With the HAA Alumni Directory, you can search for alumni by name, class, School, etc., and contact them through an email function built directly into the platform. You will need your HarvardKey to log in. Claim your HarvardKey if you haven't done so (make sure to choose the “alumni” tab). With the HAA Alumni Directory, you can:
Find Fellow Alumni
When you first log in to the directory, you must enter a search term in the box at the top of your screen. For example, enter a name, a city and state, or a business to start.
Once you put the term into the search box and hit enter, you will see filtering options in the lower left-hand corner of the screen. You can use these filters to narrow down your search or begin an entirely new search with a new term. Note: You can’t search on filters alone—you must include an accompanying term in the search box at the top of the page.
For example, let’s say you want to find alumni who were in the Harvard College Class of 2006 and live in Boston. You would type “Boston, MA” (in quotes) into the search box and on the lower left-hand side, pick “Harvard College” from the School dropdown menu and 2006 in the Class Year dropdown menu.
You can also enter “Boston, MA” into the location filter, but sometimes you get better results by just using the search box for location. The results will immediately update after each filter you add. Now, you can scroll through and click on whatever profile you want to view.
For more HAA Alumni Directory search tips, view our Directory Search FAQ or Helpful Directory Search Tips documents.
Contact Fellow Alumni
You’ve entered your search terms and returned a list of alumni. Now you can contact alumni who currently have an email in the HAA database. Here is a step-by-step guide to contacting them:
- Search for alumni in your area, Class, School, etc., and gather a list of alumni.
- Scroll through or view profiles to see whom you would like to contact.
- Once you know whom you want to contact, you can email them directly by clicking the “Email” button in the far-right corner of the profile. Note: You can add alumni to your contact list if you want to reach out to them later by clicking the symbol on an individual’s profile or search preview tile.
- When you click on the email box, you will see a pop-up where you can enter a subject line and message. You will not see the recipient’s email address unless the alumnus/a has decided to make it visible.
- Hit send and your message will arrive in the inbox of the email account the alumnus/a has designated. When your recipient gets your email, it will reference that the message was sent through the HAA Alumni Directory. Note: Recipients will see your email address when they receive your message.
- If the recipient replies to your message, you will receive their email address. You can then proceed to communicate normally through your own inboxes.
Allow Fellow Alumni to Email You
All replies to emails you send through the directory go to the email account Harvard has on file for you—so it’s important that your email information with Harvard is up to date. Please contact the Alumni Help Desk to update your current email or to check what email you have on file.
Participate in Discussion Boards
Within the directory, you can find an array of discussion boards on different topics. These operate very much like a forum in which you post an initial message and then other alumni can reply to you. Explore the directory message boards.
Alumni Directory Usage
You must use the HAA Alumni Directory in accordance with the Terms of Use. This includes not using the directory to message large numbers of alumni at a given time. A few more quick usage tips include:
- You are limited to 100 individual profile views per day.
- You cannot send attachments.
- You cannot email more than one person at a time.
- If you don’t hear from someone, it could be because their email address is outdated.
- If you don’t see a box that says “Email” on a profile, that person doesn’t have an email in Harvard’s database or does not want to share their information.
- Asking someone to “forward” a message sent through the directory will not work.
- Graduate school alumni can also access individual School alumni directories. Please reach out directly to your School’s alumni association with questions: