Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences

What Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences does

The Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (Harvard Griffin GSAS, formerly Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences) is the graduate school within Harvard University that awards PhDs and a select set of master's degrees. Founded in 1890 within a university established in 1636, Harvard Griffin GSAS operates 71 degree-granting programs spanning Arts and Architecture, Biological Sciences, Engineering and Applied Sciences, the Harvard Integrated Life Sciences (HILS) alliance, History, Humanities, Languages, Mathematics, Medical Sciences, Physical Sciences, and Social Sciences, conferring the PhD, AM (Master of Arts), ME (Master of Engineering), and SM (Master of Science). The school serves prospective PhD students as its primary customer segment, alongside master's degree candidates, visiting fellows and special students, and undergraduate participants in pipeline programs such as Summer Research Opportunities at Harvard (SROH). The school operates from Cambridge, Massachusetts, within the broader Harvard ecosystem that includes the Harvard Library system (world's largest academic library), Harvard Medical School, SEAS, and four major teaching hospitals.

The core technology platform is academic in nature rather than digital-product based. Harvard Griffin GSAS runs a centralized online admissions portal, delivers instruction and research through faculty appointments that span Harvard's schools and the Longwood Medical Area hospitals, and operates shared Harvard Core Facilities. Non-degree and pipeline products include the Visiting Students Program (Exchange Scholar, Research Scholar Initiative, Special Students, Visiting Fellows) and several summer research programs run in partnership with the Leadership Alliance, Armenise Harvard Foundation, Broad Institute, and Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center.

The revenue model is that of a private, nonprofit academic institution. Funding comes from a combination of tuition and fees, multi-year PhD financial-support packages (stipend plus tuition grants for at least five years), external research and training grants (including NSF GRFP coordinating role), and endowment-derived income channeled through Harvard University. Go-to-market is sales-led for admissions: structured recruitment via virtual open houses, the HILS Virtual Preview Weekend, campus visits, the Colloquy podcast and magazine, and active social channels (Instagram, LinkedIn, Threads, TikTok, Facebook, YouTube). The school was renamed in 2024 following a major gift from Kenneth C. Griffin.

Name

Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences

Legal name

The President and Fellows of Harvard College

Website

https://gsas.harvard.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1890

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences is Harvard University's graduate school, awarding PhDs and select master's degrees across 71 programs in sciences, humanities, and social sciences to a global pool of students, with five-year funded PhD packages.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Cambridge

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Fees: Harvard Griffin GSAS generates revenue through tuition and fees from PhD and master's degree programs. PhD students receive comprehensive financial support packages including stipends and tuition grants for at least five years. Visiting fellows are charged reduced tuition. Master's students pay tuition based on their program.
2. Research Grants and Training Grants: Funding for life sciences and other programs comes from Harvard University, training grants, and research grants from external sources including government agencies.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Harvard Griffin GSAS delivers graduate-level education through 71 degree-granting programs, offering PhD degrees across arts, humanities, social sciences, life sciences, physical sciences, engineering, and select master's degrees. The school also provides non-degree opportunities including visiting fellows, special students, exchange scholars, and a research scholar initiative, along with the Harvard Integrated Life Sciences (HILS) alliance spanning 13 life sciences PhD programs.

Product overview

The Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (Harvard Griffin GSAS) is a leading graduate institution offering PhD and select master's degrees through 71 degree-granting programs across academic areas including Arts & Architecture, Biological Sciences, Engineering & Applied Sciences, History, Humanities, Languages, Mathematics, Medical Sciences, Physical Sciences, and Social Sciences. The school also provides non-degree study opportunities through its Visiting Students Program, including Exchange Scholar, Research Scholar Initiative, Special Students, and Visiting Fellows. The institution encompasses the Harvard Integrated Life Sciences (HILS) alliance of 13 life sciences PhD programs, and connects students to the Harvard Library system—the world's largest academic library. Summer research programs like SROH provide undergraduate access to graduate-level research experiences.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• PhD graduates have secured faculty positions at top institutions including MIT, Brandeis, Duke, and Yale, and careers at leading companies including Moderna, Gilead, Pfizer, and Sanofi Pasteur

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Leadership AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHarvard Griffin GSAS partners with the Leadership Alliance to administer the Summer Research Opportunities at Harvard (SROH) program, a 10-week program for undergraduates considering PhD careers. The Leadership Alliance SR-EIP application process is used for SROH applications.
• Armenise Harvard FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Armenise Harvard Foundation provides summer fellowships for Italian students in STEM fields, offering immersive research experience at Harvard Medical School laboratories with career development seminars.
• Harvard Medical School Affiliated HospitalscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMany HILS faculty have laboratories at world-renowned medical research entities including Harvard Medical School, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and hospitals in the Longwood Medical Area.
• Harvard Core FacilitiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHarvard Core Facilities (shared central laboratories) provide resources and services beyond individual lab means, offering state-of-the-art research capabilities across the University.
• Broad InstitutemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Broad Summer Research Program (BSRP) offers nine-week summer research opportunities for undergraduates at the Broad Institute in genomics research.
• Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer CentermajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe CURE program introduces Massachusetts high school and undergraduate students to cancer research through full-time summer internships.
• Harvard Medical School Summer ProgramsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMultiple Harvard Medical School departments offer summer research programs including BCMP Scholars, SHURP, HST Summer Institute, and others for undergraduates considering PhD or MD/PhD paths.
• Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHILS and SEAS collaborate on research and training opportunities, with some life sciences programs affiliated with engineering departments.
• Massachusetts General Hospital, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston Children's HospitalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHarvard-affiliated teaching hospitals provide research opportunities for students across medical and life sciences programs in the Longwood Medical Area.
• MIT and Tufts Fletcher SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVisiting fellows may audit courses at MIT and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University with instructor permission.
• Harvard Business School and Harvard Divinity SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVisiting fellows may audit courses at Harvard Business School and Harvard Divinity School with instructor permission (HBS charges a cross-registration materials fee).

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Johns Hopkins University Graduate School: Johns Hopkins Graduate School offers research-intensive PhD and master's programs with strong life sciences orientation, comparable to GSAS's HILS alliance. Both attract top biomedical and computational research talent.
• Cornell Graduate School: Cornell Graduate School offers PhD and master's programs across arts and sciences similar in scope to Harvard GSAS. Both are Ivy League research universities with multi-year funding commitments for PhD students.
• UC Berkeley Graduate Division: UC Berkeley Graduate Division offers PhD and master's programs across arts and sciences with multi-year funding packages. While public, it competes with Harvard GSAS for top research talent, faculty, and global graduate applicants.
• University of Pennsylvania Graduate Division: University of Pennsylvania's graduate division offers PhD and master's programs in arts and sciences with multi-year funding commitments, competing with Harvard GSAS for overlapping applicant pools in humanities, social sciences, and STEM fields.
• Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences: Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences is Harvard GSAS's closest peer, offering PhD and select master's degrees across arts and sciences with similar multi-year funding models. Both are Ivy League institutions actively competing for the same global graduate applicant pool.
• Columbia Graduate School of Arts and Sciences: Columbia GSAS offers PhD and master's programs in arts and sciences similar to Harvard GSAS. Both are Ivy League research institutions with comparable disciplinary breadth and full funding commitments.
• University of Chicago Graduate School: The University of Chicago's graduate division offers research-focused PhD and master's programs comparable to Harvard GSAS, with similar multi-year funding commitments and a strong humanities/social sciences presence.
• MIT Graduate Programs (Office of Graduate Education): MIT Graduate Programs offer PhD and master's degrees in science, engineering, and humanities. Both are top-tier research institutions co-located in Cambridge, MA and competing for overlapping STEM graduate talent and faculty.
• Princeton Graduate School: Princeton Graduate School provides PhD funding for all admitted students, similar to GSAS's 5-year guaranteed funding model. Both compete for the same elite graduate applicant pool with fully funded multi-year packages.
• Stanford Graduate School: Stanford Graduate School offers PhD and master's degrees across arts, sciences, and engineering with comparable multi-year funding commitments. It competes directly with Harvard GSAS for the same top STEM and humanities graduate talent.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/HarvardGSAS
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/HarvardGraduateSchoolofArtsandSciences
• Facebookfacebook.com/HarvardGSAS
• LinkedInmy.linkedin.com/school/harvardgsas
• Instagraminstagram.com/harvardgsas
• TikToktiktok.com/@harvardgsas

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles21 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences