Blended Track

Dear CSE and Data Science students,

Thank you to all who responded to our survey about the blended track option for our master’s programs in the 2025-26 academic year. We appreciate the thoughtful feedback you provided as we explored this option.

We are glad to report, based on our survey, the large majority of our international students have either obtained a visa or are well on their way. We also heard clearly that, if given the option, students prefer to study on campus, and at this point, it appears that very few students would make use of the blended track. The educational experience we envisioned for the blended track would not be possible with so few students. Therefore, we are currently not planning to offer the blended track this year.

We understand this is disappointing news – especially if immigration-related constraints or visa denials prevent you from attending in person this fall. If you are unable to obtain a visa, you may request a one-year deferral to enroll. This can be done by emailing GSAS at admiss@fas.harvard.edu with “deferral request” in the subject line. In parallel, you will also need to provide SEAS with documentation of your situation (e.g. an email or screenshot indicating the status of your visa application), via an email to mastersprograms@seas.harvard.edu. If you have already formally submitted a deferral request via GSAS there is no need to take further action at this time. You will be contacted separately regarding your request.

Our international students are a vital part of the SEAS community, and we remain fully committed to supporting you – both now and throughout your time in the program. We may be back in touch as the situation evolves.

Eddie Kohler

Faculty Director, Blended Master’s Programs 

Microsoft Professor of Computer Science