Student Budget

The standard student budget represents average costs for most students, and establishes an annual limit on financial aid (grants and loans from all sources) available to each student. Each year, the Financial Aid Committee reviews Bureau of Labor Statistics data in conjunction with local area rental rates and student-reported expenses to arrive at a reasonable budget that allows for a moderate standard of living.

2013-2014 Standard Student Budget (9-mo. academic year)

* The Financial Aid Committee anticipates that some first-year students will spend more than this allowance for books and supplies, since book costs for first year students are typically higher than those for second and third year students. Moreover, book costs for the first semester of the first year are typically higher than those for the second semester. The Committee believes that the Books and Supplies Allowance is sufficient to cover these costs for most first year students, but some students may find that they need to allocate some funds from their room/board/personal allocation to meet their book and supply costs.

The standard budget includes a nine-month Room/Board/Personal expense living allowance of $19,922, which works out to a monthly allowance of $2,214. We intentionally do not provide our interpretation of how this amount of money should be broken down across various expense categories. This is a highly personal decision; therefore, we leave it to you to allocate this allowance among your living and other expenses based on your particular needs and priorities. As noted above, some first year students may need to allocate a small portion of the Room/Board/Personal Allowance toward book and supplies expenses, and therefore may have a lower remaining monthly allowance for living expenses.

International students do not pay Stafford Loan Fees. The travel allowance for international students is increased by $205 to produce the same total budget.

The Mandatory UHS Student Health Fee is required as part of enrollment at Harvard, and covers most services at Harvard University Health Services (HUHS) with no copay. Students must also enroll in a health insurance plan, such as the Student Health Insurance Plan, to cover emergency services and hospital benefits. Students already enrolled in a comparable health insurance plan may be eligible to waive the Student Heath Insurance Plan. Enrollment in the Dental Insurance plan is optional but recommended for HLS students, and an allowance toward the cost of this plan is included in the standard budget. Fee-for-service dental options are also available through Harvard University Health Services Dental Services.

Please review the policy section of our website for more detailed information regarding student budget policies.