Residential Life, Housing,
and Student Activities
Academic Year 2020-21 Planning
Within the Dean of Students Office, we make a commitment to you that we will do everything we can to help you thrive and succeed during this moment – personally, socially, and academically.
In order to ensure that students are housed safely, the Housing Office, House Administrators and First-Year Experience staff will assign all students to suites directly. In order to meet public health guidance, you may need to live in a different location than the buildings traditionally associated with your residential affiliation.
If you are not eligible to return to campus, we will automatically cancel your housing for the spring semester. All housing cancellation fees for the Spring 2021 term will be waived.
You do not need to complete a Housing Cancellation Form unless you change your mind about returning after you have submitted the Housing Intention Form. Please note that even if you don’t want housing, you still need to complete the Spring Term Confirmation Form.
The College will not be offering on-campus storage or storage subsidies. If the need arises to again de-densify campus, you will be responsible for your own shipping or storage. We advise you not to bring additional furniture beyond what is supplied by the College.
In order to manage the number of students moving into a building at the same time and adhere to public health guidelines, we will schedule individual student move-in times across an eight-day period. Because you will be assigned a specific date and time for move-in, we do not recommend making travel plans until you have received your move-in appointment time. If you cannot move in during your assigned time slot, you can follow the process to request a new timeslot. Additional information about how to request a new timeslot will be included with the move-in logistics e-mail. Please note that move-in dates may be subject to change based on evolving public health guidance.
You may bring one additional person to help you move in. They must adhere to the same face-covering and social distancing requirements as students.
Harvard College is committed to the academic progression of our students, which we must pursue while protecting the health and safety of our community. Guided by this commitment, all course instruction for the 2020-21 academic year will be delivered online.
Read the Harvard College Spring 2021 Plan to learn about students who will be given housing priority.
Students currently approved for winter recess housing are expected to follow the same instructions to confirm their plans for the Spring 2021 term.
All students are required to fill out the Spring Term Confirmation Form by Monday, December 14, 2020, and those invited to return are required to complete the Housing Intention Form no later than Monday, January 4, 2021.
If you are considering a return to campus for the of Spring 2021, please read the Residential Community Compact carefully and be sure you understand it completely.
Harvard College is committed to ensuring a secure and supportive learning environment for all students. All Harvard College students, including students who aren’t returning, and those who are planning to learn remotely, are required to submit the Spring term confirmation form. Students currently living on campus who have learning environment needs for the spring term will be eligible to return, however, these students should also complete the Spring Term Confirmation Form in my.Harvard.
The College Committee will review Spring Term requests for housing and release their decisions by Monday, December 21, 2020. If you are part of the cohort or the review committee invites you to return to campus, you must complete the Housing Intention Form by Monday, January 4, 2021. You must complete this form even if you choose to reject the invitation to return to campus.
The College created a community compact that provides guidance to help all who live on campus maintain a safe and healthy environment. All students invited to live on campus will be required to sign the compact when they complete the Housing Intention Form. Both the Residential Community Compact and the Housing Intention Form must be submitted by Monday, January 4, 2021.
Student organizations are encouraged to host virtual events! Please reach out to our student organization team with any questions about what activities are permitted or if you need help planning a virtual event.
Student organizations will be held to active Harvard travel policies for all of their activities. Currently, under those guidelines, all University-related international and domestic travel is prohibited until further notice.