Graduate Schools Announce Tuition

Harvard's graduate and professional Schools have announced tuition rate increases for the 1996-97 academic year ranging from 4 percent to 6 percent. The Schools described increasing upward pressure on costs for items such as salaries, financial aid, information technology, and library resources as the primary reasons for tuition increases. Several also cited new initiatives.

At the Divinity School, for example, the increases are driven by hikes in the types of costs involved in supporting higher education, many of which rise at a rate higher than inflation, such as salaries, health care benefits, information technology, library books, and publications.

The Graduate School of Education cited its need to invest in technology and greater subscription and book costs for the library as the main reasons for its increase.

The Medical School and School of Dental Medicine's increase will provide financial resources for new educational initiatives, such as the new primary care clerkship currently being developed.

And the Kennedy School of Government, in addition to inflationary cost increases, cited the addition to the faculty of a large number of new tenured professors, including several world-renowned scholars, and the need to make substantial improvements in the area of information technology, including the replacement of all of the computers in the student computer lab, and the provision of remote access to the School's computer network for students, faculty, and staff.

But the Schools, while acknowledging inflationary pressures, expressed concerns about not asking students to shoulder more of the burden than is necessary. Like the Graduate School of Design, the Kennedy School noted that it has tried to keep tuition increases as low as possible, while at the same time increasing the availability of financial aid. Since 1991, financial aid spending at KSG has risen 50 percent faster than tuition income. For 1996-97, KSG is budgeting a 17 percent increase in financial aid spending.

The Law School's tuition increase of 5.85 percent will be the lowest percentage increase since 1973-74, and the School of Public Health's 5.1 percent increase will be the lowest increase in the last five years. The Graduate School of Design has been holding the line by limiting yearly increases at 5 percent since 1992.

Graduate School of Arts and Sciences

The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS) has a graduated tuition scale. Students typically pay full tuition for the first two years, reduced tuition for the subsequent two years, and a facilities fee for any years in residence thereafter. There is an active-file fee option for nonresident students only.

All resident students are required to pay a University Health Services student health fee for outpatient care. In addition, students must maintain individual medical insurance coverage, which the University offers through Blue Cross/Blue Shield.

Full tuition for the 1996-97 academic year is $19,770, a 4.95 percent increase over the 1995-96 rate of $18,838. The GSAS full tuition rate equals the rate set for the College. For next year, the reduced tuition is $5,150, the facilities fee is $1,304, and the active-file fee is $275. The University Health Services fee is $654, and the medical insurance coverage is $566.

Divinity School

Tuition for the master's programs will be $12,830 for 1996-97. For the doctoral program, the tuition will be $19,770 -- the same tuition as that set by GSAS, because of the close ties between the FAS and Divinity doctoral programs in religion. Both rates represent an increase of 4.99 percent.

Graduate School of Design

Tuition will be $20,240 for 1996-97, up 5 percent from the 1995-96 tuition figure of $19,276.

Graduate School of Education

Tuition at the GSE will be $18,460 for the 1996-97 academic year, a rise of 5 percent over the 1995-96 tuition of $17,581.

Kennedy School of Government

The Kennedy School's tuition rate for 1996-97 will be $19,770, a 6 percent increase over the 1995-96 rate of $18,650. The tuition for next year will be equal to the tuition charged by the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.

Law School

Tuition for 1996-97 will be $21,700 -- an increase of 5.85

percent -- the lowest percentage increase since 1973-74.

Medical School/Dental School

The Medical School and the School of Dental Medicine tuition for 1996-97 will be $24,150. The 4 percent increase will cover existing expenses, and include 1 percent to provide financial resources for new educational initiatives, such as the new primary care clerkship currently being developed.

School of Public Health

The tuition rate for the School of Public Health will be $19,800, an increase of 5.1 percent over the 1995-96 rate of $18,840. The new figure is the lowest rate increase in the last five years.

This report was compiled from information provided by representatives of Harvard's graduate and professional Schools.