Apply for Financial Aid
Financial Aid opportunities vary according to degree program and financial need.
- We strongly encourage all Master of Divinity and Master of Theological Studies applicants who are U.S. citizens and/or permanent residents to complete the HDS Application for Financial Aid and Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to be considered for need-based aid. International applicants applying to the MDiv or MTS program only need to submit the HDS Application for Financial Aid to be considered for need-based aid. Although MTS and MDiv applicants are not required to submit the FAFSA to be considered for merit-based, institutional grants, you must do so to be considered for need-based, institutional grants.
- Master of Religion and Public Life and Master of Theology applicants who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents may submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to be considered for federal student aid (loans and Federal Work-study).
It is Harvard Divinity School policy that students currently in default on a previous Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP), Direct Federal Stafford or Graduate Plus Loan or Perkins Loan are ineligible to receive institutional or federal financial aid.
Find your program in the dropdown menu for more specific information and what to expect when considering your application.
The deadline for fall 2026 has passed.
The HDS Application for Financial Aid for fall 2027 will be available in mid-January.
How to Apply for Financial Aid by Degree Program
We strongly encourage all Master of Divinity and Master of Theological Studies applicants who are U.S. citizens and/or permanent residents to complete:
- Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
- HDS Application for Financial Aid
We strongly encourage all international students applying to the MDiv of MTS programs to compelte:
- HDS Application for Financial Aid
All MDiv and MTS applicants who have applied for admission will receive an email from the HDS Office of Financial Aid by mid-January with instructions on how to complete the financial aid process. On occasion, emails have been known to go to junk or spam folders, so please check to ensure that you haven’t missed any HDS notifications to begin your HDS Application for Financial Aid. If you have not received an email with login instructions by the end of January contact the Office of Financial Aid.
Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
The FAFSA application typically opens in October. Please be sure to use the HDS School Code of E00210. If you use the general Harvard University code, your FAFSA will not reach us. Explore helpful tips for completing your Free Application for Federal Student Aid.
HDS Application for Financial Aid
Please consult your email notification from the HDS Office of Financial Aid for instructions on logging in to the HDS Application for Financial Aid.
Applicants to the MDiv and MTS programs are not required to apply for financial aid to be considered for merit-based institutional grants, but they must apply to be considered for need-based grants. Therefore, we strongly encourage all MDiv and MTS applicants to apply. If an applicant does not receive merit funding and did not apply for need-based institutional aid by the deadline, they will Not be considered for need-based aid. Late applications will not be accepted.
Admitted applicants will receive either merit-based institutional grants or need-based institutional grants. They will not be awarded from both pools of funding.
Institutional financial aid is not available for the MRPL program.
U.S. citizens or permanent residents are eligible for federal aid only. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), typically opens in October. Please be sure to use the HDS School Code of E00210. If you use the general Harvard University code, your FAFSA will not reach us. Explore helpful tips for completing your Free Application for Federal Student Aid.
Once you have submitted the FAFSA and have been admitted into the program you can contact the Office of Financial Aid to start the process for requesting loans and/or federal work-study if you are eligible.
International MRPL students are not eligible for HDS institutional grant support or federal aid.
Individuals applying to the ThM program who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents are eligible for federal aid only.
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) typically opens in October. You will need your 2025 tax information to complete the FAFSA. Please be sure to use the HDS School Code of E00210. If you use the general Harvard University code, your FAFSA will not reach us. Explore helpful tips for completing your Free Application for Federal Student Aid.
Once you have submitted the FAFSA and have been admitted into the program, you can contact the Office of Financial Aid to start the process for requesting loans and/or federal work-study if you are eligible.
International ThM students are not eligible for HDS institutional grant support or federal aid.
Continuing MDiv and MTS students will receive re-application instructions late February or early March. If you are re-applying for HDS institutional aid, the Office of Financial Aid must receive the required financial aid documents by the appropriate deadlines. Failure to meet the deadlines may diminish your opportunity to receive institutional funding.
Helpful Hints for Completing the FAFSA:
- If you have not done so already, you will need to create an FSA ID to submit a FAFSA. If you are married, your spouse will need to create their own FSA ID. You will need a social security number and an email address to create the FSA ID. THE FSA ID takes 1-3 business days to process so please request the ID ASAP.
- All applicants eligible to submit a FAFSA must agree to using the IRS data retrieval tool.
- If you are married, your spouse will also be required to agree to use the IRS data retrieval tool. Your spouse’s tax information is required if you are married at the time you fill out the 2027-28 FAFSA but were not married during the 2025 tax year. You will also need to include your spouse’s assets on the FAFSA.
- When filling out the FAFSA please pay special attention to the questions regarding degree program and year in the program. Please make sure that you are selecting graduate program and that your year in the program is at least a first-year graduate.
- Graduate students are considered independent for financial aid purposes. Therefore, you do not need to provide your parents financial information on the form.
- It takes a few business days for the FAFSA to process. We will not be able to begin loading FAFSA’s into our system until the end of January.