Covid Test Requirement for J-Term in-person Classes

Please click here for live updates about Covid-19 testing policies.

Message from Dean Long:

We are writing to share additional measures HGSE will be taking to ensure the continuity and safety of in-person instruction in January, both for January Term and for Spring semester classes.  As the Covid pandemic continues to evolve rapidly, and because many members of our community are traveling in the US and internationally over the coming weeks as well as participating in social events, we are requiring additional testing for all students who will be participating in a class with any in-person component.  This policy is consistent with the requirement imposed for others participating in in-person events on campus in January (e.g., students participating in the January HGSE Homecoming and third-year Ed.L.D. students returning to campus in January as part of their residency year). 

All students enrolled in in-person HGSE courses must test negative for Covid via Harvard’s Color system or other PCR test within 72 hours before attending the first meeting of their January Term class or Spring class. 

For students participating in a January Term class:

1. You will need to have the results of your Covid test via the Color system before arriving for your first class meeting in January.  For example, for classes meeting on Monday, January 3, you will need to participate in testing by dropping off a test kit at Gutman Library by Sunday, January 2, at 11 am (the last collection time on Sunday). 
2. Please note that Harvard will be closed and Color testing kits and drop-off boxes will not be available on Saturday, January 1, due to the national New Year’s holiday.
3. If you are unable to come to the HGSE campus to complete Color testing by 11am the day before your first class meeting, you will need to obtain a PCR test within 72 hours of your first class from an alternate provider.  Covid PCR tests are widely available, and multiple national pharmacy store chains and local governments provide access to free or reduced cost testing. Additional information is provided below in the FAQ.
4. If you do not have a negative result from a PCR test conducted in the previous 72 hours before your first scheduled class meeting, you will not be able to attend class.
5. You will also be asked to test more frequently in your first week back on campus. All community members are required to test promptly on your first day back, and then again on either day 4 or 5.  The following week, members should resume their normal testing cadence as prescribed in the Color system, starting with a test on day 8. (Given current practice, please plan to test weekly thereafter.)

Please continue to observe the health and safety measures shared by Provost Garber, Executive Vice President Lapp, and HUHS Executive Director Nguyen in their recent community email.  While we continue to be encouraged by the absence of evidence of classroom-based transmission at Harvard – owing to our combination of vaccination, masking, and test measures – we want to do our utmost to keep our community safe amidst uncertainty in the course of this pandemic.

Thank you for all you are doing, and will do, to look out for one another’s well-being and health.

Frequently Asked Questions

I am taking a January Term class that meets for the first time on campus at HGSE on Monday, January 3. When do I need to test?

There are two options.  For most students, you would test using the Color system on Sunday, January 2, at Harvard, dropping off your sample at Gutman Library by 11 a.m. If you cannot test on Sunday using the Color system, then you will need to get a PCR test from an outside testing provider with a sample taken within 72 hours before your first class meeting.  More information on providers is below.

I am not taking a January Term class, and my first class isn’t likely to be until the start of the spring semester.  Does this apply to me?

Yes. You are expected to have a current (within 72 hours) negative PCR test in hand before your first class meeting in January, whether that is for a January Term class or for a Spring 2022 class starting in late January.  Do not wait until the day of your first class to get tested via the Color system; instead, plan to be tested at least one day before your first class, as you will be expected to have received a negative test result upon arrival to your first in-person class. Of course, this guidance is subject to change based on evolving conditions, so please continue to monitor communications from HGSE, your instructors, and the University.

I am taking a January Term class, but it’s at a different school via cross-registration.  Does this testing guidance apply to me?

Please follow the guidance provided by the school or University (if MIT, Tufts, etc.) into which you are cross-registering in January.  Regardless of explicit requirements by other schools, we strongly recommend you test at HGSE via the Color system immediately on return to the Cambridge area.

If I can’t make it in time to submit a test via the Color system by the day before my first class meeting in January, how should I plan to get my Covid PCR test?

We expect that most students will be tested as they have during this academic year: via Harvard’s Color system.  If that is not possible prior to your first in-person class meeting, then PCR Covid testing is widely available in the U.S. and in most other countries.  (Rapid antigen tests are not acceptable; only PCR tests qualify under this testing requirement.)  Local providers such as CVS and Walgreens, for example, offer testing that is typically free.  The City of Cambridge also offers free testing at multiple locations. Massachusetts also provides a state-wide searchable list of testing sites, as do many other local, state/provincial, and national governments.  Appointments may or may not be required depending on the provider, and hours may be limited by the New Year’s holiday.  Please note that HGSE is not endorsing any specific provider, and the requirement is simply for a timely PCR-based Covid test.

I am traveling into the United States from another country right before my first in-person class meeting at HGSE in January. If I am required to show the results of a negative PCR test to enter the country, can that test meet the requirement for testing prior to attending my first January class?

The test you take must have been based on a sample you collected no more than 72 hours before your first in-person class meeting. The timing of the test is important, and results from tests taken more than 72 hours before your class meeting do not meet HGSE’s testing requirement. The test must also be from a PCR test, and not a rapid antigen test. Results from a PCR test for Covid taken outside the US but within the 72-hour window before your class meeting are acceptable.

What if I have additional questions?

You can contact safety@gse.harvard.edu. During the winter break when Harvard University administrative offices are closed (from December 18 to January 2), you should expect intermittent or delayed response.