Redesigned my.Harvard Website Launches to Temporary Disruption, Student Skepticism

Hours after its Thursday launch, Harvard’s redesigned my.Harvard portal faced a temporary disruption that caused intermittent slowdowns — marking a shaky debut to a long-planned overhaul of the University’s primary student hub.

A University spokesperson confirmed that the issue had been resolved as of Friday morning, and that Harvard University Information Technology is working to address the underlying problem and strengthen the site’s infrastructure moving forward.

The revamp — my.Harvard’s first update in more than a decade — has been in the works at since 2024 and is intended to improve the site’s navigability, performance, and design, according to an email from FAS Registrar Erika McDonald to affiliates.

The portal is typically used by undergraduates to register and enroll for courses, view term bills, and manage financial aid. The new site will operate “up to five times faster” and is easier to use on smartphones and tablets than previous iterations, according to McDonald.

The portal’s interface also received a redesign, with updated pages designed to increase usability and produce a “clean, modern” look.

McDonald highlighted the redesigned public “Course Search” and a new calendar feature, intended to improve course registration and help students plan out their semester. The “Advising Report” function now allows students to track credits they have completed in a progress chart, sorting completed courses into different distributions. The “Student Account” section — where students view financial statements and pay term bills — is now divided into several subpages.

Despite the updates, some students said the changes made the site harder to navigate.

Kayleen I. Mukire ’29 said the site’s navigation had worsened for her after the headers for the course registration and financial aid tabs were removed.

“I’m very lost,” she said. “I don’t even know where the login button is.”

Others noted complications minutes after the update was announced. Multiple students who receive financial aid from the College were notified that their financial aid award decision for the 2026-2027 year would not be available until the site’s issues were resolved, according to emails obtained by the Crimson.

McKenzie E. Lemmo ’28, a Crimson Magazine editor, said she received an email from the financial aid office stating that her decision was available, though it was quickly withdrawn due to a site error.

“I tried to log on,” she said. “I got a follow-up email saying that my decision was removed because my.Harvard was not working.”

As of Friday morning, students’ financial aid decisions are now available to view through the old my.Harvard portal, according to emails sent to affected students.

The new portal was viewed 100,000 times on launch day, according to the my.Harvard website. The full transition and retirement of the legacy portal are expected to be completed by July 2027.

—Staff writer Theresa F. Bartelme can be reached at [email protected] and on Signal at theresabartelme.15. Follow her on X @theresabartelme.