Harvard Alumni Affiliation Verification

Many Clubs and SIGs wish to verify a potential member’s alumni affiliation before granting them membership. The instructions outlined below apply to members of the Harvard alumni community, whose definitions are as follows:
 

  • Alumni (AL) – An alumnus/alumna is defined as an individual who has received a degree from any school at Harvard University or Radcliffe College, including honorary degrees.

  • HAA Associate Members (AM) – An HAA Associate Member is defined as an individual who has not earned a degree from Harvard University or Radcliffe College but has enrolled in a degree program and completed at least one credit-granting course with a passing grade; or a non-degree individual who has completed a certificate program or programs of at least nine weeks cumulative duration. AM-qualifying programs must also have a qualified admissions process.

  • Program Participants (PT) – A Program Participant is defined as a non-degreed individual who does not meet the University’s criteria for designation as HAA Associate Member, but whom a particular school will be able to designate as a Program Participant under its own defined criteria.

Clubs and SIGs should review their bylaws to ensure that Harvard affiliates are approved for the appropriate membership tier.

Effective Methods of Verification

The HAA recommends two different methods for verifying alumni affiliation.
 

Using the AlumniMagnet Database (available to Clubs/SIGs with AlumniMagnet Full Sites)

  • Encourage the individual to log in with their HarvardKey. Once logged in, they will appear in the database, and their Main Code will note their affiliation (AL, AM, PT). If they are enrolled in a degree program*, they can log in with their HarvardKey and have a Main Code of ST for student. 

  • For more information on HarvardKey and how to obtain one, please visit the HarvardKey FAQ for Alumni.

    • *As of December 2024, current Harvard Extension School students’ HarvardKey does not work on AlumniMagnet. In such cases, the HAA Alumni Directory is helpful for verification. If this changes, these guidelines will be updated accordingly.
       

Using the Alumni Directory  

  • Log into the HAA Alumni Directory and use the search feature to look up potential members. 

  • In addition to their name, the HAA advises you request the individual provide additional information such as their school of graduation, class year, and any other names (given names, maiden names, alternative phonetic spellings, nicknames, etc.) to assist in identifying them in the directory. 


In the rare case an alumni affiliation is unable to be verified through the above methods, send the individual's name, degree and year, and email address to your organization’s Staff Liaison.

Ineffective Methods

The following methods are ineffective in verifying alumni affiliation, and the HAA advises against using them.
 

HarvardKey Access

  • As of December 2024, approximately 56% of alumni have claimed a HarvardKey. HarvardKey is also used by non-alumni Harvard affiliates, including staff, faculty, visiting fellows, and researchers.  

  • Given the significant portion of alumni who do not have HarvardKey, and the large number of non-alumni individuals who do, HarvardKey access is not an effective method for verifying affiliation. 
     

Harvard Affiliated Email Address (@post.harvard.edu, @alumni.harvard.edu, @harvard.edu or school affiliated email addresses)

  • 9% of alumni do not have email forwarding set up and may not have access to a Harvard email address.

  • Schools may grant certificate recipients and program participants a Harvard email, but not alumni status. Harvard affiliates such as staff, faculty, visiting fellows, and researchers may have a Harvard email but no alumni affiliation.

  • Given the large number of email addresses available to non-alumni and those who do not have a forwarding address, Harvard email addresses are not an effective method for verifying affiliation. 
     

Social Media Affiliation (LinkedIn and Facebook profiles, membership to Facebook and WhatsApp groups)

  • Anyone can edit and add degrees to their personal social media profiles, and individuals may be able to join alumni social media groups without verification of their affiliation.  

  • Given the lack of control, there is no way to verify alumni status based on social media alone.