Harvard Summer School Program in Greece
About the program
Key information
- 2026 Topic: Political and Natural Environments of the Eastern Mediterranean from Antiquity to the Present: Comparative Cultural Approaches
- Dates: June 27 - August 2, 2026
- Locations: Thessaloniki and Nafplio (Greece)
- Organized by: Harvard Summer School (HSS), supported by CHS Greece and CHS US
- Open to: University students (up to 20 positions)
- Application Period: Early December - January 29, 2026
- Language: English
- Faculty: Dimiter Angelov (Program Director, Harvard), Yota Batsaki (Dumbarton Oaks/Harvard), Emma Dench (Harvard), Eurydice Georganteli (Harvard), Dimitri Kastritsis (University of Virginia), Ilham Khuri-Makdisi (Academic coordinator, Northeastern), Michael Puett (Harvard), and Yorgos Syrimis (Yale University)
- Activity Administration: Evan Katsarelis (CHS Greece) and Georgia Dimopoulou (CHS Greece)
- Contact number and email: (+30) 27520 47030, int. line: 2, programs-eventsgreece@chs.harvard.edu
Overview
This 5-week-long summer course is one of the oldest and most successful Harvard study-abroad programs. Divided between the historical city of Thessaloniki and the seaside town of Nafplio, the program has in its scope the promotion of cross-cultural understanding by focusing on the circulation of peoples, ideas, representations, and organisms from a comparative, interdisciplinary and environmental humanities perspective, in a region of diverse landscapes and ecosystems.
Since the summer of 2002, when it was launched, a total of over 350 students from the four corners of the world have come to Greece, for this intensive course on comparative cultural studies. Discover more of the program’s history on the webpage dedicated to the celebration of its 20-year milestone.
Seminars & structure
The Harvard Summer School Program in Greece is fundamentally interdisciplinary, combining historical, literary, philosophical, and linguistic approaches to cultural exchange. The pedagogical model is interactive and research-driven, with faculty members and students exchanging ideas around the seminar table, making it a real laboratory for comparative and collaborative thinking. There are seven week-long seminars taught in English and each of them meets Monday through Thursday, for a total of four two-hour periods. Seminars run in pairs over the first four weeks of the course; the fifth week is devoted to the writing of the final paper. Later in the fall, you can find the 2026 Syllabus of the program in the call for applications, by clicking to expand the section "2026 Course Seminars."
Furthermore, an essential part of the program’s curriculum is the weekend excursions to renowned historical and archaeological sites, along with various other extracurricular activities, such as dramatic performances and beach trips.
Eligibility & scholarship opportunities
The program is addressed to Harvard college students, as well as undergrads and postgrads from universities around the globe. There are no prerequisites, apart from being in good academic standing and proficiently skilled in English.
Like with every other Harvard Summer School program, Harvard College applicants are eligible for funding opportunities from the Mignone Center for Career Success. Additionally, support from the Center for Hellenic Studies enables the program to further enhance the diversity of its student body through three competitive student scholarships in collaboration with the University of Patras in Greece (call for 2 scholarships for the Harvard Summer Program in Greece - University of Patras) and Fudan University in China.
CHS Greece & Harvard Summer School
Since 2008, the Harvard Summer School program has further benefited from the establishment of CHS Greece. Seminars and workshops are held at the Center’s facilities in Nafplio and CHS Greece provides administrative and logistical support for the program. Additionally, strong academic links have been forged, including guest lectureships and a scholarship for a University of Patras student, thanks to the institutional stature of CHS Greece.
Learn more on the program's page on the Harvard Summer School website.
What students say about the program in their own words
"Come here with an open mind and you will meet some of the most incredible people. I've already made some lifelong friends. Don't take anything for granted and enjoy every moment because time flies way too fast."
Glimpses of Harvard Summer School in Greece
