December 1st scholarship deadline?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Harvard University
1

<p>My counselor sent out an email to our grade saying that she recently attended a Harvard info session and that they told applicants to get their applications in by December 1st if they wanted to be considered for a scholarship. </p>

<p>I had doubts about this since Harvard doesn't have merit scholarships (none of the Ivies do, as far as I'm aware), and only offers need-based aid. Also, my sibling is a current student there, and she sent her application in the last week the applications were due and she still got a generous financial aid package. </p>

<p>On the other hand, my counselor is amazing and she's rarely - if ever - wrong, so I decided to ask you guys to see if there was any truth in the information that she's passing along. </p>

<p>Have you guys heard anything similar, or is this a miscommunication on my counselor/Harvard rep's part? Did their policy regarding financial aid recently change? (I can't find anything about a December 1st deadline by Googling.)</p>

2

<p>Harvard has indeed suggested somewhere on its website in the past that submitting the application by December 1st is encouraged, but I’m not sure if that necessarily gives any additional benefit to the applicant, besides perhaps getting his app read first by the admission officer and get to schedule an interview early. Harvard gives out very generous financial aid grants titled as “Faculty Scholarship” and others… perhaps by submitting your app early, you give the financial aid office more time to review your application, hence it will be more likely for you to receive a satisfactory FA package along with your admission decision letter :confused:? That’s the only explanation I can think of.</p>