Once students have met their degree requirements, they must apply for graduation. The Harvard Chan School has three degree-granting periods: November, March, and May. To apply for graduation, students must complete the Application for Degree by clicking on the Apply to Graduate link on the my.harvard portal.
Students expecting to graduate must apply to graduate via the my.harvard portal by the following dates:
| Diploma awarded date | Deadline for degree application | Doctoral dissertations due |
| November 12, 2024 | August 9, 2024 | September 13, 2024 |
| March 4, 2025 | December 6, 2024 | January 10, 2025 |
| May 29, 2025 | February 28, 2025 | April 11, 2025 |
Students who fail to comply with the above deadlines must apply for the degree in the next granting period.
An academic degree audit by both the Registrar’s Office and the student’s department/program occurs shortly after the degree application deadline for all degree candidates even if an application to graduate was not submitted. The Registrar’s Office also conducts a financial audit. Students who have met all academic and financial requirements will be placed on the degree list.
All degree candidates must make restitution to the Harvard Chan School and Harvard University by paying their Student Account and any other financial obligation to the University in full.
- Payments are due in October for November degrees awarded,
- February for March degrees awarded, and
- May for May degrees awarded.
Students who do not pay their Student Account or other financial obligations to the University in full will not receive their diploma(s) until this obligation is met and approval is granted by the Governing Board.
November, March, and May graduates are invited to attend Convocation and Graduation ceremonies in May at the Harvard Chan School and at Harvard Yard. It is the graduate’s responsibility to obtain information from this site. November and March graduates should continue to check their Harvard email accounts for May Convocation and Graduation details.
The process by which students apply to graduate is separate and distinct from declaring one’s intention to attend the ceremonies.
