Starting August 2025, there is a new process for claiming your New York Times subscription. To set up your new account or restore your free access, follow the instructions on this page.
Claim Your Account
All Harvard students, faculty, and staff are eligible for a free digital New York Times subscription.
Activate your subscription
1. Open nytimes.com in your browser (use a private or incognito window for best results)
2. Click Log In at the top right
3. Choose Continue with work or school single sign-on
4. Enter your Harvard email address
5. Sign in with your HarvardKey account
Each time you need to log in via the web, choose “Continue with work or school single sign-on” from the login screen. For app access, see instructions below.
Already have a personal NYT account?
You can keep it and still get free News access. This way, all your subscriptions (like Cooking or Games) stay in one account. If you currently pay for a News subscription, start by cancelling your paid subscription, then follow the instructions below:
- Log in to your personal New York Times account
- From the homepage, click Account > Account Settings > Email and Settings
- Under Connected Accounts select Connect with a work or school account
Using the App
Single sign-on with your HarvardKey account is not available in the New York Times app. If you previously logged into NYT with your Harvard email and a NYT-specific password, you can continue to use that password for the app. If you've only logged in via your HarvardKey account, follow these instructions to create a password for use with the app:
- After following the instructions above to log in from your computer, from the NYT homepage select Account > Account settings
- Under Account information > Password, click Update
- Select Forgot password
- You will receive a code via email. Enter the code and set a secure password
- Go to the app on your mobile device and log in using your Harvard email address and the new password
Things to Know
- Access is for current students, faculty, and staff
- Your Harvard affiliation will be checked every six months
- Your free account includes full digital access to news and audio via nytimes.com, The New York Times app, and The New York Times Audio app. This includes digital content from the mid-1990s to present, and articles from the print and digital editions from 1851 to present
- Access to Games, Cooking, Wirecutter, and The Athletic is not included in your free account
- If you have issues with your account, you can report a problem here