Are there scholarships at Harvard University for international students?

I'm an international student considering applying to Harvard University, but I'm concerned about the cost. Are there scholarships available specifically for international students, and if so, what are the requirements to apply for them?

Yes, Harvard University offers financial aid for international students. Under Harvard's need-blind admissions policy, the university accepts students based on their academic merit, without consideration of their ability to pay. Upon acceptance, Harvard commits to meeting the full demonstrated need of every student, including international students. This aid comes in the form of grants and scholarships that do not need to be repaid.

The requirement to apply for them is to demonstrate financial need. You apply for aid by submitting a CSS Profile and tax documents to the College Board's Institutional Document Service. Harvard's financial aid program is need-based, which means qualifying for aid depends on your economic circumstance rather than academic or extracurricular achievements.

In calculating your family's contribution, Harvard will consider factors such as income, assets, family size, siblings' education expenses, and cost of living in your home country. If your family earns less than $65,000 a year, you might even qualify for Harvard's Zero Parent Contribution program, where you won't be expected to contribute to the cost of attendance.

Keep in mind that all financial aid awards are reevaluated each year, so you're expected to reapply for financial aid each academic year.

Note that Harvard does not offer academic or sports scholarships, and the vast majority of scholarships that they provide are institutional scholarships based on financial need. So while there might not be scholarships explicitly designated for international students, the financial aid office will meet any demonstrated need, regardless of nationality.