Harvard Kennedy School Admissions 2024: Deadlines, Acceptance Rate, Requirements for International Students, Decisions, and Selection Criteria

Harvard Kennedy School Acceptance Rate

Harvard Kennedy School acceptance rate is typically seen between 15-20%. Which shows, it's a highly competitive institute to get into. The low acceptance rate of HKS is due to the large number of applications, space availability, and application quality. Following are the acceptance rate at Harvard Kennedy School for top courses:

Harvard Kennedy School Master's Admissions

Harvard Kennedy School offers 3 Master's degrees in public policy, public administration and public administration in International management. It also offers mid career degree, combined degree and data & research method track. The application process and requirements for Master's degree at Harvard Kennedy School are as follows:

Application Portal: Online Application
Application Fees: 100 USD (8,337 INR)

Admissions Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree
• Test scores:
  • GMAT- 48 in Quantitative section
  • GRE- 160 in Quantitative section
• English language proficiency:
  • TOEFL IBT- 100
  • IELTS- 7.0

Documents Checklist:

• 3 letters of recommendation
• Essays
• Resume
• Application fee waiver (if applicable)

Harvard Kennedy School PhD Admissions

The admissions to PhD degrees are jointly offered by Harvard Kennedy School and Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Admission seeking students may choose from PhD specialisations in public policy, health policy, and social policy. The requirements for PhD degrees are given below:

Application Portal: Apply GSAS Portal
Application Fees: 105 USD (8,754 INR)

Admissions Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree
• GRE score report
• English language proficiency requirements:
  • TOEFL IBT- 103
  • IELTS- 7.0

Documents Checklist:

• 3 letters of recommendation
• Statement of purpose
• Writing samples (20 pages)

Harvard Kennedy School Executive Education Admissions

Harvard Kennedy School offers 27 on campus and 23 online Executive education programs. Students securing admissions in these program typically have 10 years of professional experience. Following is the application process to apply for Executive Education Programs:

• Choose your desired program.
• Click on the apply button.
• Click “Create an account”.
• Fill the required details.
• Click on submit after filling all the details.
• An email will be sent to you including login credentials for application portal.
• Use the credentials provided and start your application.

Harvard Kennedy School Decisions

The admissions decisions at Harvard Kennedy School are typically issued within 3 weeks after for Executive education and by late March for masters and PhD degrees. However, it may take longer in peak season or due to the large number of applications.

Harvard Kennedy School Selection Criteria

Harvard Kennedy School considers various while evaluating an application for admissions. The major factor includes strong academic background, work experience, and applicant's geographical region. In short, the applicant must possess some sort of professional experience and demonstrate strong academic background with leadership qualities. Proficiency in English language is a must to be considered for admissions.

With an acceptance rate below 20%, getting into Harvard Kennedy School is tough. To get through admissions, an applicant must demonstrate strong academic performance, with competitive test scores and relevant work experience