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Frequently Asked Questions

Who and what can I find through the online directory?

The online directory includes records for living and deceased alumni from all of Harvard’s schools. For each person, you can view a variety of information, including name, degree information, contact information (address, email, phone, social networks), as well as additional information such as industry and specialty. 
 
By default, records display name, home and business address, Harvard degree, current employer, social networks, and College House (the latter only for College alumni). Information regarding social networks, current employer, and address will only display if we have the information on record for you. 
 
Additional information will be displayed as alumni update their profiles. Please see our profile update help page for information on how to hide or show information in your record. 
 
Please note: The online directory is not an official record of all alumni who attended Harvard. If you are trying to verify a person’s attendance at Harvard, please contact the Registrar’s Office of the school the person attended. 
 
Alumni who have active FERPA blocks do not appear in search results. Please follow this link to learn more about how AA&D applies FERPA to alumni records.

Can I search by location?

Yes! The directory search is not limited to people’s names. Search for job title, company, city, state, industries, and of course, the names of your classmates. Please note that the number of returned results are limited so be sure to start with something specific. See our search tips below on how to get the most from the search.

How do I find others in my School or Class Year?

All searches must begin by typing in a keyword or phrase into the search field. For example, looking for everyone in 1982 interested or working in the Arts? Start by searching for the keyword arts and refine your list of results using the 1982 Class Year post filter in the left sidebar. Post filters will help you narrow your list down to specific Class Years, Schools, locations, etc.

I went to Harvard College. Can I limit my search to only those who lived in a specific House?

You can! Begin with a keyword or phrase in the main search bar. After the results are returned, use the left sidebar to filter down to only those in Harvard College. Once Harvard College is selected, the option to further refine on House will dynamically appear in the left sidebar.

I went to Harvard Business School or Harvard Law School. Can I limit my search to only those who were in a specific Section?

Yes! Begin with a keyword or phrase in the main search bar. After the results are returned, use the left sidebar to filter down to only those in Harvard Business School and/or Harvard Law School. Once HBS or HLS is selected, the option to further refine on Section will dynamically appear in the left sidebar.

Can I find people interested in career networking?

After you’ve provided a keyword or phrase in the main search bar, you can narrow your results by checking the Career Network Only box under Filters in the left sidebar. This will show only people who have indicated they are open to networking with other alumni and/or students.

I am not getting the results I expected. Is the information correct?

The directory is only as good as the information provided, and alumni can choose to show or hide all or part of their records. This may result in certain records not being found, or only limited information being displayed. Profile information not flagged to display will not be returned in search results. Be sure to review/edit your profile and select “display” for any key data (e.g., place of employment, job title, etc.) that you think may help others find you. This is especially important for those who are networking and are looking to be involved in our Career Network.

Who has access to the online directory?

All Harvard alumni and most students (please contact the HAA for eligibility requirements) who have claimed a HarvardKey have access to the online directory. Executive Education graduates have limited access to the online directory.

Are there limits on how many profiles I can search for?

You can view a maximum of 100 unique profiles per day. Any time you open a profile to view an individual's profile details, it counts against the limit (including opening a record from your contact list). Search results are not counted against the limit.

Search Tips and Tricks

  • To begin your search, enter a search term in the "Search Alumni Community" bar at the top of the page. You can search on people’s names (including nickname), job title, company, city, state, industries, etc.
  • If you type multiple keywords in the search bar, it will return results matching all of them (e.g., a search on john smith boston will find people with all 3 words in their profile.)
  • For more specific results, you can specify keywords or phrases in quotation marks (e.g., “product manager” “mountain view” will find people matching both phrases exactly).
  • Without quotation marks, the search will return results that are both exact and wildcard matches (e.g., a search on Pam will return results matching Pam, Pamela, Pamplona, etc.). Exact matches will be weighted higher.
  • You may explicitly use OR between keywords to find results matching any of the terms (e.g., Joe OR Joseph).
  • If you use OR between some search terms but not all, you may not get the results you expect. You may find it more effective to use quotes with OR (e.g., “joe smith” OR “joseph smith”).
  • To refine your search, use the filters in the left sidebar after searching on keyword(s). If you know that the John Smith you're looking for went to Harvard College, you can select "Harvard College" from the dropdown menu to exclude anyone with "John" and "Smith" in their profile who didn't go to Harvard College.
  • To find people in a certain city, perform your keyword search then use the Location filter in the left sidebar (e.g., to narrow down the results to those with a location matching Boston, MA).
  • Use the Sort dropdown after performing a search to order the results by first name, last name, class year (multiple degree holders will sort by most recent year), or last login to the Alumni Community).
  • There is no need to search separately for an alum's maiden name or name at graduation, as these will be automatically included in your search results.
  • In general, the fewer search criteria you enter, the more results you will get; the more criteria you provide, the more you will narrow your results.

Still need help? Contact the HAA Help Desk for assistance.