MBA applicants to the Class of 2024 at Harvard Business School can request a need-based waiver of the $250 application fee. HBS first piloted this option in the 2020-2021 admissions season and were pleased with the support. As a result, HBS plans to keep it as a part of ongoing efforts to help remove barriers to applying and improve accessibility to graduate education from different walks of life.
Chad Losee, Managing Director of Admissions & Financial Aid, told Clear Admit, “If you think of access to education in the U.S. for instance, we know there are inequalities that exist based on all sorts of different dimensions. Graduate school is increasingly seen as needed to get a new job, but we know there are different barriers that groups face. We’re acutely aware of that in admissions, and offer need-based support to open the doors to HBS widely to people from all different backgrounds.”
The need-based application fee waiver form is available in an open application. Then, approval is communicated via email. Applicants do not need to complete a full application before receiving the fee waiver. If a fee waiver is not approved, applicants will have 48 hours or up to the application deadline date, if it has not passed, to be considered in that round. The application fee waiver form requests 2020 income information, financial circumstances and reasons for filling out the waiver. Applicants may explain educational debt, family obligations and any extenuating circumstances that warrant a fee waiver. This information is not shared with the MBA Admissions Board, as admission to HBS is financially need-blind.
HBS allocates $40M to $45M to financial aid annually and accepted candidates can apply separately for financial aid.
See the full announcement here.
