Navigating the Application (FAQ)

That depends on which program you are interested in!  We receive many successful applications to our professional degree programs from undergraduates who will graduate in the spring. Be sure to read the departmental pages for each program to learn about eligibility. Some programs require or prefer professional experience, and some programs require previous professional degrees. All of our programs require an undergraduate degree.

Yes! Our professional degrees (MArch I, MLA I, MUP) do not require a previous design background, although a four-year Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree or equivalent is required to apply. Each year we also welcome students from other related disciplines to our Real Estate, Design Engineering, and Design Studies degree programs.

You are welcome to apply to the GSD if you are currently enrolled in a graduate program at another school, but the GSD does not accept transfer credit from other institutions. You will need to apply during our regular application process. If admitted, it may be possible to waive a required course if you have completed the equivalent course at another institution. This would not shorten the length of your program, but it may allow you to take an elective instead of the required course.

If you are currently enrolled in a graduate program you don’t intend to complete if admitted to the GSD, please include a brief memo describing your intentions in the Education tab of the application to better help the committee understand your academic interests.

You may apply a maximum of three times to the same GSD degree program. If you are denied admission for the third time, further applications to the same program will not be considered.

Yes, you can apply to a maximum of three programs during one application cycle. We strongly encourage you to think carefully about your interests prior to applying to more than two programs.

Applicants applying to more than one program must submit a separate application and supporting materials for each program. A separate application fee is also required for each application.

Applicants applying to more than one program who are interested in pursuing a concurrent degree at the GSD will go through the same process, submitting separate applications for each program, and should indicate within the application their interest in a concurrent degree. Each application is reviewed separately by the respective departmental committees.

Master in Urban Planning (MUP) students are eligible to pursue joint degrees with Harvard Law School and the Harvard Kennedy School. You must apply separately to both schools in which you are interested.

Official copies of transcripts for all schools from which you have received credit should be uploaded in the Education tab of the application. Screenshots or downloads from course websites or student self-service sites are not acceptable. 

Transcripts must be in English or accompanied by a certified English translation and should include the following datapoints:

• Applicant name
• School name
• Degree title
• Major
• Degree date (if awarded)
• Semester-by-semester course breakdown with grades
• GPA (if applicable)

Applicants should enter the GPA exactly as it appears on their transcript. If your school does not issue a GPA, you should leave this field blank.

Applicants should enter their GPA exactly as it appears on their transcript. International GPAs should not be converted to the American GPA scale. You will be asked to provide the scale that your school uses.

Yes, you should upload transcripts for certificate or non-degree programs into the Education tab and enter the level of study as non-degree.

Some official digital transcripts are encrypted for security purposes, meaning that you may not be able to upload them directly to the application. To bypass the encryption, open the document in Adobe or any PDF reader. Then select the “print to PDF” or “Microsoft print to PDF” option to save a new copy. Then upload this new copy into the application. Usually, decrypted digital transcripts will reveal a water-mark that says “unofficial” or “copy.” This is not an issue for the purposes of the application.

If you are currently enrolled in school and are hoping to include your fall grades in your application, we recommend contacting your registrar’s office to see if those grades will be added to your transcript before the application deadline. If your fall grades won’t be included before the application deadline, you should request the most updated version and upload those into the application. We have many successful applicants each year who are not able to submit fall semester grades at the time of application. It is not possible to update your transcripts to include fall semester grades after you submit your application.

Transcripts not in English will need to be translated by an official translation service. We do not recommend a specific translation company. Both the original and translated versions should be uploaded into the application.  Applicants who have completed or will complete a degree at an international school do not need to submit a WES evaluation at the time of application, though it will be required later if you are admitted.

A WES evaluation is not required when applying, though you are welcome to submit a WES evaluation if you have one available. If admitted, students who have attended schools outside the U.S. or Canada will be required to submit a course-by-course WES iCap evaluation at their expense.

As soon as possible! Transcripts must be uploaded into the application by the application deadline. Even if you are still in school, you should be thinking about your transcripts now. Schools receive a high volume of transcript requests in December due to application deadlines across the world. In addition, many colleges close for winter holidays, especially in the United States, so it is a good idea to reach out before then.

Impactful recommendation letters usually come from those familiar with you and your work who can speak to your academic potential at the GSD. As a first step, we recommend reaching out to prior college or university professors. It can be helpful to share a copy of your resume and personal statement with them, or even a prior project you worked on in their class to jog their memory. Consider scheduling a conversation to discuss the program(s) you are applying to, your motivations, and any specific aspects you would like them to address in their letter, such as a project in your portfolio or on other studio projects or coursework they are directly familiar with.

 If you have been out of school for several years, you may request letters from employers or other persons in a position to evaluate your professional abilities and academic potential. It is important that professional letters address any transferrable skills that will help you succeed in a rigorous academic environment.

We still encourage you to reach out to past professors – you might be surprised that they remember you! In that case, it can be helpful to remind them who you are, when you took their classes, and to include some of your previous work in an email to jog their memory.

Yes, you should submit your application by the deadline even if we haven’t received all letters of recommendation. Recommendation letters can still be received after you submit. You can monitor the status of your letters through the Application Status Page. You can also send your recommenders reminders from this page.

All application materials, including recommendation letters, are due by the application deadline for your program. Letters received more than five days after the deadline may not be reviewed by the admissions committee. If you are submitting only three letters of recommendation and you cannot reach one of those recommenders, you may want to consider adding an additional recommender to your application as a backup. Please keep in mind that applicants can submit up to five letters of recommendation.

This depends! Recommendation letters can be shared across multiple applications, but it is important that you discuss this with your recommender ahead of time so that they can account for that when writing your letter.

To share recommendation letters across applications, go to the Recommendations tab in the application. You can import your letters from other applications by clicking “Add New” and then selecting the letter you would like to import. Note that your recommender must already have submitted their letter to at least one program for it to appear in the import list.

If you are concerned that your recommender may not submit their letter in time for you to import, we recommend entering their information separately into each application. They will then need to upload a letter for each application program.

In that case, the letter will need to be translated by an official and certified service. As the applicant, you can choose and pay for the translation service, but the recommender must send the letter to the translation service themselves and upload the original and translation from their email address so that you do not see the letter. There is a required questionnaire in English that they will be prompted to submit alongside their letter. They may need to seek assistance from a translator for this section as well.

Please have your recommender check their spam and junk folders. The email will be sent by [email protected]. It is also possible that there is a typo in the email address you entered in the application. If they still can’t find our message, please send us an email with the subject line “URGENT: Recommender Issue” that includes your application reference number and your recommender’s name. We will resend the link manually.

If you have not yet submitted the application, please “exclude” your recommender and re-add them with the updated contact information from the Recommendations tab in the application. Excluded recommendations will not be reviewed.

If you have already submitted your application, login to your application status page . In the right-hand sidebar, you will find a link to “send a reminder” to your recommender. From this page, you will be able to exclude your recommender and re-add them to update their contact information.

The old upload link will expire and a new link will be sent to your recommender. Please be sure they are aware that they should use the newest version of the link. If your recommender already submitted their letter, they will need to resubmit their letter using the new link.

If your recommender is receiving an error message, please ask them to clear their cookies and cache, restart their browser, and try again. It may be necessary for them to restart their computer after clearing the cookies and cache. Trying a different browser should also resolve the issue.

Please have your recommender contact us at [email protected] with the word “URGENT” in the subject line.

Design Discovery evaluations should be uploaded in the designated section in the application. While committees very much like to see those evaluations, they do not count as one of your three recommendation letters. Applicants should have three recommendation letters in addition to their Design Discovery evaluation.

Letters submitted via personal email addresses may face additional scrutiny during review. We strongly prefer that you use your recommender’s current institutional email address as this helps us confirm the legitimacy of their letter. If that is not possible, a personal address can be used. We ask that all recommenders submit their letter on institutional letterhead, and this is even more important if your recommender is using an unofficial email address to upload their letter.

If your recommender’s organization restricts the receipt of emails from external sources, they likely need to add [email protected] to their safe senders list. If they aren’t sure how to do so, they should reach out to their local IT department.

Recommenders will receive instructions via email soon after you register their information in the application. Your recommenders must use the secure link to upload their letter. We do not accept letters over email or by mail.

If you applied within the last two years, you may import recommendations from a previously submitted graduate application to the GSD. For your application to be as strong as possible, we encourage you to seek updated letters if your previous letters were submitted more than two years ago.

Essay prompts and requirements are only available in the application itself and may vary significantly by program. Essay requirements are subject to revision on an annual basis so may be different each year.

 While we understand submitting an essay that is only a few words over the maximum word count, you should aim to stay within the word limit requested for each specific prompt. Being able to articulate complex ideas within the set word limit is part of the evaluation process.

Some applicants do include pictures or other visual work in their essays to supplement the written text, but this is not required and should be done sparingly and only with proper citations.

You can think of the essays as your written, verbal introduction to the admissions committee. This is your opportunity to show the committee who you are and how you think about the discipline to which you are applying. It also serves as a writing sample.  

There is no one right way of writing your essay. It is important that you use your own voice. Make sure that you are shown through the essay, not who you think the committee wants to see. 

We recommend that you go through a series of drafts, edit and revise, and ask others for feedback. You can ask your mentor, a colleague, a friend, or a family member for advice on the essay.  

For programs that ask for a personal statement, don’t just repeat what’s on your resume— try to add additional dimension and context to your experiences. Think of it as an opportunity for you to share the significance of your accomplishments and how those relate to your goals for the program, which cannot be demonstrated through the summarized data points in other areas of your application like your resume.

Portfolios are required for all degree programs except the Master in Urban Planning (optional portfolio) and Master in Real Estate (portfolio not required or accepted).

Portfolios must be uploaded as a single PDF and include your most important and representative visual arts, design, research, and/or professional work. Projects should include a description as well as any supporting documentation. All work must indicate the date of the project and whether the project was academic, office-related, or personal. In the case of collaborative work, the contribution by the applicant must be described precisely. If any part of an image or process is not your own work, the source must be cited. Embedded links are deactivated when you upload your portfolio, so we do not recommend including them as there is no guarantee they will be reviewed.

• File type: upload a single, combined PDF into the portfolio section of the application.
• Max file size: 40 MB
• Max page limit: 30 single PDF pages, excluding the cover page and table of contents.
• Max resolution: 150dpi for all images or entire PDF. RGB is the recommended format for color management on computer monitors. When importing line drawings into PDF format, please check that line weights are properly reproduced or adjusted.
• Recommended page size: 12″ x 18″ (A3). We recommend converting spreads into single pages because it is unlikely that the committee will view the portfolio as spreads. If you wish certain pieces of content to be viewed at the same time, we suggest putting that content on the same page, which would count as one page.

 We do not have any sample portfolios; a wide variety of design work and portfolio styles are submitted, and there is not one type of correct or successful portfolio.

No. We do not accept website portfolios.

Portfolios should be no more than 30 PDF pages. The 30-page limit refers to individual pages in your PDF file. Title and cover pages do not count towards the limit. Note that 30 pages is a maximum and not a minimum. It is fine if your portfolio is fewer than 30 pages.

The faculty will be reviewing portfolios on their laptop screens and are unlikely to review portfolios in spreads as the finer details may be more difficult to review or even illegible. If you wish to present content side-by-side, we suggest putting that content on the same 12×18 page, which would count as one page.

See below for an example of a potential page layout, noting that portfolio layouts may differ across applications.

The GSD does not offer portfolio reviews to applicants. We encourage applicants to seek feedback from mentors, colleagues, or your undergraduate career services office.

First, check the file type to make sure it is a PDF. Then, try uploading it to the Portfolio (video) tab of the application instead of the Portfolio (pdf) tab. Portfolios that exceed 32mb must be uploaded into the Portfolio (video) section of the application.

It is ultimately your decision to include additional group projects if you think that they will best demonstrate your abilities and potential. The admissions committee strongly prefers to see a majority of individual projects rather than collaborative work, and if possible, not more than one group project and not more than one office project. Should such group work be presented (either academic or professional collaborations), candidates should clearly identify their roles in the project.

The GSD welcomes applications to our professional programs from those without a traditional design background. Through your portfolio, it is important that you demonstrate your creative aptitude for design and the ability to think in two and three dimensions. Many non-background applicants include fine arts or other creative visual work in their portfolio, such as sketches, ceramics, painting, photography, graphic design, etc.

MDes applicants come from a variety of backgrounds and show a spectrum of work in their portfolios. Successful applicants have included relevant design work, academic research projects, data analysis, and other professional and academic projects.

MDes portfolios should specifically reference methods, media, and models (physical and intellectual, digital and analog, historic and contemporary, built and proposed) that demonstrate spatial fluency and intellectual depth in contemporary research questions and critical areas of inquiry.

Our advice is that if you have a portfolio, include it in your application. If you don’t, there is no need to create one. We admit many students to the MUP program each year who do not include a portfolio in their application.

Applicants have the option of submitting one video as a supplement to the PDF portfolio. Videos should be in MOV or WMV format and no more than 60 seconds in length. Videos should be sized for 640x480px. Note that videos may serve as a supplement to the PDF portfolio but cannot replace it.

While brevity is valued, please do not feel limited to one page.

Resumes should be uploaded as a PDF into the application and should include: full and part-time employment, education, fellowships, extra-curricular activities, community service, honors, awards, professional registrations and societies, publications, hobbies, and travel. If you served in the military, indicate rank on entry and rank on separation. You should include a complete employment and educational history, including information on any gaps.

Several of our programs require or prefer professional experience. Please see our Program Comparison Tool to compare eligibility and professional experience requirements.

Some programs, such as the MAUD, MLAUD, MRE, and MDE will ask for detailed information about your previous professional experience in the application.

The following programs require applicants to send verified, valid GRE scores to the GSD by the application deadline:

• MArch I
• MArch II
• MUP
• DDes

Applicants may choose to submit optional GRE scores for the following programs:

• MLA I
• MLA I AP
• MLA II
• MAUD
• MLAUD
• MDE
• MDes

GRE scores are not reviewed for the MRE program even if submitted.

Your application will not be disadvantaged if you choose not to submit GRE scores to a GRE optional program. If you have taken the GRE and would like to submit scores in support of your application, you are welcome to do so. If you have not taken the GRE or submitted scores, the weight of your other application materials will be considered during the review process. We recommend considering how and where GRE scores may be of benefit to your application. For example, they can be used to balance a lower than average GPA or to demonstrate competency in a particular area such as mathematics.

GRE scores must be sent to the GSD directly from ETS using institutional code 3455.

Verified GRE scores sent directly from ETS are due by the application deadline for your program.

First, please check to make sure you sent your scores to the correct institutional code for the GSD (3455). It is a common mistake to send them to Harvard College. We are not able to retrieve scores from the College.

If you’ve confirmed that you’ve sent your score to the GSD, we have likely received your score or will receive it shortly. If the information you used when registering for the GRE differs from what you’ve entered into the application (such as your email address, phone number, or name), your scores may not appear in your application record automatically upon receipt. We match these scores manually to ensure they are included in your application.

If you have submitted GRE scores at some point, you will likely see your score in the application proof and in your application checklist after submitting. Even so, the admissions committee will not be able to see your GRE during review for programs where the GRE is not accepted.

We are not able to delete GRE scores from your record. Any valid scores submitted for a GRE optional or required program will be included in review.

More information about an applicant can be valuable, and GRE scores provide an additional, useful data point for assessing applications. Test scores are just one data point among the many that are considered by committees. Careful and thorough review is given to all application materials, giving applicants multiple opportunities to demonstrate your experiences, skills, and accomplishments.

Current GSD students applying to another program at the GSD are required to submit official GRE scores if the GRE is an application requirement for the program to which they are applying. There are no exceptions to this policy. 

Graduates of the GSD who have decided to apply for another degree program must follow all application requirements, including submitting GRE scores if required by your application program.

International students must submit TOEFL iBT scores, except those who have completed at least three years of full-time, in-person undergraduate study with English as the sole language of instruction in one of the following countries: Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, the Bahamas, Canada, Ghana, Ireland, Jamaica, New Zealand, Nigeria, Singapore, South Africa, Trinidad and Tobago, the United Kingdom, or the United States.

Applicants who hold or are in the process of completing a bachelor’s degree that includes a minimum of three years of in-person, full-time study where English is the sole medium of instruction in the following countries are exempt from the TOEFL requirement: Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, the Bahamas, Canada, Ghana, Ireland, Jamaica, New Zealand, Nigeria, Singapore, South Africa, Trinidad and Tobago, United Kingdom, and the United States. International applicants who have studied or lived in English speaking countries are NOT exempt from the TOEFL requirement outside of this specific policy.

No – you must have studied at least three years in full-time residence during your undergraduate degree at an institution in one of those countries.

If a TOEFL score is not submitted, and an applicant’s educational background does not meet this requirement, the application will be considered incomplete.

We do not accept IELTS scores. We are only able to accept the TOEFL as a test of English language proficiency. It is not possible to substitute other tests.

TOEFL scores must be sent to the GSD directly from ETS using institutional code 3455.

Yes. Our minimum TOEFL score is a 92 with a 23 in each section (speaking, listening, writing, reading). Our preferred TOEFL score is a 104 with a 26 in each section.

If you are admitted and your scores fall below our preferred score, you will be required to take the summer English for Design course before enrolling at the GSD. Tuition for the English for Design course is separate from GSD tuition, and students who are required to enroll in the program are responsible for covering the cost.

You can still submit your application even if a section falls slightly below our minimum, though it will make your application less competitive. We encourage you to work towards achieving, at the least, our minimum required scores. Your goal should be to reach our preferred scores.

First, please check to make sure you sent your scores to the correct institutional code for the GSD (3455). It is a common mistake to send them to Harvard College. We are not able to retrieve scores from the College.

If you’ve confirmed that you’ve sent your score to the GSD, we have likely received your score or will receive it shortly. If the information you used when registering for the TOEFL differs from what you’ve entered into the application (such as your email address, phone number, or name), your scores may not appear in your application record automatically upon receipt. We match these scores manually to ensure they are included in your application.

We are not able to delete TOEFL scores from your record. Any valid scores receieved will be reviewed by the committee, including your most recent scores.

Verified TOEFL scores are due by the application deadline for your program. We recommend taking the TOEFL no later than December 20th to allow plenty of time for scores to arrive at the GSD and to be added to your application.

TOEFL scores are due by the application deadline for your program. We do not grant extensions for late TOEFL scores. Scores received within a short period of time after the deadline will be added to your application, but we cannot guarantee they will be seen by the admissions committee since review starts promptly after the deadline. If you have unofficial scores, enter those into the application as a placeholder while we await your official scores. You should also include your scheduled test date.

Current GSD students applying to a second program do not typically need to submit updated TOEFL scores.

Applicants to the MArch I and MLA I and AP programs will be asked to provide transcripts, course descriptions, and syllabi in the application for each prerequisite course. Prerequisites are reviewed during the admissions review process. Admitted students will be notified of the approval status of each prerequisite course at the time of admission.

Prerequisite courses must be taken at the college level, for credit, and be completed with a grade of B- or above.

Although we provide examples of pre-approved courses below, we accept a wide range of courses, including courses taken at your undergraduate institution, online at an accredited institution, and at community colleges.

Although we provide examples of pre-approved courses below, we accept a wide range of courses, including courses taken at your undergraduate institution, online at an accredited institution, and at community colleges.

While you are welcome to contact us at [email protected] for general advice about prerequisites during the application process, we cannot make a final determination or guarantee that a specific class will satisfy a requirement outside of the standard review process.

Even if you aren’t sure whether a course will satisfy a prerequisite, you should include it in your application. If admitted, you will be notified on the status of the courses you submitted for review. Admitted students will have the opportunity to submit additional courses for review or to enroll in a pre-approved course to satisfy the prerequisite before enrolling.

Applicants are not required to complete all prerequisite courses at the time of application. However, it is within your best interest to complete most of the prerequisites before you apply as this will strengthen your application. Admitted students are required to complete all outstanding prerequisites in the summer before enrolling. Depending on how many prerequisites you are missing, you may need to dedicate a substantial portion of your summer to completing prerequisite coursework if admitted.

MArch I applicants interested in being considered for MArch I Advanced Placement must demonstrate completion or be in the process of completing all prerequisite courses at the time of application.

Yes! Classes taken at a community college or other accredited institution may be used to full prerequisite requirements.

If your institution follows a quarter system, one term of the prerequisite course is generally considered sufficient to meet the requirement, granted that the course content aligns with our requirements and is considered the equivalent to a semester-long course. We recommend reviewing the specific course details to compare with the GSD’s criteria. If you aren’t certain, you are welcome to include the course in your application for consideration.

Syllabi provide important information to the faculty who determine whether a particular course will satisfy a prerequisite. If possible, we recommend trying to locate the syllabus. You might be able to find a copy by contacting the school’s Registrar or library, an old classmate, or the professor of the course. If this isn’t possible, please include your transcript and an official course description with any other documentation you have that demonstrates the content of the course.

Yes. You will need to have the syllabus translated by an official and certified translation service of your choosing. The original documents and the certified translation should be uploaded into a combined PDF.

Prerequisite courses do not expire even if you took the course several years ago. In some cases, it may be beneficial for you to refresh yourself on certain topics if admitted.

Coursera or other non-credit courses cannot satisfy a prerequisite course.

Upon review, scores of 4 or 5 on AP exams will fulfill prerequisites only if your undergraduate school has awarded credit for the relevant courses and the credits appear on your transcript. For physics, AP Physics 1 or C, or IB Higher Level Physics courses may satisfy the requirement if the course is recognized by the students’ undergraduate institution and in accordance with the
institutions’ requirements. Test scores from AP Physics 2, the IB Standard Level Physics, and the gaokao university entrance exam do not fulfill the prerequisite.