What's on this page?
Who is this for?
Harvard College and Harvard Griffin GSAS students
About check-in
Students in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences are required to check in via my.harvard at the beginning of each semester. You cannot register for courses until you have successfully completed check-in.
You will receive an email at the beginning of each semester when check-in is open as well as a reminder on the check-in deadline. See the academic calendar for check-in deadlines for each semester.
Important: Missing the check-in deadline can include serious consequences such as losing financial support, having your federal student loans going into repayment, and losing your visa. See Late/failure to check in.
During check-in, you will be asked to complete the following action items, including:
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Updating your personal information and preferences, including:
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Personal information
- Note for non-concentrators: Harvard College students who have not declared a concentration will notice that their concentration description is Bachelor of Arts (AB). Please note that the description will not change to Bachelor of Science (SB) until you formally declare a concentration.
- Recording name pronunciation for your advisors, administrative staff, and instructors to use as they get to know you
- Family information (Harvard College students only)
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Preferences in MessageMe, the University's emergency notification system
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Personal information
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Reviewing important documents related to your student record including:
- U.S. Voter Registration Forms
- FERPA information
- Massachusetts Hazing Laws
Completing check-in
You will know that you have successfully checked in when the check-in hold displayed in the To Do section of your my.harvard student home is no longer visible.
Reminder about the check-in hold: Successfully checking in will only remove a check-in hold from your account. You may still have other holds on your account after check in that prevent you from registering for courses. To remove these holds, see Registration Holds.
Late/failure to check in
If you do not check in for the semester:
- You risk losing financial support (loans, tuition & stipend grants cannot be processed for non-registered students)
- Your Harvard ID may no longer be active and you will not have access to any Harvard services (library, athletics, dining, housing, etc.)
- You may not have access to UHS health insurance
- Your federal student loans may go into repayment
- International students will risk losing their visa
- If you are a Harvard College student, the Dean of Students may place you on an involuntary leave of absence for failing to complete the check-in process and register for courses as required at the beginning of the term
Associated Fees
Late check-in fee: You may be charged a non-reversible $50 late check-in fee.
