You’ve applied to a Harvard Kennedy School master’s

degree program. Now what?

If you’ve applied for admission to HKS this application

cycle, you’re probably curious about what’s happening now “behind the scenes.”

Application Processing & First Round Reviews

Now that the application deadline has passed, our team is

now focused on application processing and the first round of application review. During this stage, a

staff member will review your application to confirm that all required

materials have been received and are complete.

Until a staff member reviews your application, you may see a

red X next to “All documents have been checked and verified” on your

application status checklist – don’t panic. It will take several weeks

for our team to get through all files.

We certainly understand that you will be anxiously awaiting an update from our

office about the status of your application; however, we ask that you please

refrain from emailing us regarding the status of your application. A staff

member will be in touch with you if there is any additional information needed

from you to complete your admission file.

Application for Financial Assistance

While we are focused on application processing and review, we encourage you to

focus your attention on the application

for financial assistance, which is due on Friday, January 6, 2023 at 3 p.m.

Eastern Time.  To access the financial aid application, you should visit your application

status portal and select the Financial Aid tab. 

There are very few opportunities to apply for

fellowship or scholarship funding after you are enrolled at HKS, so it’s

important to apply for financial assistance now (yes, before learning

whether you’ve been admitted). We encourage all applicants to apply for

assistance regardless of financial need—most of our fellowships and

scholarships are primarily merit-based awards.

Over the coming weeks, we’ll be sharing more information on

the blog about the financial aid application process.