Harvard College's General Education requirements are described in the Handbook for Students.
Only courses approved by the Standing Committee on General Education can be used to fulfill General Education requirements. Students may not petition to have courses count.
One of the four Gen Ed requirements can be fulfilled with a course taken Pass/Fail. Courses graded SEM/UEM in Spring 2020 do not count against this limit.
In-person attendance is required for all course components, with no remote substitutes for class time.
Designated Harvard Summer School and Harvard Summer Study Abroad courses may count for General Education. Ordinarily, summer courses count if they are identical to courses that receive General Education credit during the academic year and are taught by the same Harvard faculty members who teach them during the academic year (or by a member of the same department). No more than one HSS course taught through remote formats may be used to fulfill a General Education requirement. HSS courses taken in 2020 and 2021 (when all courses were offered remotely) do not count towards this limit.
General Education requirements will not be reduced for Advanced Standing, Transfer Students, or Term Time Study Abroad. However, the General Education requirement will be reduced by one course per term of Harvard College credit earned for term-time study abroad completed before Fall 2019, unless a student is granted a ninth term. For further details, please contact the Gen Ed office.