Graduate Program: Financial

Graduate Program Handbook, 2013-2014

STUDENT BILLS AND EXPENSES

A student bill for the academic year 2013-2014 was sent during the summer to all students. This bill covers the following items:

• Tuition
• Health Services and Health Insurance Plan fee
• Activities fee
• Dormitory (fall semester fee) or first month's Harvard University Housing rent (if any)

Tuition and fees for the whole year (and rent, if any, billed for dormitory or affiliated housing) must be paid in full before you will be permitted to register for the fall semester. You will also be responsible for your spring semester dormitory fee or monthly Harvard University Housing rent when it is billed.

SPONSORED BILLING

If you are being funded by an outside agency and the agency wishes to receive a bill directly from Harvard before making any payments on your behalf, please ask the sponsoring agency to submit a sponsored billing form (available in the admissions binder or on the Admitted Students website) to the Graduate Program (if they have not already done so) indicating the specific charges the agency will be paying on your behalf (e.g., tuition, Health Services fee, health insurance plan fee, activities fee, dormitory rent, Harvard University Housing rent, etc.).

The letter should be sent to:
    Graduate Program Financial Aid
    Harvard Law School
    Graduate Program, WCC 5005
    1585 Massachusetts Avenue
    Cambridge, MA 02138
    Fax: (617) 496-9179
    Email: GPFinaid@law.harvard.edu

FINANCIAL AID CREDITS

If you have received written notification from the Graduate Program’s Office of Admissions and Financial Aid or the University Committee on General Scholarships about financial assistance from the Law School or the University for the 2013-2014 academic year, you may deduct the amount of the scholarship or fellowship when paying your student bill, provided this amount is not already reflected on your student bill under the heading “Anticipated Aid.” (Please note that the actual scholarship disbursements may not appear on your student bill until the end of the fall semester.)

Students who have been offered student loans as part of their financial aid package must attend a loan information session during Orientation in order for their loans to receive final approval for disbursement. International students receiving student loans must also present their visa documents to comply with verification requirements.

NOTE: Students who have loans from any non-Harvard sources (e.g., additional bank loans) may not deduct any part of such loans from their student bill unless they have received approval from the Graduate Program Financial Aid Office to do so.

OTHER STUDENT BILLS

You may receive additional monthly e-bills, beginning in September, for expenses not listed above. Each monthly e-bill will show current charges, credits, and payments.

HEALTH INSURANCE

All registered students are automatically enrolled in the University Health Service Plan. The total fee, which includes access to services provided by the University Health Clinic and Blue Cross/Blue Shield insurance coverage and Medco prescription coverage, is $3,148 for the academic year.

The Health Services fee is mandatory and cannot be waived by any student who is in residence.

The Massachusetts Division of Health Care Finance and Policy has issued regulations that set the minimum standards for a student health insurance program. To waive participation in the Harvard-sponsored Blue Cross/Blue Shield insurance plan, you must show that you have alternative health insurance that is comparable to these minimum standards, which are summarized on the Commonwealth’s website (under “Student Health Insurance”) at: http://www.mass.gov/chia/consumer/basic-needs/student-health-insurance.html

To apply for a waiver online, please carefully review all information and follow the instructions available at:http://hushp.harvard.edu/waive

Insurance coverage for a spouse and other dependents is also available if you specifically apply for such coverage within the open enrollment period (i.e., before September 30 for the fall term, and before February 28 for the spring term). For more information, please visit:  http://hushp.harvard.edu/hushp-student-dependents

Enrollment forms for dependents are available at the Health Clinic located in the Holyoke Center, 75 Mt. Auburn Street, Cambridge, or by download from: http://hushp.harvard.edu/hushp-student-dependents

PAYMENT OF STUDENT BILLS

All students are expected to pay their student bills on a timely basis. No diploma will be awarded to any student with an outstanding balance. In some cases, the actual degree will be withheld until the balance is paid in full.

Student bills may be paid online or by money order, check, cash, Western Union, or wire transfer, but not by credit card. All payments are to be made in U.S. currency. Checks must be drawn on a U.S. bank (or a bank with a U.S. branch indicated on the check) and made out to “Harvard University,” with your name and Harvard student identification (“HUID”) number clearly written on the check.

For more information, please visit: www.termbill.harvard.edu

To pay a student bill by wire transfer, please wire the money to the following account:

    Bank Number: ABA# 026009593
    Bank Name: Bank of America
    Bank Address: 100 Federal Street, Boston, MA 02110
    Account Name: President & Fellows of Harvard College SRO
    Account No.: 942926-3103
    Swift No.: BOFAUS3N    
    Memo: Student Receivables Office (+617-495-4187)
    Identifier: Full name of student, student’s HUID, and sender’s name and address

Please note that though wires are subject to fees, neither Harvard University nor its bank charges for the receipt of wire transfers. International wires are subject to a fee charged by an intermediary bank between the sending and the receiving banks. Please check with your bank to determine what, if any, fees may apply to your wire transfer and be sure to adjust the amount of your transfer accordingly.

IMPORTANT TAX INFORMATION FOR FOREIGN STUDENTS

If you are a foreign student and you receive a scholarship from a U.S. source, you may be subject to a 14% withholding of U.S. federal income tax on the amount of your scholarship that exceeds tuition and mandatory fees. However, if you come from certain countries that have a tax treaty with the United States, you may be exempt from tax withholding. If your country’s treaty exempts your scholarship from taxation, you must complete a Foreign National Information Form and a Form W-8BEN and return them to the Student Receivables Office, Holyoke Center, 9th floor, as soon as possible. To find out whether your country has a tax treaty with the United States and for more information on tax withholding for foreign students, please visit the Harvard International Office website at:  http://www.hio.harvard.edu/taxesandsocialsecurity/