Application Information for Visiting Scholar/Visiting Researcher Program

Application Materials

To apply to the Visiting Scholar and Visiting Researcher Program, applicants must complete the relevant parts of the Graduate Program's application materials. These call for applicants to provide information about themselves and the specific research project they propose to pursue at Harvard, letters of recommendation from professors and others who know their work, and transcripts from each university they have attended. In addition, all applicants must submit a letter from a Harvard Law School Faculty member indicating his or her willingness to supervise the proposed research project. All applicants to the Harvard Law School Graduate Program must use the online application: Harvard Law School Visitors Program Online Application.

English language proficiency is essential for a Visiting Researcher or Scholar to insure the most beneficial and efficient use of time at Harvard Law School. The Graduate Program requires a score of 600 or better on the paper based TOEFL exam, 250 on the computer-based version, or a minimum total score of 100 (with a score of at least 25 for each of the 4 subsections) on the IBT TOEFL exam. All international degree candidates whose primary language is not English, or who have not had a minimum of two years of instruction in English at the university level must submit a TOEFL score. The Graduate Program reserves the right to require Visiting Scholar/Researcher applicants to submit evidence of comparable English language proficiency. Harvard Law School’s TOEFL reporting code is 3457, department code 03.

TOEFL is offered by the Educational Testing Service at locations around the world. For more information, check their web site or contact them at TOEFL Services, Educational Testing Service, Rosedale Road, Princeton, NJ 08541, USA.

Application Deadlines

Admission to the program is in two annual cycles. Visitors may be accommodated for up to one academic year; extensions beyond one year are granted only with the explicit support of the faculty sponsor.

Deadlines for application are as follows:

• September 15, 2012 for applicants wishing to commence research beginning in February 2013
• April 15, 2013  for applicants wishing to commence research beginning in September 2013.

September application decisions will be made by early November. April application decisions will be reached by early June.

Normally, applications for stays of less than one semester will not be considered. If you are interested in gaining access to the Harvard Law School libraries for shorter periods, please contact: Library Access, Harvard Law School, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.