How can I find out if a person went to Harvard?
We frequently receive requests to verify a person's attendance at Harvard, student employment, year of graduation, or area of concentration. Unfortunately, the libraries are not an authorized provider of that information.
Possible informal sources include:
- The Quinquennial catalogue of the Officers and Graduates of Harvard University 1636-1930 provides an accurate historical record.
- The Harvard Alumni Directory (limited access)
- The year 1910 is freely available and the year 1970 can be searched online (both in HathiTrust)). Print copies are held at several Harvard Libraries (but you must have access to the library to consult them).
- Alumni and former classmates only: the current Directory is online.
Official degree verification: The Registrar's web page outlines the procedure to obtain Harvard degree verification through the National Student Clearinghouse in Virginia. The Clearinghouse charges a fee for the service.
- Ask a Librarian services, including chat and email, will be suspended from December 21, 2024 through January 1, 2025. Queries received during this time will be answered as soon as possible following our return on January 2.
- If you're experiencing an ongoing technical issue when you attempt to access library materials with your HarvardKey during these times, please report it to Library Technology Services.
Chat
Monday-Thursday 9am-9pm
Friday-Saturday 9am-5pm
Sunday 12noon-7pm
Chat is intended for brief inquiries from the Harvard community.
Reach out to librarians and other reference specialists by email using our online form. We usually respond within 24 hours Monday through Friday.
Meet
Talk to a librarian for advice on defining your topic, developing your research strategy, and locating and using sources. Make an appointment now.
These services are intended primarily for Harvard University faculty, staff and students. If you are not affiliated with Harvard, please use these services only to request information about the Library and its collections.