Information for Students

A First-Year Seminar ordinarily brings together one instructor with twelve students to study a topic of keenly shared interest. It frees its participants (instructor and student) from the usual constraints of lecture courses such as letter-grades and exams. Instead, students in a seminar undertake readings, discussions, essays, and presentations toward a SAT/UNSAT grade. Seminars also feature special instructional activities such as guest speakers, concerts, exhibitions, studio or lab work, and field trips that enhance the learning experience for freshmen. Students often cite a First-Year Seminar as their best learning experience at Harvard, not only in the First-Year Survey, but in the Senior Survey as well.

Yes, First-Year Seminar are open to first-year only. Any student who enters Harvard College as a first-year may apply to any First-Year Seminar during the first two terms of residence.

Seminars are taught by members of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences as well as the graduate schools of Design, Divinity, Education, Government, Law, Medicine, and Public Health.

The application period for Fall and Spring Seminars starts in July. You are encouraged to secure BOTH your Fall and your Spring Seminar over the summer since our classes are small and popular. You are eligible to take one First-Year Seminar in each term. If a Spring Seminar doesn’t fill to capacity over the summer, you can petition to enroll during the registration window. Term-specific dates are given on the Apply for a Seminar page.

Yes and we encourage you to do so!

No. Each term, you may apply to as many First-Year Seminars as genuinely interest you. However we urge you to apply to at least seven seminars in order to increase your chances of getting a seat in one of your top-choice seminars. Remember to rank your choices!

All applications will be reviewed at the same time by instructors so no special preference will be given to early applications. However, you may wish to avoid any last-minute problems due to heavy online traffic within 24 hours of the deadline. Rarely, an instructor will choose to hold interviews for selected applicants and will review the applications during the week before the deadline in order to choose and make arrangements for meeting during opening week. For those few seminars where this is the case, a note about this will be prominently included with the seminar description in the application system.

No, we do not keep wait lists. There will be a list of seminars with openings posted on the website after the initial online application period is over. We encourage all students who are still looking to enroll to check this list.

Seminar placement is ultimately done by a matching algorithm that is run after all applications have been submitted. However, different factors influence the algorithm’s outcome: instructors can select or deny students based on their essays and other relevant information; and student rankings and preferences are also taken into consideration. You will then receive an email notifying you of your placement in only one of your seminars

No, a First-Year Seminar is a small, limited enrollment course that may not be shopped or audited. Class size is 12-15.

Absolutely! Please check the seminars with open seats on the First-Year Seminar website frequently, as it likely change between Nov 6^th to Nov 20^th (Course Registration deadline).

(1) Anytime between November 6th-20th during Course Registration Period.
(2) Anytime between January 8-February 3, 2025, during the Add/Drop Period.

Browse the Seminars with open seats on our website, and email instructors directly for permission to join open seminars. Include a reason why you wish to enroll in the Seminar, as instructors will look for your enthusiasm about the class.

If the instructor approves your enrollment, confirm that you’ll enroll ASAP and copy our office: firstyearseminarprogram@fas.harvard.edu. You should also petition through the My.Harvard system to enroll officially.

No. Although more seminars are offered in the fall term, you should apply to whichever seminars interest you most, regardless of the term in which they are offered. You may take a seminar in both terms, space permitting.

Although we offer over 100 seminars each year, we cannot guarantee you a seat in a specific seminar. Demand for particular seminars varies widely, and there can often be too many applications for the seminar(s) in which you have expressed interest. However, not all seminars will be filled to capacity. After preliminary assignments are made, we will post a list of seminars with open seats that are still accepting students. You are welcome to reach out to the faculty member and ask permission to enroll.

Because Expos is a requirement and a First-Year Seminar is an elective, you should discuss with your adviser how to schedule these two important first-year experiences. You may request a change in your Expos assignment to accommodate your First-Year Seminar.

A student may enroll in two First-Year Seminar, one per term. Students enrolled in fall seminars can still enroll in a second seminar in the spring term. 

Yes. Even though first years may not ordinarily enroll in both a First-Year Seminar and another non-letter-graded course in any one term, they may take both CS 50 and a First-Year Seminar for SAT/UNS.

The Registrar opens the Crimson Cart on Oct 23^rd. You will then see your First-Year Seminar as part of your enrolled classes on My.Harvard.

First-Year Seminars are not letter-graded: a student’s work in the seminar is evaluated as Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory. A grade of Satisfactory includes letter grades from A to C-. A grade of Unsatisfactory represents work below C- and is considered a failing grade. Students who neglect the work of the seminar or do not perform satisfactorily will be excluded from the seminar and/or denied credit.

The Faculty of Arts and Sciences has a credit system whereby a one-semester course is worth four credits. First-Year Seminars count as one-semester course and are taken as part of a full semester’s course of study. All seminars count towards non-letter-grade credit. If you successfully petition a department to receive concentration credit for a first-Year Seminar (see below), then the seminar would count for letter-grade credit.

Some departments will count a first-year seminar for concentration/department credit. Please consult the Head Tutor or the Director of Undergraduate Studies in a given department for more information.

First-Year Seminars do not count for Gen Ed credit.