Assessments
Faculty Start-Up Administrative Assessment Fee:
No assessments.
Unrestricted-Designated (UD) Funds Administrative Assessment Fee:
For UD funds including royalty funds, conference funds and FAS annual awards, no fees are assessed.
Current Use Gift Administrative Assessment Fee:
The administrative assessment fee on restricted current use gift funds is 15% of operating expenses. The 15% is applied to charges in expense object codes 6000-8999 (excluding direct student support and object code 8922); this fee is applied monthly, at months end. The assessment considers financial activity on object codes 6000-8999, excluding student aid charges in object codes 6110 (Course Assistants), 6140 (Graduate Students/Research Assistants), 6410 (Undergraduate Tuition/ Fees), 6430 (Graduate Tuition/Fees) , 6440 (Graduate Student Stipend), and object 8922 (where the administrative charge itself will be posted).
Sponsored Research Overhead Rate:
Federal
Currently Harvard University's federal rate is 69%. Please refer to OSP's F&A Rates.
Non-Federal
Effective FY18, SEAS's non-federal rate is a minimum of 15%. Please refer to FAS and SEAS Policy on Assessments on Current Use Gifts and Sponsored Awards.
Endowments
Harvard University and SEAS charge 3 assessments (see below for more detail). By the end of August each year, all assessments have been booked.
The Central Support Assessment was established by the Corporation in fiscal year 2002 and is equal to 10% of the total distribution of all funds. Income generated through this assessment supports the cost of central administrative activities. The assessment is scheduled to continue through FY 2031 and is subject to periodic review by the Corporation. The CSA charges are assessed on an annual basis.
The Academic Support Assessment was established by the Corporation in 1993. This assessment is deposited to a school-level fund and supports school-level administrative costs for instruction and research activities (such as admissions, financial aid offices, libraries, and facilities management). The fund is commonly referred to as the “Dean’s sweep” and is equal to 9% of the gross distribution (10% of the total distribution, net of the CSA). The ASA charges are assessed on an annual basis.
The Administrative Endowment Assessment was established by the Corporation in 1993. This assessment is designed to support administrative costs related to the maintenance of endowment and gift funds and their use in supporting the mission of teaching and research. The current AEA rate for SEAS endowment funds is 11.111% of the annual treasurer’s distribution and is charged using object code 5930. The AEA charges are assessed on an annual basis.