Fact check: Harvard termination letter to student is not authentic

McKenzie Sadeghi, USA TODAY
·3 min read

The claim: An image shows a Harvard College termination letter

As applications for fall 2022 open for prospective college students, an image of a purported Harvard College letter has made its way to social media – but not an admissions letter.

"It is with a heavy heart we inform you that you are being terminated from Harvard," the purported letter reads. "This comes as a result of speculating your social media accounts and we believe that you do not transmit a good representation of the school."

In the post's caption, the Facebook user said students should be cautious about what they share online, writing "Reminder: It isn't just social media."

The subject line of the email is: "Admission Status," and it includes a "Harvard College Office of Undergraduate Education" letterhead.

The photo was shared to Facebook on Aug. 11. The post accumulated more than 7,000 shares within three days.

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But the image – as one might guess from the misuse of the word speculated – is fabricated. Harvard says the letter did not come from its offices.

In a message to USA TODAY, the Facebook user said he got the image from Twitter.

Letter is not real

Harvard spokesperson Rachael Dane told USA TODAY via email the letter is a hoax.

Dane said the university's Office of Undergraduate Education does not admit students into Harvard College, and they do not withdraw admissions from students.

According to Harvard's website, the Office of Academic Integrity and Student Conduc is responsible for dealing with disciplinary matters. Specifically, its Administrative Board addresses student conduct issues.

Meanwhile, the Office of Undergraduate Education works with faculty and academic departments and is "is responsible for the administration of the undergraduate curriculum at Harvard College," according to its website.

"Whoever wrote this fake post didn’t do their due diligence in figuring out which office does what," Dane said.

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In 2015, a similar fake Harvard letter went viral when then-high school student Molly McGaan of Chicago created a joke letter for her school's satirical paper, CBS Chicago reported. It was then shared to social media platforms as if it were authentic.

"People legitimately think it's real, which is so bizarre to me," McGaan told the Boston Globe at the time. "It's just so insane."

Our rating: Altered

An image claiming to show a Harvard termination letter to a student is ALTERED, based on our research. The university said the letter is not authentic, and that it doesn't withdraw admissions from students.

Our fact-check sources:

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: Harvard termination letter shared online is fake

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