International Applicants

The Harvard International Office and the HGSE Office of Student Affairs provide extensive support for international students before they depart and once they arrive in Cambridge.

How to Apply

International applicants must submit all standard application materials outlined in the How to Apply section. Please see below for additional information regarding transcripts and standardized tests for Ed.L.D. and Ed.M. applicants.

Note: applications for the Ph.D. in Education must be submitted through the Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, (GSAS). If you are applying for the Ph.D. in Education, please review the GSAS Application Information and Instructions for information about the Ph.D. application process.

Transcripts

Ed.L.D. and Ed.M. applicants are required to upload transcripts from each postsecondary institution attended in the Academics section of the application. If the institutions you attended do not provide official transcripts in English, you will need to obtain a certified English translation; students cannot translate their own transcripts.

All translations must be literal (i.e., word for word) and complete versions of the original records. You will upload your transcripts with their accompanying certified English translation as part of your application. All transcripts should show courses completed, grades received, duration of study, and degree or diploma received, if applicable.

Should you be offered admission to the Ed.L.D. or Ed.M. program, you will need to submit your official transcripts and supporting documents for verification through World Education Services (WES), Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE), or SpanTran. These providers will send your verified transcripts and accompanying evaluation to HGSE directly; we do not accept evaluations sent by the student. Transcripts submitted for verification must include any additional coursework you have taken or degrees you have earned since submitting your application.

HGSE reserves the right to withdraw an admissions offer if there is a discrepancy between the uploaded version and the official original transcript and/or the official translation.

For more information about transcript submission, visit Ed.M. and Ed.L.D. Application Requirements.

Standardized Tests

If your native language is not English, you are required to submit official results of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) for Academic Purposes. However, you are exempt from this requirement if you have earned a bachelor's degree from an institution at which English was the sole language of instruction. Additionally, you must have completed at least 3 years of full-time enrollment at the institution, otherwise, TOEFL/IELTS scores are required.

We are currently accepting the academic TOEFL and IELTS tests, including the TOEFL iBT — Special Home Edition and IELTS Indicator tests. Students who received a bachelor’s degree from an institution where English was the sole language of instruction are exempt from the requirement.

Official TOEFL and IELTS scores are valid for a limited period of time. If you are applying for enrollment in the 2024-2025 academic year, the test must have been taken on or after January 1, 2022. Please have the testing service send your official scores directly to HGSE. HGSE’s institution code is 3428; there is no department code. For the IELTS exam, an electronic score report must come from the test center where you took the exam directly to HGSE. IELTS does not prompt you for an institution or department code specific to HGSE.

• For TOEFL, HGSE prefers applicants with scores of 104 or higher on the Internet-based TOEFL, with individual section scores (e.g., reading, writing, listening, and speaking) of at least 26.  
• For IELTS, HGSE prefers applicants with scores of 7.5 or higher on the IELTS for Academic Purposes exam, with individual section scores (e.g., reading, writing, listening, and speaking) of at least 7.5.

Note: a major or concentration in English is not sufficient to waive the TOEFL/IELTS requirement. Additionally, completion of graduate-level degrees at an institution where the instruction is conducted in English does not exempt an applicant from the TOEFL/IELTS requirement.

Visas

Once students have been admitted as degree candidates, Harvard University requires international students who need a Harvard-sponsored student visa to submit financial certification documentation that demonstrates adequate funding for one year of study. Detailed instructions regarding this process will be available upon admission to HGSE, and additional information regarding funding requirements for visa financial certification can be found on the HGSE Financial Aid website. Note: admitted international students requesting J-1 or F-1 visas are required to enroll on a full-time basis.

STEM-eligible Programs

The Learning Design, Innovation, and Technology (LDIT), Human Development and Education (HDE), and Education Policy and Analysis (EPA) Master’s in Education programs are all assigned STEM-eligible Classification of Instructional Program (CIP) codes. These are the only STEM-eligible programs at HGSE. All other HGSE programs have the general education designation CIP code.

For more information, including questions about what this means for visa and Optional Practical Training (OPT) purposes, please refer to the information available from the Harvard International Office.

Prospective students should apply to the program that aligns most closely with their academic and career objectives; the STEM-eligible CIP code should not be the deciding factor. Program changes after an offer of admissions are rare.