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R.G. Menzies Scholarship to Harvard

After theOffer.

This guide covers what happens once you are offered the R.G. Menzies Scholarship. It draws on the Conditions of Award and on Harvard’s and the US government’s own pages. Details vary by school and change over time, so check with your school’s international office and the Harvard International Office.

The Main Steps

  1. Accept the award

    Your letter of offer states the award’s value. The Harvard Club of Australia announces the scholars once they have accepted its terms. The ANU then works with them on the transfer of funds before they leave for the United States.

  2. Get your visa document from Harvard

    Your Harvard school’s admissions or financial aid office first asks for evidence of your funding. Once that is done, the Harvard International Office issues your Form I-20 or DS-2019.

  3. Pay the SEVIS fee and apply for your visa

    Pay the I-901 SEVIS fee, complete the DS-160 visa application and usually attend a visa interview at a US embassy or consulate.

  4. Sort out health cover

    You are enrolled in the Harvard University Student Health Program automatically. Decide by the deadline whether to keep or waive its insurance plan.

  5. Arrive and register

    Register with the Harvard International Office after you arrive: F-1 students no later than 30 days after the program start date on their I-20, J-1 students within 30 days of the start date on their DS-2019.

What the Award Asks of You

When you accept, you agree to the Conditions of Award (131/2025). Selection criteria explains each condition with its clause. In short:

  • No deferral. The award can’t be deferred (clause 7), except as clause 12 allows in exceptional circumstances.
  • Enrolment and progress. Keep a course load that meets your school’s requirements, and send the selection committee a progress report with an official statement of results at the end of each academic year (clause 8).
  • Repayment. You may be asked to repay some or all of the award if you don’t pursue your course for at least the first academic year (clause 10).
  • Other scholarships. Tell the Harvard Club of Australia, through its administrator, about any other scholarships you hold (clause 6).
  • Tax and Centrelink. Get independent tax advice, and check how the award affects any Centrelink payments (clause 13).
  • Accommodation. Finding somewhere to live at Harvard is your responsibility (clause 14).
  • Publicity. You may be asked to take part in publicity for the award (clause 15).

Questions about the award after you accept go to the ANU Coursework Scholarships Office at philanthropic.scholarships@anu.edu.au (clause 17).

Visa Documents and Your Visa

The Harvard International Office (HIO) explains the process for students coming to Harvard. Its guidance, in brief:

  • Two things are needed. A student visa sponsored by Harvard needs a visa document issued by the HIO and a visa from a US embassy or consulate outside the United States.
  • F-1 or J-1. Most admitted full-time international students are eligible for the F-1 visa; only some are eligible for the J-1. If you are eligible for both, tell your school’s admissions office which you plan to use. The HIO says students are eligible for the J-1 if at least 50% of their tuition funding comes from an external source such as a scholarship, and that the J visa carries the two-year home residency requirement and the 12- and 24-month bars; its comparison of the F-1 and J-1 explains both.
  • Financial certification first. After you accept your Harvard place, your school’s admissions or financial aid office asks for evidence of your funding. The HIO notes this can take time, because the evidence often comes from several sources. Questions about it go to your school’s admissions office.
  • Form I-20 or DS-2019. Once certification is complete, your school passes your details to the HIO, which issues the I-20 or DS-2019. The HIO says this usually takes up to 10 days once the school asks. Students whose visa is sponsored by another agency get their documents from that agency.
  • The I-901 SEVIS fee. After you have your visa document, pay the fee at fmjfee.com using the SEVIS number on your I-20 or DS-2019. Keep the receipt: you need it at your visa interview and may be asked for it when you enter the United States.
  • The visa application. Complete the DS-160 online form on the US Department of State’s website, pay the visa application fee and book your own interview at a US embassy or consulate. The HIO suggests checking the Department of State’s published wait times.
  • After you arrive. F-1 students must register with the HIO as soon as possible after arriving, and no later than 30 days after the program start date on the I-20. They must keep to full-time study, and need the HIO’s authorisation before dropping below full time or taking a leave of absence. J-1 students must register with the HIO within 30 days of the start date on their DS-2019.

Immigration rules change. The HIO posts updates on its site, such as its 2026 notices about the “duration of status” rule. Check there, and with your school’s international office, for anything that applies to you. The Department of Homeland Security’s Study in the States site explains the SEVIS fee in more detail.

Health Insurance

Massachusetts law requires students to take part in a qualifying student health insurance program or a health plan with comparable coverage. The Harvard University Student Health Program (HUSHP) says:

  • Automatic enrolment. All registered Harvard students are enrolled in HUSHP automatically, and the charges go on the student bill.
  • Two parts. The mandatory Student Health Fee covers almost all care at Harvard University Health Services. The Student Health Insurance Plan covers care outside it, such as surgery, emergency care and prescriptions.
  • Waiving the insurance plan. You can waive the insurance plan by the deadline if you have comparable coverage that is active for the whole term. HUSHP doesn’t check other plans for you: it’s your responsibility to decide whether yours is comparable, and it publishes a waiver checklist to help.
  • Insurance from outside the US. HUSHP says a foreign plan may qualify for a waiver only if you are studying outside the United States and the plan covers you there.

HUSHP’s waiver page lists each term’s deadline.

Staying in Touch

Menzies Scholars are encouraged to stay involved with the scholarship throughout their careers. Once you are on the Honour Roll, you can join the private scholar network to keep your details up to date and find other scholars.

On your network profile you can say you are “happy to talk with applicants and new scholars”. Other scholars can then find you with the directory’s “Open to mentoring” filter. We may also pass on introductions from applicants. We never share your contact details without asking you first.

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