Expectations Regarding Other Contributions

Parental Contribution

The Committee expects parents to provide as much assistance from both income and assets as is feasible, by determination of institutional need analysis guidelines. The Committee also expects parents to provide assistance for the student during his or her entire undergraduate career. When a student's parents are divorced, both parents are ordinarily required to file financial statements and to provide a portion of the parental contribution. Arbitrary withdrawal of parental support will not ordinarily be met with increased scholarship funds. Students facing irreconcilable differences with their parents should contact their financial aid officer to discuss the College's Independent Student Policy guidelines.

Parent Plans

Parents of students in Harvard College have access to various loan plans. Information is available from the Financial Aid Office.

Summer Earnings

In determining eligibility for scholarship assistance, the Committee expects that students will save from $1300 to $2500 of their summer job earnings to be contributed toward the educational expenses of the following year. This expectation cannot be waived for students choosing to volunteer or participate in unpaid internships.

Student's Own Savings

In assessing student resources, the Financial Aid Office will ordinarily ask that a small percentage of students' available savings at the beginning of each academic year be used to pay for college costs.

Outside Scholarships

Students receiving scholarship assistance are required to report to the Financial Aid Office any outside scholarships they receive, as well as whether they are renewable. Notifying another office at Harvard (i.e., the Student Receivables Office) of the receipt of an outside award does not satisfy this requirement. Outside scholarships are first used to replace the loan and/or job expectations in the financial aid package, and can fully replace the summer savings expectation. Only if the amount of outside scholarships exceeds the combined loan, job and summer savings expectations will the Harvard Scholarship be reduced.