Admissions
Get all the important details on the requirements and resources you need to apply to our PhD program.
Requirements for admission
Requirements for admission are highly flexible and each application is judged on its own merits. Students with backgrounds in applied math, biology, chemistry, Earth sciences, engineering, physics, and related fields are strongly encouraged to apply. When applying, applicants should list up to three EPS faculty whose research areas are closest to their interests.
The Earth and Planetary Sciences department only admits students for the PhD program. We do not admit students for the Master of Arts (AM) degree at this time.
GRE scores are accepted as part of the application, but are not required.
Harvard Griffin GSAS does not discriminate against applicants or students on the basis of race, color, national origin, ancestry or any other protected classification.
GSAS is committed to ensuring that the application fee does not create a financial obstacle for prospective applicants. Waivers are available to those for whom payment of the application fee would be financially challenging.
Applicants can determine eligibility for a fee waiver by completing a series of questions in the Application Fee section of the application. Once these questions have been completed, the application system will provide an immediate response regarding fee waiver eligibility.
Once enrolled, all graduate students are provided generous financial support, including research and teaching assistantships, full tuition, and a research allowance. Prospective students are encouraged to apply for outside funding from agencies such as the National Science Foundation prior to gaining admission.
The Graduate Admissions Assistance Program (GAAP)
The Graduate Admissions Assistance Program (GAAP) was created to address the inequity between those with knowledge of the graduate school application process and those without. It is run by current EPS and Environmental Science and Engineering graduate students with the support of the department.
The goal of GAAP is to connect current graduate students with prospective students who feel they could use help in preparing their graduate application. Graduate student mentors will be a resource for whatever application help program participants require — reading essays, offering advice, explaining the hidden workings of the application process, and more.
We have a limited pool of graduate students who can provide mentoring as part of this program. Out of respect for their time, we are currently prioritizing enrollment in the EPS/ESE GAAP to those who feel they are at a disadvantage when applying to graduate school.
This may include, but is by no means limited to, students from non-R1 undergraduate colleges, first-generation students, low-income students, students from HBCUs and MSIs, LGBTQIA+ students, veterans or active service members, and students with disabilities.
Additionally, due to limited resources, we can only support students who are planning on submitting an application during this current admissions cycle (to begin graduate studies in Fall 2025).
Accepted applicants will be matched with a current graduate student mentors on a rolling basis, but we will not accept applications after mid-November to allow enough time to work with your mentor. Please note that we may not have the resources to match all applicants with a mentor; however, this is not a reflection of the quality of your application.
All applicants will be invited to attend a virtual open house hosted by the graduate students, which will occur in early December.
All personal information you provide will be kept confidential. The information you submit will be reviewed by a small committee of graduate students, but will not be shared with other graduate students or EPS/ESE faculty and staff.
We will report aggregated statistics about applications, enrollment, and outcomes to the department, but we will protect the anonymity of individual students enrolled in our program. Additionally, it will not be noted on your application that you participated in this program.
GAAP is a student-organized program with support from the EPS/ESE department at Harvard. Our aim is to connect you with mentors who can provide feedback on your application for graduate study in EPS/ESE. However, we cannot guarantee that any student will be admitted to EPS/ESE. GAAP mentors can provide advice and feedback on your application materials, but they cannot recommend you to Harvard faculty or admissions.
Our graduate students receive the support and guidance they need to succeed during their time at EPS. The average time to graduation is between five and five and a half years. Students in laboratory or field-based projects generally take an average of six years.
Graduation rates for PhD enrollees in EPS historically are high:
- Roughly two-thirds of our faculty see 100% of their students through to graduation
- Nearly 80% of faculty have a > 75% retention rate
