15-week fall and spring terms, a 3-week intense term in January, and 15-week fall and spring terms. Through Harvard Summer School, you can also enroll in summer courses.



2022–23 tuition for 4-credit courses.

• $1,880 for undergraduate
• $2,900 for graduate
• $1,500 for noncredit

All figures are based on the 2022–23 tuition rate for 4-credit courses.

Harvard Extension School online

HES developed a framework called the Helix classrooms and web conferencing to encourage active learning. Through technology, students from all over the world can join a teacher in a real-time classroom. Find out how to get to myDCE.


Hyflex is a term used to describe the hybrid and flexible formats used in Helix classrooms and web conferences.

Students may join professors live in the classroom.
Live online students join the class through Zoom displayed on large monitors and seamlessly interact with students in the classroom.
On-demand students watch professional recordings of the class on their own schedule and interact through online discussion tools.
Students participate in thoughtful discussions with their peers and engage with their instructor in real-time