Aspire Leaders Program 2026 — Cohort 4
Aspire Institute
Free online leadership programme with HarvardX courses for first-generation university students from low-income backgrounds
Bookmarking and application reminders live in the Togeva app.
At a glance
- Funding
- Free
- Format
- Online
- Application fee
- No application fee
- Deadline
- Closes 16 Oct 2026, 23:59 UTC time
- Language
- English
fully funded HarvardX courses, live seminars with Harvard faculty, plus alumni seed funds and mentorship
Who can apply
- University students
- Aged 18–26
About this opportunity
What it is
The Aspire Leaders Program is a free, fully online leadership programme run by the Aspire Institute, an organisation founded at Harvard. Cohort 4 of 2026 is open now.
What you get
- Fully funded HarvardX courses
- Live seminars with Harvard faculty and other experts
- Virtual peer exchange with a global cohort
- On completion: access to alumni seed funding for community projects, mentorship sessions and a worldwide network
Everything is delivered online — no travel required. Participants have come from 195 countries.
Who it is for
Emerging leaders aged 18–26 who are current undergraduate students or recent graduates, are the first generation in their family to attend university, and come from a low-income background. Students affected by armed conflict or natural disasters also qualify. There is no country restriction.
After you apply
Accepted students move through a multi-stage selection process, culminating in the finalist programme roughly four to five months after the deadline.
Cohort 4 closes 16 October 2026.
Topics
Bookmarking and application reminders live in the Togeva app.