(This post is a follow-up to Hacking Higher Education, Part 1: How to Obtain an Accredited Undergraduate Degree in 1 Year for $4,000.)
“There is always a better way – find it.” – The Hacker Ethos
In Part 1 of this series, I showed you how to get an accredited degree in one year for $4,000. While testing out of undergrad via CLEP exams is certainly a viable option, many people have doubts about the “pedigree” of such a credential, and are concerned how it would be received by hiring managers. If you value the status and prestige of an Ivy League degree but don’t want to play the admissions game and pay retail prices, this post is for you.
A degree from Harvard University is one of the most prestigious credentials money can buy. Unfortunately, Harvard is also one of the most expensive universities in the world. If you want to earn a degree from Harvard without mortgaging the next 30 years of your future earnings, matriculating with students going through the traditional program isn’t going to cut it… assuming you’re able to get accepted in the first place.
Fortunately, there’s a little-known way to get into Harvard without applying that also reduces the total cost of obtaining a Harvard diploma by more than 75%. Here’s how.
Welcome to the Harvard Extension School
Believe it or not, there’s a little-known back door to getting a Harvard degree: the Harvard Extension School. Designed as a continuing education program for adults, the Harvard Extension School is a degree-granting program within Harvard University designed to meet the needs of non-traditional students.
All you need to do to become a student at the Harvard Extension School is pay a course fee and show up. There’s no SAT or ACT requirement, no admissions process, and no up-front bureaucracy. Each class at the extension school costs approximately $1,000, and anyone can sign up. Many courses are offered both in-person and online.
If you’re able to complete 3 Extension School courses with a GPA of at least 2.5, you’ll be able to petition for acceptance to the degree program. The admissions criteria are straightforward: if you meet them, you’re in. Going through the Extension School is trial by fire: if you can prove that you’re up to the challenge by excelling in actual coursework, you’ll be accepted. In my opinion, that’s a much better approach than sweating bullets for 13 years fine-tuning your resume to beat hundreds of thousands of competing students in the standard Harvard admissions gauntlet.
Is it really the same?
The diploma that you receive upon graduation is issued by Harvard University, and there is absolutely no difference in the quality of the courses. The curriculum is the same, the requirements for graduation are the same, and the courses are taught by the same professors. You’ll also have the same perks: a student ID that gives you access to Harvard libraries, museums, and events, as well as access to the Student Employment Office, Career Services, and other Harvard student programs and services.
You’ll also have the same benefits of the Harvard reputation “halo” and network. If you want, you can rent an apartment in Cambridge and hobnob with other Harvard students – after all, you’ll be one. If you don’t want to live in Boston, you can take courses online as long as you complete the 16-hour residency requirement before you graduate, which can be done in a single summer. When you graduate, you’ll be a member of both the Harvard Extension Alumni Association as well as the regular Harvard Alumni Association, which provides access to a vast network of previous graduates.
All of the Benefits, Higher ROI
The total cost of an undergraduate program at the Harvard Extension School is ~$35,000-$40,000. For perspective, the cost of one year of Harvard College’s “normal” bachelors program is $33,696 for academic year 2009-2010. Assuming it takes four years to complete the program, attending the Extension School allows you to get essentially the same degree at ~25% of the retail price. According to the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, the average tuition for private universities in 2008-2009 was $25,143, and costs are rising dramatically, so this option blows away every other private alternative by offering more benefits for 1/3 of the price.
That’s just considering the undergraduate program – Harvard Extension School also offers Masters and Professional degree programs (including a Management/MBA program), with similar cost/benefit characteristics.
If you’re going to go to college, be a smart student – find a better way to get what you need, and never pay retail. I have no plans to pursue a masters or professional degree, but if I went that route, this would be the program I enroll in. If you’re looking to obtain your undergraduate, masters, or professional credential from a top-tier college, Harvard Extension School may allow you to get a top-notch private Ivy League degree at a public university price.
Further reading: for more on this topic, check out How to Get a Valuable Education without Mortgaging Your Life.
Thoughts? Share your perspective in the comments.
(Photo credit: Harvard Extension School)
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Fantastic post Josh ! I believe you’ve just changed my future. You’re fantastic !
Gabriel – glad to help!
It sounds to easy to be real… What are the incommodes ?
Good post, and mostly accurate, except:
1. The courses are not the same as Harvard courses, though extension students can enroll in a limited number of classes with undergrads.
2. The professors are not the same, though again, you can enroll is some of the same classes.
3. You do not become a part of the social life (i.e. you do not live in the undergraduate houses, or eat in House dining halls).
So basically you can get a similar looking degree from the Extension school, but the level of academics and the real benefit of going to Harvard – your peers – is not the same.
Thanks for sharing this. But from their site, it seems that what you eventually get is not a MBA, but rather a MLA(Master of Liberal Arts) degree, though they are all from Harvord.
Justin – good clarifications. The extension school does have its own courses, with limited enrollment opportunities in Harvard College courses. From what I understand, however, Harvard doesn’t have a separate dedicated Extension School faculty – the professors who teach extension school courses teach the same material and curriculum in their respective schools. (This is one of the major selling points of HES.) As such, the level of academics is roughly the same. Your point about the houses and dining halls, etc. is well taken – it’s certainly one of the tradeoffs of this approach, although that could be mitigated somewhat by spending time in Cambridge and making it a priority to socialize with other students.
Harry – good clarification as well; the MBA-ish degree from HES is considered, according to the Harvard website, an ALM (Master of Liberal Arts in Extension Studies), which stands for the Latin “magistri in artibus liberalibus studiorum prolatorum.” The ALM would be designated with the field of study, which would be management or finance, depending on the track you choose.
It’s definitely a good way to get the Harvard brand name and the good education without slaving yourself to debt. It’s something that I’ve been thinking in the past few years. On the other hand, I wonder about the perception of companies when looking at potential recruit with degrees from Extension school. It’d be perfect if you can include some interviews.
Forgot to mention: if anyone has personally used this approach to get an undergraduate or graduate degree from Harvard, please contact me.
Too bad I didn’t know about this a long time ago. I’ve already graduated from law school at another university so I think I’m pretty much done with the whole education thing at this point.
I’ve been recommending this to my students for a while now, but few actually take action.
Thanks for the insights- I hope there is a part three coming too
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this is really cool. i’m working on it right away. thanks
Great!!! I have been thinking about going back to school as a non traditional student and I am thinking about going into the competitive field of Physical Therapy. If I did my premed courses here, I could get into a better school!!!!
Thanks for the leg up.
Great post Josh. I am looking into MBA programs now so this information is invaluable for me.
Do you know of any other schools that offer similar extension programs?
Thanks again.
Josh – I am quickly becoming a fan of this blog. Love the educational focus.
Okay here is the deal… When I went to Harvard Business School, I saw the folks coming in and out who did NOT go to the school and here is who they were:
1. Law, Med, JFK (Intl) or other students who – through their programs – could take classes at the business school.
2. Executive education students (there are a number of programs OPM, others) – these programs are wholly run by the business school and cost a fortune.
There were no undergrads. There were no extension students. Maybe this has changed. I have no idea to be honest. Thus, the question is really: Can one go to the extension school and take courses at HBS? .
Inside scoop/gossip: While I was only a student, and did not work at the school, here is my observation – HBS did not allow any other school (even Harvard affiliated) to ever say “This is a business topic, and therefore a Harvard Business School class.” I heard that there was actually a bit of tension between some of Harvard schools because the business school because the b-school is its own world/another planet. So, the school protects its b-school brand even at the risk of irritating other schools in the Harvard community.
Along the lines of your blog Josh – a real “win” here would be if the extension school allows for the taking of classes at the b-school.
In addition to confirming Justin’s comments (especially about social life), I would add that Harvard does a great job of helping undergraduates leave school without debt. Families that earn under $70,000 (a rough number — don’t quote me) are not expected to pay anything.
I like the idea a lot- but I’m a little concerned to the validity of it. I’ve done some searching online- and did find a relavent post from an employer related to this- http://www.dba-oracle.com/t_harvard_extention_school_lower_quality.htm
Would be interested to hear a response. I guess the part in question is transferring to the “real” school- and the odds of doing so.
Great to see some attention given to Harvard Extension. I recently was told about it from a friend who was a nontraditional student at Harvard, and she seemed certain that the Extension school was also a way into Harvard Law School (I’m currently applying to schools, but am thinking about trying this route into Harvard if it is possible). Does anyone know if the Law School does in fact accept students through passing the Extension School?