International Applicants
Harvard Chan School welcomes applicants from around the world. In fact, about 40% of our students come from outside the U.S.
Here are some important tips for international applicants:
Testing
You must provide an English proficiency test score with your application if English is not your first language AND you have not received any degrees from a college or university where English is the official language of instruction. Post-graduate medical residency in the U.S. does not waive this testing requirement.
You can submit results from the TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo English test. Please see our Application Requirements page for more information.
Your program may also require the GRE. Please see the program page for details. If you need the GRE, please be aware that many international test centers only offer paper-based tests. These take longer to process, so please plan to take the test no later than October. This will allow enough time for your GRE scores to reach us by the December 1 application deadline.
Please visit the GRE Test Centers website for more information and a listing of test centers.
Transcripts
Transcripts from colleges and universities inside the U.S. or from English-language institutions in Canada should be submitted through SOPHAS.
For all other institutions, SOPHAS applicants will need to have their degree documents evaluated by World Education Services (WES). This process allows our review teams to better understand your educational background.
PhD students should consult the Harvard Griffin GSAS Admissions site for details on their application process.
Visas
All international students who plan to study in-person at the Harvard Chan School must have a visa for any portion of the program held on campus. Harvard sponsored student visa options include a F-1 student visa and J-1 student visa (Canadian citizens require an I-20 document or DS-2019 document).
Do not arrive in the U.S. using a B1-/B-2 visa, or an ESTA obtained through the Visa Waiver Program (VWP). These visas permit short-term stays, primarily for tourism. Entering the U.S. with one of these visas for the purpose of studying, whether in a degree or a non-degree program, is a violation of U.S. visa regulations, and you may be denied entry to the U.S.
The Admissions Office will work with admitted students to guide you through the visa process.
As part of the process, you must demonstrate that you have funds available to cover tuition, fees, and living expenses for your first academic year. We will then issue you an I-20 or DS-2019 form, which you will take to the embassy to apply for a visa.
If you wish to come to the U.S. to take English classes before enrolling, you must receive a visa from your English as a Second Language (ESL) school. Once you have completed the ESL program, you can work with the school to transfer your SEVIS record and visa status to Harvard University.
Please note that the students in the MPH Generalist program, which is fully online, are not eligible for a visa.
Please also note that the U.S. does not have a visa expressly for part-time students. For more information on maintaining visa status, please check with the Harvard International Office (HIO).
PhD applicants should contact Harvard Griffin GSAS Admissions for more information on the visa process.