Questions and the answers to them have been organized under the topics at right. Use these links to display the topics in the space below. Please review the questions and answers carefully before contacting our office.
Please note: The university’s ten professional schools (Art, Architecture, Divinity, Drama, Forestry, Law, Management, Medicine, Music and Nursing) have separate admissions policies and application processes which are outlined within the admissions Web pages and publications of those schools.
Application for admission to the Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences is an Online process (there is no paper application for you to fill out or mail).
After creating an account and accessing the Online application you may then begin to complete your application.
You have the ability to "upload" your Personal Statement of Purpose, as well as Writing Samples, a Resume, transcripts and other documents you wish to include with your application.
You have the ability to designate your Recommenders who can submit a letter of recommendation for you on-line. Once you identify a Recommender they will receive an e-mail providing instructions and access information.
You have the ability to work on your application at any time and submit it when you are ready.
You have the ability to "track" the receipt of Standardized Test scores released to us, as well as Recommendations submitted.
The earlier you submit your application the sooner you can learn about the receipt of these materials.
After submission you may print a PDF copy for your own use which will look exactly as the copy that will be printed at the Office of Graduate Admissions.
Applications received on or before the deadline of the program you are applying to will be provided to your designated program during January.
Application accounts created and applications started and not submitted by the deadline of your respective program will be deleted prior to the start of the new application cycle (early August of each year). Application data and any associated supplemental materials are not retained.
Please read the Policies and Procedures for detailed information on the actual requirements of the process.
While supporting or supplemental materials (including Standardized Test Scores ) are accepted after the application deadline, timely submission of documents and scores will provide the faculty with a more complete application for review. There is a possibility that your designated department will not see materials that arrive after the application deadline, and some may not review your application unless all materials are included. It is for this reason that we encourage uploading all documents to your on-line application and this includes records of your academic performance.
How do I delete a duplicate application/account?
A duplicate account is the result of you having previously created an application account at Yale and then accessing the on-line application at Yale again logging in using the PIN # assigned as a function of creating an application account at another institution which uses the same application software provider (ApplyYourself, AY Recruiting or Hobson's Emt) and not the PIN # assigned when you created your account at Yale.
It is important to contact the Office of Graduate Admissions to have the duplicate account deleted. The process of deleting a duplicate account can be complicated if you have requested letters of Recommendation and one or more have been received, using the account you wish to have deleted. If this situation applies you much first contact Technical Support to have the letters of Recommendation transferred to the application you wish to maintain. When that is completed you will then need to contact the Office of Graduate Admissions.
The deadlines for Fall 2010 for receipt of the application and all supplemental materials are:
December 4, 2009: Biological and Biomedical Sciences (BBS).
December 15, 2009:Economics, Epidemiology and Public Health, History, Political Science, Psychology and Urban Education.
January 2, 2010: All other Programs and Departments.
Admissions committees may not consider applications and/or credentials received after the deadline.
Note: Deadlines are subject to change at any time
The application fee for Fall 2010 is US$95.00.
Credit card (Visa or MasterCard) payment from within the online application is the only method of payment. Debit cards, credit card debit authorizations or Wiire transfers (such as SWIFT or Fedwire) are not accepted.
If you are a U.S. Citizen or U.S. Permanent Resident visa holder, and meet certain requirements, you may be eligible for a waiver or refund of the application fee. Except as noted in the Fee Waiver Eligibility and Instructions page available on this website, all applicants must pay the application fee upon submission of the application.
Non-US citizens are not eligible to apply for a fee waiver.
Previous applicants who were not admitted to the Graduate School and applicants who declined a previous offer of admission must submit a new application and pay the application fee. Admissions records such as applications and supplemental materials, of applicants who did not enroll in the Graduate School are retained for two years by the Graduate Office of Admissions and will be combined with new application records. If you are re-applying for admission in Fall 2010, and filed a previous application for either the Fall 2008 or Fall 2009 we will have your previous application and supplemental materials. Be advised that in addition to submitting a new application, you must also provide transcripts depicting all academic work not included in the previous application, one new recommendation, a new personal statement of purpose, the application fee, and any other credentials required to complete your application, such as writing samples and GRE and TOEFL or IELTS scores. All previously submitted supplemental materials will be collated with your new application. List, within your application, only new recommenders, not those listed in your prior year application - we will enter their names for you.
If you applied for admission for Fall 2007 or earlier, we will not have your application or any supplemental materials. You will need to submit all new supplemental materials with your Fall 2010 application.
Applicants who have been denied admission three times by the Graduate School, whether by one or more departments, may not file further applications. Please read the Policies and Procedures on reapplying for additional information.
Many programs are beginning to review applications on-line. As a result you will want to "upload" all such materials to your on-line application if at all possible. If you have supplemental materials which could not be attached to your online application and you consider them absolutly necessary to support your application, they are to be sent to the Office of Graduate Admissions – no materials are to be sent to your program of study.
The online application can accommodate virtually all of the supplemental materials you will need in support of your application. Letters of Recommendation are automically attached to your application when they are submitted by your designated recommenders. Writing samples, abstracts, resumes, etc., as well as your Personal Statement of Purpose and transcripts/academic records, can all be uploaded (attached) to your online application so there is no need to mail paper copies into us. The inclusion of such duplicate materials makes the review of your file more difficult.
We strongly encourage you to upload a record of your academic performance to your on-line application and not have a transcript mailed to us. This upload may be in the form of a scanned copy of your transcript or academic record (please see questions and answers regarding transcripts below).
If the transcript is in a language other then english you will need to have it translated to English. The translation must be certified to be an accurate translation of the original and be notarized or otherwise authenticated. The translation and the original transcript can then be uploaded to your application.
If you are unable to upload a copy of your transcript or academic record then you need to have a transcript sent to us by mail. You should use the Transcript Request form available from within the online application under "downloadable forms" when ordering transcripts from your prior institutions. If you used one of our Transcript Request Forms from the online application, your information will be pre-populated. On this form there is a section labeled "Student Identification Number" this number is not pre-populated from the online application but is a number that you were issued from your University that uses to identify you. This form includes our mailing address.
Do not send in materials you have uploaded to your on-line application.
Please also see question: Can I submit supplemental materials before I submit my application? Remember there is no need to mail paper copies of materials uploaded to your on-line application. The inclusion of such duplicate materials makes the review of your file more difficult.
Our mailing addresses:
U.S. Postal Service/Air Mail:
Office of Graduate Admissions
Yale University
PO Box 208323
New Haven, CT 06520
USA
Express/Courier Service only:
Office of Graduate Admissions
Yale University
320 York Street, HGS Room 117
New Haven, CT 06511
USA
The phone number you should put on express service
envelopes is: 203-432-2771
The Yale office of Admissions does not accept supplemental materials such as letters of recommendation or transcripts from credential management and dossier services.
While a number of programs and departments at the Graduate School offer specific fields of study, not all of them require you to choose one when you submit your application. The available fields of study for these programs will be displayed to you in the form of a drop down table once you make your selection for Proposed Program of Study. If you are applying to a program which does not require sub fields you may wish to indicate your interest in a specific field of study in your Personal Statement.
Yes, but there is normally no need to do so. Recommendations are completed on-line and attached to your application automatically. All other materials should be uploaded to your application. We do not encourage supplemental materials* which cannot be attached (uploaded) to your online application (such as large manuscripts or books, CDs or sheet music). If there is something you MUST mail, please mail it early so that we can more quickly match them with your application once you submit it. It is essential that if you do mail anything, you mail it to our office and that it is clearly labeled with your name, proposed program of study and all relevant contact information. Do not mail any materials to your designated program.
*Writing samples, abstracts, resumes, and scanned copies of official transcripts or academic records, etc., as well as your Personal Statement of Purpose, can all be uploaded (attached) to your online application so there is no need to mail paper copies into us. The inclusion of such duplicate materials makes the review of your file more difficult.
Once you start your online applicant you can login into it at any time to check the status of the receipt of recommendations submitted for you electronically. Once you submit your application you will be able to see whether or not we have received transcripts, or GRE/TOEFL/IELTS scores or other materials which may have been mailed to us. However, the process of status reporting requires manual file updates and can take a period of time. Please be aware that our office receives an extraordinary amount of mail so you should allow several days (up to 5-13 during peak processing periods) for the status of mailed in material to be posted to your application. This is also true for Standardized Scores which may have been sent to us earlier in the process. Please allow an ample amount of time for this when checking the receipt of materials.
Because of this we strongly urge you to submit your application as early as possible.
If your application is marked as "Incomplete" your application will still be processed on to your designated program. While the program may contact you for missing materials if deemed necessary, it is your responsibility to ensure that all materials are received prior to the deadline or if there is an issue which needs to be resolved.
We cannot give any applicant status information over the phone or via e-mail.
All online applicants receive an ApplyYourself PIN number and password when you create your account to apply to Yale. This is the number you use to login to the online application. If you lose your PIN, you should use the form on the login page of the online application to request assistance. You should never disclose your PIN number. If you already have an ApplyYourself PIN number and password from a previous year unsubmitted application or from another school, you can use that same PIN and password to access our application for this year.
Your Applicant ID number is created once you submit your application. Once you submit your application you will receive a confirmation e-mail with your Applicant ID number. This is the number the Office of Graduate Admissions uses to track your application. If you are creating transcript requests or recommendation cover pages for recommenders wanting to submit by paper, those forms will be prefilled for you from within the Online application if you supply your name and e-mail address - the Applicant ID will automatically be filled in. You should not print any blank transcript request forms or blank cover pages for the recommendation - these should be printed only after starting the Online application. If you have submitted your online application, and are requesting transcripts or paper letters of recommendation, you can print those forms from within your Online application and your Applicant ID number will be prefilled. Never use your PIN # or SSN in place of the Applicant ID.
No. Applications may be made to only one department or program at the Graduate School per term unless specified as one of the three combined degree programs (African American Studies, Film Studies, Renaissance Studies) currently available at the Graduate School.
Some departments and programs offer a Joint Degree between the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and one of Yale’s professional schools. If you apply for a Joint Degree you must submit an application to both the professional school and the Graduate School.
A Combined Degree is between two departments or programs, both within the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Applicants submit one application to the Graduate School and indicate that they wish to be considered for both programs. Certain programs (African American Studies, Film Studies, and Renaissance Studies) are mandatory combined degrees and applicants must indicate on their application which department/program at the Graduate School they with to be combined with. Other departments/programs at the Graduate School can be combined, but do not have to be. Additionally, some departments and programs may not be combined. Refer to the Department and Program listing for complete information.
If you already submitted your application you are not able to correct it. Please do not mail a corrected copy as we are unable to substitute it for you original submission.
If you did not submit your application than you can easily go back to your online application, go to Personal Statement and click on the delete button. You will then be able to upload a new personal statement.
Status updates from “Incomplete” to “Complete” is an overnight process. After a day or so your status will be changed from “Incomplete” to “Complete.” If your status still shows “Incomplete” and all your materials have been received you should e-mail us at graduate.admissions@yale.edu placing a "#" sign as the first character of the subject line.
Remember, if your application is marked “Incomplete” it will still be forwarded to your program. The mark of “Incomplete” is merely an administrative mark to alert you in the event there is a significant issue. A significant issue might be lack of GRE scores, TOEFL scores if required, or a transcript from your baccalaureate degree granting institution. Lack of transcripts for Prior Study entries representing study abroad work is not an issue to be concerned about.
There are two ways to determine if a writing sample is required for the program you are applying to; the first would be the program’s web site. The second way is from within the online application – once you have selected your program of study, if a writing sample is required, you will see a pop-up to alert you to a writing sample requirement.