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M.A. Courses at Harvard University
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Last updated on 9 Jun '26Harvard University M.A.What's new?
Indian students would have to apply through the Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Services for MA courses. The MA admission deadline for the same is Dec 1 or Dec 15, 2026 for Fall 2027.
Harvard University MA Highlights 2026
Ranked at #1 (USA) by Shiksha Popularity Rankings, the MA Courses at Harvard University are offered In areas like History of Science, Liberal Arts in International Relations, Medical Anthropology, Creative Writing and Theological Studies. The Harvard MA courses can last anywhere from 12 months to 3 years.
Did you know that Harvard University allows Indian students to cross register for courses at its other graduate schools (this means that students can choose electives at Harvard Law School, Harvard Business School and more)?
To have a UG degree is the most common requirement to apply for Harvard University MA courses along with a near perfect GPA. Along with that, the applicants also need the English language proficiency and an extraordinary spike in on area.
Indian students choose the MA courses at Harvard University for its top tier reputation, its prime location in Boston City and the availability of a lot of academic programs. Strong career prospects open after completion of these courses.
Commonly asked questions On Highlights
The Master of Liberal Arts, Journalism degree program is primarily an online course but students who enroll in this course must attend either a weekend or a three-week summer course at Harvard University.
Some of the benefits of this course are -
Thorough curriculum
Access career advising and other services through Harvard's Mignone Center for Career Success
Entrepreneurial opportunities through the Harvard Innovation Labs
Paid research opportunities
In-depth capstone project
Students can become a member of the worldwide Harvard Alumni Association (400,000+ members) and Harvard Extension Alumni Association (29,000+ members)
Yes, Harvard University offers 1 year masters for Indian students and similar PG courses for which Indian students can apply. The duration of Harvard MA courses is 12 months to 3 years.
Look at a 1-year MA at Harvard -
- Master of Arts in History of Science
- Master of Arts in Medical Anthropology
- Master of Regional and Public Life Degree
No, this financial aid is exclusively for Harvard UG courses and not for the MA courses here. Some specific courses may still offer partial fellowships, stipends or teaching assistantships based on department budget and merit.
Indian students going for Harvard MA should look for loan options, self-funding and savings.
Harvard University M.A.Popular courses
1
Harvard University M.A.Harvard University MA Tuition Fees 2026
The Harvard University tuition is USD 59,058 (INR 56.2L) for GSAS MA courses. It is the standard fee. The factors such as student council fee, health services fee, housing, food & meals, health insurance are not included in this fee.
The Harvard GSAS application fee is INR 105 (INR 10.0K) which can be waived off if it creates a financial hardship.
Look at the table given below to understand the full Harvard University MA Courses fee breakdown –
|
Fee components |
Amount |
|---|---|
|
Master of Arts in History of Science |
INR 55 L |
|
Master of Arts in Medical Anthropology |
INR 73 L |
|
Master of Liberal Arts in Creative Writing & Literature |
INR 23 L |
|
Master of Liberal Arts program in History |
INR 19 L |
| Fee components | Amount (for 12 months - 3 years) |
|---|---|
INR 18.49 L - 71.45 L | |
INR 9.53 L - 24.05 L | |
INR 3.79 L - 3.91 L | |
INR 74.4 K - 2.47 L | |
INR 9.3 K - 9.56 L | |
INR 32.66 L - 1.11 Cr |
These are estimated fees information. Actual values may differ.
Commonly asked questions On M.A. Fees
Yes, the MA tuition from Harvard generally justifies the career opportunities it offers. This happens only when an Indian student leverages the degree, connections and high-growth sectors well.
Look at the pointers given below -
- The students have to pay anywhere between INR 18.49 L and 71.45 L as the MA tuition.
- The Arts and Humanities courses offer less ROI in comparison to Harvard Business, Tech and Public Health. This is universal.
Yes, low-income students can go for Harvard University MA courses offered at the Harvard Kenneth C. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS).
It is not easy to go for the MA courses as full funding is not received, as it offers need-based scholarships.
Harvard University MA Application Process 2026
Indian students can apply to Harvard University for its MA Courses via the official portal of the university.
Look at the detailed process given below for the Harvard University application process for MA Courses –
- Firstly, Indian students need to choose the MA course they want to pursue and check its eligibility.
- Now, international students should start the application via the Harvard Graduate Admissions Portal.
- The application can be completed via this portal after uploading all the docs.
- Now, pay the Harvard application fee of USD 105 (INR 10.0K).
- The applicant should enroll by paying a deposit. This will be used for applying for the F1 student visa to the USA.
(Conversion Rate USD 1 = INR 95.26)
Harvard University vs MIT vs Stanford University
If an Indian student is confused with the choice of MA Courses offered by any three of the universities given below.
As per the table Stanford University and Harvard University are both highly selective with an acceptance rate of around 4%. Harvard’s MA courses are undeniably the best by Shiksha Popularity rankings and also its MA courses are cheaper than the other two.
So, if you have a choice, you should go with Harvard admissions only.
Look at the table of comparison among these universities given below -
|
Particulars for MA courses |
Harvard University |
MIT |
Stanford University |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Shiksha Popularity Rankings |
#1 |
#16 |
#3 |
|
Tuition Fees (MA Courses) |
INR 19.01 L - 73.46 L |
INR 57.36 L - 80.07 L |
INR 28.53 L - 78.2 L |
|
Acceptance Rate (General) |
3.63% |
4.52% |
3.61% |
Compare M.A. at Harvard University with other similar colleges
| College | 1st Year Tuition Fees | Ranking |
|---|---|---|
| INR 18.79 L - 72.59 L | #5 QS, 2027 | |
| INR 17.35 L - 44.07 L | #22 QS, 2027 | |
| INR 0 - 2.74 L | #98 QS, 2027 | |
| INR 16.85 L - 35.94 L | #32 QS, 2027 | |
| INR 3.49 L - 5.67 L | #370 QS, 2027 | |
| INR 21.09 L - 44.67 L | #385 QS, 2027 |
Compare
Harvard University MA Admission Dates 2026
For MA courses at Harvard University, there is primarily a single intake which is the Fall intake. This one starts in August or September.
It should be noted that there are no rolling admissions or the Spring intakes for Harvard MA courses. For the year 2026-27, the Harvard University application deadlines are closed.
Look at the table given below for the tentative admission deadlines for Harvard MA semester start -
|
Application |
Application Opens |
Deadline Closes |
|---|---|---|
|
Fall 2027 |
Dec 2026 |
Jan 2027 |
Harvard University MA Entry Requirements 2026
Indian students have to meet the Harvard University entry requirements to pursue MA courses here. This typically includes having a recognized UG degree with a strong GPA (often more than 3.5+) and other important documents. Look at the entry requirements below -
- A recognized UG degree
- English proficiency test like TOEFL, IELTS or PTE
- A personal statement
- Writing sample
- Cost of attendance
- GMAT or GRE
- Visa and I-20 requirements
- An application made via the official university portal
- 3 Letters of recommendation
Harvard University MA Selection Criteria
Harvard is competitive with an acceptance rate of only 3.63%. To be selected at Harvard University MA courses, it is important to know about the selection criteria.
Indian students are required to be extraordinary and should be able to show submit a well balanced application with excellent academics, great extracurricular and spike.
These MA Courses require international students to have –
- A 4 year UG degree
- A minimum GPA of 3.0 on a 0 scale
- Minimum scores in English proficiency tests like IELTS (7.0+), TOEFL (100+)
- 2 to 3 LORs
- GRE Scoresheet
- An awesome SOP
Commonly asked questions On Admissions
The real competition at Harvard University is much higher than the bare-minimum baseline of around 3.5 GPA on a 4.0 scale. The competition is cut-throat and fierce due to the given reasons -
- The application pool is flooded with top-tier IIT/NIT/DU grads and published researchers (a 3.5 GPA is not enough)
- For MA courses, an extraordinary ability to conduct thorough research is required
- An outstanding mix of well-defined SOPs and glowing LORs are important for Harvard MA.
Yes, Indian students can switch fields between UG and PG courses for example, if you have a BA in Economics, you can switch to MA Public Policy or Media at Harvard.
Given below are the guidelines for a successful switch -
- Mastery of foundational skills required for the programme (this switch from BA Economics to MA in Public Policy would require a strong Quant background and Economics)
- A well-defined SOP
- Coursework where relevant electives, projects and professional experience are shown
Harvard University MA Rankings 2026
The Harvard University MA Courses are ranked #1 as per the Shiksha Popularity rankings. These MA Courses are also ranked by some of the most popular ranking bodies of the world like Times Higher Education, ARWU (Shanghai Rankings) and QS World.
As per THE 2026, the Harvard courses (Arts & Humanities) are ranked at #5 which is constant from its previous year ranking.
QS World 2026 for Sociology, the Harvard University rankings are #1 which is constant for last 3 years.
Given below is the table with the detailed Harvard University MS rankings -
|
Ranked by |
2024 |
2025 |
2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
|
QS - Politics |
1 |
1 |
1 |
|
QS - Sociology |
1 |
1 |
1 |
|
QS - Communication and Media Studies |
6 |
2 |
3 |
|
THE (Times Higher Education) - Arts and Humanities |
5 |
5 |
5 |
|
QS - Art and Design |
– / – |
– / – |
35 |
|
ARWU (Shanghai Ranking) - Political Sciences |
1 |
1 |
– / – |
|
ARWU (Shanghai Ranking) - Sociology |
1 |
1 |
– / – |
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Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered 4 days ago
Brown University is comparatively easier to get into due to Harvard University's acceptance rate is even lower than that of Brown University. The acceptance rate of Brown University is 5% while the acceptance rate of Harvard University is only 3% making the admissions very selective for students.
K
Contributor-Level 8
Answered 3 days ago
There can not be an absolute answer to this question, as both of these institutions cater to different career goals and aspirations. ICL is superior for its STEM and Business courses and Harvard has an unmatched expertise for Law and Medicine.
Both of these universities are top tier institutions. Ha
M
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 4 days ago
In pure numbers, the Harvard University admissions are way more competitive than the University of Cambridge.
At Harvard, the acceptance rate remains around 3% to 4% every year because of a large pool of highly qualified candidates. On the contrary, the Cambridge acceptance rate stands around 21% ea
P
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
Yes, MBBS in Harvard is a dual degree programme which leads to an MD. So MBBS is technically MD at Harvard.
J
Contributor-Level 6
Answered a week ago
Unofficially, yes, McGill University, located in Montreal is widely known as the "Harvard of Canada".
It is the country's best institution of higher learning as evidenced by its QS 2027 rankings, where it ranks #1 in Canada and #30 in the world. Look at the pointers given below -
- McGill University adm
M
Contributor-Level 10
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