Eligibility and selection are determined by a Review Committee and awards are distributed
on a funds-available basis.
The following criteria must be met to qualify for a GO: ASIA Fellowship:
- You are in good academic and community standing as outlined in the HBS Student Handbook, and remain so for the duration of your fellowship. GO Fellowship applicants and
recipients agree to abide by the HBS Community Values and the MBA Honor Code. GO: ASIA does not accept applications from alumni, unlike the GO: AFRICA Fellowship.
- You have accepted a job offer for a full-time, MBA appropriate position at an existing
organization. A full-time job is defined as working 35 hours or more per week with
a projected tenure of 12 months or longer. The Review Committee's preference is to
fund graduates who are joining operating companies over those joining investment funds/vehicles.
- Your job is based full-time in a country or territory in Asia that is designated by
the World Bank as Low Income, Low Middle Income or Upper Middle Income (view complete
list: World Bank Country and Lending Groups). Applicants who reside, work, or are based outside of an eligible country but whose
work focuses on that country do not qualify for GO: ASIA. Please note that Harvard
may not be able or willing to make payments to students from countries on the United
States Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) Sanctions; or to individuals identified by name, or related to or connected with anyone on
the Specially Designated Nationals List.
- Your total guaranteed annual compensation is less than $130,000 USD. Additional compensation
including but not limited to signing bonuses, relocation/moving expenses, and housing
allowances will be added to the base salary to determine the applicant’s total guaranteed
compensation.
- Your employment start date is on or before the first week of the month of January
following the April application intake, i.e. you must begin working within eight months
of applying for GO: ASIA.
- You are not sponsored for, nor are you being reimbursed for your MBA tuition or MBA-related expenses
currently as an HBS student or in the future. This includes both employer sponsorship
and merit-based scholarships from non-employers; it does not include need-based fellowships
awarded by HBS Financial Aid.
Financial need is not required for eligibility. However, preference is given to applicants who have
demonstrated financial need (as determined by HBS MBA Financial Aid), particularly
when demand for the fellowship is high.
The following positions are ineligible for the GO: ASIA Fellowship:
- Part-time, term, temporary, contract or volunteer roles;
- A position with job responsibilities that are determined to be sectarian by the Review
Committee;
- Political campaign work. Given the restrictions under Federal and certain state laws
on political activity by organizations such as Harvard University, HBS will not provide
funding for political campaign work;
See the FAQs section below for common questions about eligibility.
If you are conducting a job search for a post-MBA opportunity and would like to have
a conversation to assess your eligibility for the GO Fellowship, please contact Kurt
Piemonte, HBS Career & Professional Development, 617-495-6390, kpiemonte@hbs.edu.
Awards are designed to bridge the gap between the recipient’s total guaranteed annual
compensation and $130,000 USD. Award amounts are determined based on total funds available,
a thorough review of the application, and analysis of the applicant’s projected monthly
income. The maximum potential award amount an individual is eligible for in year 1
is up to $50,000 USD. The amount decreases by $10,000 USD in each subsequent year that the
recipient’s fellowship is renewed during the five-year eligibility period, with the
potential – based on the recipient’s annual compensation – to receive a total of $150,000
USD from HBS. See below for three example scenarios.
The cumulative amount of post-graduation career exploration funds that a HBS graduate
may receive in their lifetime from all HBS and Harvard University sources is capped
at $150,000 USD. Sources include, but are not limited to, the HBS Social Enterprise Loan Repayment Assistance Program, HBS Loan Reduction for Private Sector Employees Program, and the HBS Rock Center Loan Reduction for Entrepreneurs Program. Your GO: ASIA award will be included in your income calculation for loan assistance
programs.
Demand for the program (i.e., the size of the applicant pool and availability of funds)
determines the number of GO: ASIA Fellowships granted each year as well as the amount
of each fellowship award. While HBS hopes to grant every recipient the maximum award
amount for which they qualify, it is not always possible.
Example 1:
| Year |
Recipient's Total Guaranteed Compensation (annual) |
GO Fellowship Award Amount (eligible maximum) |
Combined Total |
| 1 |
$80,000 |
$50,000 |
$130,000 |
| 2 |
$90,000 |
$40,000 |
$130,000 |
| 3 |
$100,000 |
$30,000 |
$130,000 |
| 4 |
$110,000 |
$20,000 |
$130,000 |
| 5 |
$120,000 |
$10,000 |
$130,000 |
|
Total Received from HBS:
|
$150,000 |
|
Example 2:
| Year |
Recipient's Total Guaranteed Compensation (annual) |
GO Fellowship Award Amount (eligible maximum) |
Combined Total |
| 1 |
$55,000 |
$50,000 |
$105,000 |
| 2 |
$65,000 |
$40,000 |
$105,000 |
| 3 |
$75,000 |
$30,000 |
$105,000 |
| 4 |
$85,000 |
$20,000 |
$105,000 |
| 5 |
$95,000 |
$10,000 |
$105,000 |
|
Total Received from HBS:
|
$150,000 |
|
Example 3:
| Year |
Recipient's Total Guaranteed Compensation (annual) |
GO Fellowship Award Amount (eligible maximum) |
Combined Total |
| 1 |
$105,000 |
$25,000 |
$130,000 |
| 2 |
$115,000 |
$15,000 |
$130,000 |
| 3 |
$125,000 |
$5,000 |
$130,000 |
| 4 |
$131,000 (compensation is above eligibility threshold) |
$0 |
$131,000 |
|
Total Received from HBS:
|
$45,000 |
|
PRORATED AWARDS BASED ON EMPLOYMENT START DATE
The annual program cycle is July 1 – June 30 and awards will be pro-rated for the
length of eligible employment within the program cycle. For recipients who begin working
after July 1, their award amount will be reduced by 8.3% (or 1/12) for each month
after July in which they do not begin working.
AWARD PAYMENT
You will receive your GO Fellowship funds in two disbursements, each for half of the
total award amount. The first payment will be sent to you in July after graduation
and once HBS has received verification that you’ve started your job. The second payment
will be sent six months later – in January – once HBS has:
- Verified your compensation for your first 5 – 6 months of employment. HBS will contact
you in late November to request compensation verification such as a paystub reflecting
your first 5 – 6 months of pay, or other similar documentation; and,
- Received your donor appreciation letter (in mid-October, HBS Donor Relations will
email a request to GO Fellowship recipients).
Please note that Harvard may not be able or willing to make payments to students from
countries on the United States Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) Sanctions; or to individuals identified by name, or related to or connected with anyone on
the Specially Designated Nationals List.
TAX TREATMENT
GO Fellowship awards are reportable to the recipient. Upon receiving an award, recipients
will be required to complete tax documents for submission to HBS. Failure to supply
these forms within 30 days from notification of award will lead to forfeiture of your
GO Fellowship award. We suggest you consult your tax professional for questions about
your tax liability. Neither HBS nor Harvard University may provide tax advice. NOTE:
HBS will not be able to make payments in jurisdictions where such payments may violate
gift ban rules, create a local tax obligation for HBS, create an employment relationship,
create a business presence or similar. This list is not inclusive and each payment
will be analyzed on a case by case basis. The final determination of whether or not
a payment can be made rests solely with HBS.
CHANGES IN EMPLOYMENT
Funding is provided to the recipient for a specific opportunity and may not be transferred
to a new opportunity without review and approval of the Review Committee. You must
inform HBS if, during the time between when you are granted a GO Fellowship award
and your employment start date, you no longer intend to work for the employer (e.g.
you renege your acceptance or the employer rescinds your offer), your employment location
changes, or you are a founder and decide to close your venture.
You are required to inform HBS if, within 12 months of your employment start date,
either of the following occur:
- Your total guaranteed annual compensation increases from the amount upon which your
GO Fellowship award was based; and/or
- There is a change in your employment status, including employer, employment location,
reduction to less than full-time (<35 hours per week), and/or termination of employment.
