Only Harvard affiliates can audit HLS classes, and Harvard Key is required to access audit request forms.
Non-SJD Auditing Policy at Harvard Law School (HLS)
Harvard Law School offers auditing privileges to Harvard University (HU) affiliates, allowing them to take up to six credits or two courses within an academic year. This includes those eligible for cross-registration, with such credits counting toward the maximum allowed.
Audit Petition Deadlines:
Fall 2024: Opens August 21, 2024, and closes September 9, 2024.
Winter 2025: Opens December 9, 2024, and closes January 6, 2025.
Spring 2025: Opens January 13, 2025, and closes January 31, 2025.
All potential auditors must submit their petition by the relevant deadline. The Registrar’s Office will hold audit forms until all term course enrollments, including cross-registrations, are final.
Before submitting a petition, prospective auditors must secure permission from the course instructor and should discuss their relevant qualifications. While instructor consent is needed, final enrollment depends on approval from the Law School Registrar’s Office, which considers seat availability.
Only HU affiliates can audit HLS courses. Interested individuals, except those wishing to audit first-year required courses, must complete an audit request form from the Office of the Registrar. The form requires the course instructor’s signature and will be held until the drop/add period ends. If space is available (without an HLS waitlist or once the waitlist is cleared), auditors will be allowed to attend and gain access to the course’s Canvas page. Excluding S.J.D. auditors, who will remain, auditors will be removed from the page after the term concludes. At the instructor’s discretion, potential auditors may sit in on classes pending the Registrar’s decision, provided seats are available. Denied requests will be reported to the faculty member.
Audited courses do not appear on transcripts, and auditors receive no formal record of participation. Once approved, auditors cannot change to enrolled status after the third week of the term. If multiple eligible individuals seek to audit the same course with limited seating, priority is given to Law School students, followed by other Law School affiliates, and finally by HU affiliates outside the Law School.
Contact Information for Audit-Related Inquiries:
Office of the Registrar: WCC 4007
Phone: 617-495-4612
Email: registrar@law.harvard.edu or kbrummel@law.harvard.edu
Note: Only HLS S.J.D. students or visiting S.J.D. students should use the SJD Audit Form.