Financial Aid
Financial Aid
Harvard Divinity School is committed to providing financial assistance to all students who demonstrate need.
The deadline for fall 2026 has passed.
The HDS Application for Financial Aid for fall 2027 will be available in mid-January.
Financial Aid FAQs
The cost of graduate education is an important factor in choosing where to apply. A Harvard Divinity School degree is a possibility for many students due to the generous institutional grant aid we provide. Information on the current cost of attendance can be found on the Tuition and Fees page on the Harvard Divinity website. Please note, all costs are based on the 9-months of the academic year.
We encourage you to review the HDS Office of Financial Aid website to learn more about some of the resources available to students to fund their education.
The cost of attendance is made up of tuition, required fees, and an estimate of living expenses in the Cambridge/Boston area during the academic year, which runs from September to May.
Harvard Divinity School offers generous institutional grant aid for students enrolling in the master of divinity (MDiv) or master of theological studies (MTS) programs. Approximately ninety percent (90%) of MDiv and MTS students receive Institutional grant aid, the majority of which is need-based grant aid. You can learn more about other types of financial aid that may be available at the HDS Office of Financial Aid website.
Students in the master of theology (ThM) or master of religion and public life (MRPL) program who are U.S. citizens or eligible noncitizens may qualify for federal funds and/or private loans. HDS does not provide grant support for the ThM or MRPL programs. Special students are not eligible for institutional or federal aid.
Merit-based aid is institutional grant aid that is offered to students based on the overall strength of their admissions application. Need-based grant aid is institutional grant aid that is based on an applicant’s financial aid application. The vast majority of grant aid given at Harvard Divinity School for MDiv and MTS students is need-based grant aid. Grant aid is gift aid that does not need to be repaid.
In order to be considered for need-based institutional grant aid, all applicants are encouraged to complete the HDS Application for Financial Aid, which becomes available to all MDiv and MTS applicants in mid-January. U.S. Citizens and eligible non-citizens will be required to submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and the HDS Application for Financial Aid.
While the FAFSA is available on the federal student aid website in October, HDS will not start requesting applicants to submit them until mid-January and we cannot bring them into our system until late January.
All applicants to the MDiv and MTS programs are automatically considered for merit-based aid. HDS has a small pool of merit aid that is awarded based on the overall strength of the application. Merit award decisions are made by the admissions committee at the point of admission and are final.
There is nothing that applicants need to do to be considered for merit-based aid. The admissions committee makes decisions on merit aid based on the strength of the application in the context of the entire applicant pool.
We strongly encourage all applicants to apply for need-based institutional grants. If an applicant does not receive merit funding and did not apply for need-based institutional aid by the deadline we will not be able to review late applications.
Admitted applicants will receive either merit-based institutional grants or need-based institutional grants. They will not be awarded from both pools of funding.
No. Eligible students will either receive merit-based aid or need-based aid but not both.
Yes! International Students who are applicants to the master of divinity (MDiv) and master of theological studies (MTS) are automatically considered for merit-based grant aid, and are strongly encouraged to also submit the HDS Application for Financial Aid in order to be considered for need-based grant aid.
Many HDS students have part-time jobs while going to school. Students generally work 10 to 15 hours per week, many of them right on Harvard University’s campus. Many of our students work in libraries, in administrative offices, and in research positions or as part of their field education work. While some of these jobs are restricted for students who qualify for Federal Work Study, other positions are open to all students, including international students.
Harvard Divinity School does not offer a study abroad program or financial aid for study abroad programs.
Contact Financial Aid
Location: Swartz Hall, G23
Email: financial_aid@hds.harvard.edu
The HDS Office of Financial Aid is operating on a hybrid schedule with both in-person and remote work. For the quickest response to questions or concerns, or if you would like to set up an appointment, please email us. We make every effort to respond to messages within the business day if possible.