Residential Life

Residential life at Harvard Summer School (HSS) is made up of a vibrant and expansive community with students from all walks of life and age ranges. At any one time there are multiple sessions running across our three residential programs with hundreds of students in residence in each program complimented by hundreds of commuting and online students as well.

• The General Program (GP) enrolls adult and college students in credit-bearing courses of 3 weeks, 4 weeks, or 7 weeks in duration in residence, commuting and online. At any time during the sessions residential GP students comprise a population of approximately 375-500 students annually. GP students come to the Summer School for many different reasons; they may be pursuing a degree, exploring a new area of interest, or advancing their careers.
• The Pre-College Program (Pre-College) offers 3 sessions of non-credit, two-week, college-level courses for high school students solely in residence. At any time during one of the three Pre-College sessions there are approximately 550-580 students in residence. It provides students with an introduction to life in college through a structure of daily class meetings, college readiness skill-building workshops, academic exploration lectures, and community-building activities and social events.
• The Secondary School Program (SSP) enrolls high school students in credit-bearing courses of 4 weeks or 7 weeks in duration in residence, commuting and online. At any time during the sessions residential SSP students comprise a population of approximately 400-900 students annually. The SSP offers students an introduction to the autonomy that characterizes the first year of college, with variable class meeting schedules and the freedom to choose how to allocate time to studying, skill-building, socializing, and more.

Residential staff members play a variety of vital roles involved in the safety, well-being, community building, activities and daily experiences of the thousands of students, who attend our programs annually and each summer make-up the Harvard Summer School community. We encourage you to read all of the job-related details and please don’t hesitate to email us to ask any questions you may have as you consider applying to be a member of our team for Summer 2026.