Anticipating a larger student body than usual, the Harvard College Dean of Students Office (DSO) has announced additional housing locations for undergraduates. For first-year students, the College will use both 1201 Massachusetts Avenue and a series of apartments on Prescott Street beside the Yard—both of which have been used previously to accommodate undergraduates during House-renewal construction. Most recently, the Massachusetts Avenue location (the former Inn at Harvard) was home to Adams House residents during the House’s renovation. First-year students receive their housing assignments this first week of August, a week before the rest of the student body. The entering class will be at least a few hundred people larger than normal, as students who planned to matriculate in the fall of 2020 but deferred doing so during the pandemic enroll now, and join a full complement of undergraduates admitted to the entering class of 2025.
In addition to typical housing, upper-level students will be accommodated in Cronkhite Hall, on 84 Brattle Street, and additional apartments through Harvard University Housing adjacent to the campus.
“As we learn more about students’ plans and how many students are interested in Fall 2021 housing, we will work with the residential communities to determine how best to assign and allocate the housing,” the DSO site stated. “All of the locations identified above will be affiliated with existing residential communities and be staffed accordingly.”
Though the College has announced it will return to normal housing density for the fall semester, not all processes have returned to the pre-COVID norm. Move-in will be staggered by class between August 20 and 28, with students selecting a move-in date and time window before arrival. And the University is “strongly encouraging” arriving students to bring only two helpers—who cannot enter buildings and must be masked at all times. The University will not be hosting any programming for family during move-in, the DSO site says. “Our efforts will be concentrated on moving in all students quickly and safely.”
Arriving students must take a COVID-19 test upon arrival, four or five days after, and after one week on campus. Though there is no quarantine period while tests are being processed, Harvard University Health Services (HUHS) recommends that students minimize social activity “at least until the first negative test result.” International students must also have a negative test result three or fewer days prior to their U.S. arrival. Students who have not verified their vaccine with HUHS, or are unvaccinated without approval from the University, will not be able to register for classes until they upload their vaccine status. Throughout the semester, vaccinated students will be tested for COVID-19 once a week and unvaccinated students twice.
Although Harvard normally guarantees on-campus housing for all undergraduates, the College was unable to do so this year. Beginning August 11, the College will assess a $100 fine to students who cancel their fall housing, according to the DSO. “There are currently a number of students on the waitlist for fall housing, so please complete this as soon as your fall plans are finalized.”
So, a more normal semester, but not quite the same normal as before.
