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Admissions & Aid
Contact the Admissions Office at gseadmissions@gse.harvard.edu.
If you are completing, or preparing to begin, a full-time public service commitment, you may be eligible to apply to an HGSE Ed.M. program and secure a clear path to graduate study when your service ends.
The Public Service Priority Pathway (PSPP) lets you pursue admission to the Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE) while you are completing a term of public service — so your service and your HGSE degree work together as one continuous plan to grow as a leader and increase your impact over time.
You can apply at any point before, during, or immediately after your service. In brief, the pathway offers:
As with all HGSE admissions decisions, selection for the PSPP is based on a holistic review of each applicant’s qualifications and alignment with the pathway.
The PSPP is available only for HGSE's residential Ed.M. programs. It is not available for the Online Master's in Education Leadership, the Ed.L.D., or the Ph.D. in Education.
You may be eligible for the PSPP if you are completing, or preparing to complete, a full-time term of service (at least 10 months) with one of the following:
If your application advances through the PSPP review process, you will receive one of two decisions. You may be admitted, with your enrollment deferred until after your service concludes. Alternatively, you may be placed in Continued Candidacy, indicating that the admissions committee sees strong promise in your candidacy and would like to consider your continued growth. In this case, you will be invited to submit updated materials during the next admissions cycle, after which a final admissions decision will be made.
Regardless of how many Continued Candidacy review cycles you complete, participation in the PSPP counts as only one application toward HGSE’s lifetime application limit.
Please note: admission and Continued Candidacy through the PSPP are conditional upon completing your term of public service. Before enrolling, you will be required to provide documentation confirming both your admission into and completion of the service program.
Indicate your interest in the PSPP in the Program section of your HGSE application. You will be asked to:
HGSE waives Ed.M. application fees for application through the PSPP.
No. If you apply before hearing back from your service program, HGSE may admit you conditionally, pending your acceptance into and completion of that program. You'll be asked to confirm both through submitted documentation following completion of your program.
March, if you're currently serving and your term ends before the fall semester following your application. Otherwise, by May.
Yes, once: in the cycle right before you begin at HGSE, you'll need to submit a short update to your statement of purpose (a "Statement of Growth") by that term's application deadline. You won't need to check in during any earlier years of your service.
No, it’s the same deadline. You can apply for the PSPP through the regular Ed.M. application for the upcoming academic year, even though you would not begin study until your term of service
A denial ends your PSPP candidacy and counts as one of your lifetime application attempts — reapplying later would be a new, second attempt. In contrast, a Continued Candidacy decision allows you to submit updates before your intended enrollment term, in order to provide you with additional opportunities to demonstrate your readiness for admission, before the admissions committee issues a final decision. Those application updates would not count as an additional application.
For example, if you enter Continued Candidacy while beginning a two-year AmeriCorps term, you could try to convert to admission during your first year of service, or, at the latest, during your final year of service — in time to begin HGSE that following academic year. Applicants can only convert their Continued Candidacy into admission while enrolled in a term of service.
Applicants to the PSPP are eligible to apply for financial aid, including need-based grants and merit scholarships. Additionally, full-time students who are determined to be eligible for the maximum HGSE Need-Based Grant may receive a match to the Segal Education Awards of up to $5,000. Applicants must complete the HGSE Financial Aid Application during the cycle prior to their expected enrollment.
Yes. If your service extends beyond the length you originally anticipated, you can apply for a deferral. You'll still need to have completed at least one full term of service (the minimum eligibility requirement) with an eligible organization. The HGSE Financial Aid Application opens following our admissions application deadline and is typically due by early February.
Not through the PSPP, since PSPP admission is deferred until after your service ends. If you'd rather start sooner, you can apply through HGSE's regular application process instead. When you apply during our regular application cycle, you can choose either the full-time residential Ed.M. or the part-time, Online Master's in Education Leadership — taught in the evenings and designed for those working full-time. You can still receive an application fee waiver by confirming your affiliation with an eligible public service organization, but a service deferral is available only through the PSPP.
Generally, an official letter or certificate from your service organization confirming your role and dates of service — for example, a completion letter, a certificate or description of service, or an equivalent document your organization already provides to members or alumni. Exact requirements may vary by organization.
The Harvard Graduate School of Education does not discriminate against applicants or students on the basis of race, color, national origin, ancestry, or any other protected classification.