Admission
Degree Students
Standards of Selection
Yale Divinity School welcomes applications from graduates of accredited national and international colleges or universities. Applicants are selected on the basis of academic ability and potential; leadership qualities; spiritual maturity; emotional stability; interpersonal communication skills; seriousness of purpose; personal initiative; and creativity. All completed applications are read, discussed, and evaluated by an Admissions Committee made up of faculty members, students, and administrators. Admissions decisions are made without regard to, or knowledge of, the applicant’s financial circumstances.
Academic Preparation
A liberal arts degree with work in the humanities and social sciences provides the best preparation for theological study. Some previous work in the field of religion is appropriate, but not mandatory; broad experience in other fields is as beneficial. Candidates who have degrees in areas other than liberal arts must demonstrate their readiness to evaluate literary texts, to marshal cogent evidence for a line of reasoning and argumentation, and to write clear research papers and expository essays.
It is recommended that undergraduates who expect to begin theological study include among their college courses some basic work in each of the following fields: English composition and literature, one or more foreign languages (German, French, Latin, Greek, Hebrew), history, philosophy, psychology, and the social sciences (economics, sociology, government, social psychology, education).
Applicants who anticipate specializing in biblical studies are urged to obtain a working knowledge of Greek and Hebrew during their undergraduate years. Students who anticipate working toward another degree with language requirements are advised to begin their preparation in those languages while in college. Courses in ancient languages are offered at the Divinity School, but are not requirements for either admission or graduation.
Application Procedure
The Yale Divinity School application is now online and can be accessed through the School’s Web site at www.yale.edu/divinity. The application and letters of recommendation should be submitted electronically. All official transcripts should be mailed to the Admissions Office, Yale Divinity School, 409 Prospect Street, New Haven CT 06511-2167.
Yale Divinity School is a graduate and professional school that works in partnership with the Yale Institute of Sacred Music and Berkeley Divinity School at Yale.
Berkeley is an Episcopal seminary affiliated with Yale Divinity School; the Institute of Sacred Music is an interdisciplinary graduate center dedicated to the study and practice of sacred music, worship, and the arts. Students who want to enroll in Berkeley must apply to Yale Divinity School. Students who want to apply to both the Divinity School and the Institute of Sacred Music must complete separate applications to both the Divinity School and the Institute. The Institute application and supporting documents should be sent directly to the ISM Admissions Office. Consult the Institute’s bulletin for detailed information on admission procedures and curricular requirements for the Institute of Sacred Music. Both Berkeley and Institute students receive their degrees from Yale Divinity School. Berkeley students may earn the Diploma in Anglican Studies, and Institute students receive a certificate from the Yale Institute of Sacred Music.
Persons interested in doctoral studies in religion apply through the Graduate School Admissions Office, PO Box 208236, New Haven CT 06520-8236 (graduate.admissions@yale.edu). The Department of Religious Studies serves as the Admissions Committee for doctoral applicants in the following fields of study: American Religious History, Buddhism, Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, History of Ancient Christianity, Islamic Studies, New Testament, Philosophy of Religion, Religious Ethics, and Theology.
Application Instructions
Applicants to Yale Divinity School must supply the following for their applications to be presented to the Admissions Committee:
- a. Applications submitted by the priority deadline, January 15, will include a nonrefundable fee of $75 (U.S.), payable by credit card. This fee cannot be waived; applications submitted without the fee will not be processed. Applications submitted after the priority deadline require a nonrefundable fee of $100 (U.S.).
- b. An essay, two pages (maximum), apprising the Admissions Committee of reasons for considering theological education, of formative influences in making this decision, of vocational objectives, and of ways in which the Divinity School’s resources can prepare the applicant to meet his or her stated objectives.
- c. An academic writing sample, five pages (maximum), that illustrates the applicant’s ability to analyze and argue on a particular subject.
- d. Official transcripts from each college or university attended, in sealed and signed envelopes, from the registrar or designated school records official.
- e. Three letters of recommendation are required. Recommendation letters must be current and address the applicant’s potential for the degree program to which he or she is applying. Letters from Career Service dossiers will not be accepted.
- f. IELTS scores (minimum 7.0), required for applicants from countries where English is not the primary language of instruction. Applicants who have a degree from an institution where English is the language of instruction are exempt.
- g. The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is optional for all degrees. For those considering an eventual Ph.D. the GRE is highly recommended.
- h. It is recommended that applicants provide a current résumé or curriculum vitae.
- i. Students applying for financial aid (need-based scholarships and loans) should download the financial aid application at www.yale.edu/divinity/. The application deadline is March 1. Applications received late will be considered on a funds-available basis.
The Admissions Committee encourages, but does not require, personal interviews and visits to YDS when classes are in session. Graduate Record Exam (GRE) scores, while not required, may be considered in an application if applicants wish to submit them. Applicants who plan to continue for doctoral study or who choose to submit the GRE scores as further evidence of their academic potential are encouraged to have these scores included in their admission file. For information on the GRE and testing dates, please write to the Graduate Record Examination, Educational Testing Service, PO Box 6000, Princeton NJ 08541-6000; or visit their Web site at www.gre.org.
Admission Deadlines
The priority application deadline is January 15. All online applications submitted on or before the priority filing deadline must include a $75 application fee payable online by credit card at the time of submission. All applications completed (including transcripts, letters of recommendation, essays, and IELTS scores, if applicable) by January 15 will be forwarded to the Admissions Committee for immediate review.
The non-priority application deadline is February 1. Non-priority applications must be accompanied by a $100 application fee. The file must be completed (including transcripts, letters of recommendation, essay, and IELTS score, if applicable) before it can be considered by the Admissions Committee.
Notification of the Admissions Committee’s decisions will be posted online and mailed on March 15. The Admissions Committee will consider files that are completed after March 1 on a space-available basis.
A candidate who is admitted to the Divinity School will have thirty days from the date of the acceptance letter to reply in writing. A matriculation deposit of $200 must accompany the acceptance of admission form. This fee is applied to the regular first-term bill if the student matriculates; there will be no refund of this deposit if the student does not matriculate. Deferral of admission may, in rare cases, be granted by the associate dean of admissions. The request should be made in writing and, if approved, accompanied by a $500 nonrefundable tuition deposit in addition to the $200 matriculation deposit.
Unsuccessful applicants are welcome to reapply but only after a full academic year has elapsed between the initial attempt and a subsequent application. In such cases, it is expected that the applicant will have pursued additional graduate-level course work for the committee to consider.
International Students
All applicants who are not citizens of the United States and who are not native speakers of English must show evidence of proficiency in the English language either by attaining a satisfactory score on the International English Language Testing System or by having received a degree from an accredited university or college where English is the language of instruction. For information about IELTS test dates and locations, contact IELTS Inc. at 100 East Corson Street, Suite 200, Pasadena CA 91103, USA; telephone 626.564.2954; fax 626.564.2981; e-mail ielts@ieltsintl.org; Web site, www.ielts.org.
In addition to the IELTS test, all non-native speakers of English will be required to take an examination in oral and written English in August and may be required to register for a supplemental English class that will be provided and paid for by the School. This year-long course will focus on English speaking, writing, and comprehension and will be incorporated into the student’s program.
In order to receive a visa to study in the United States, an international student will need to show proof that he or she has sufficient funds to cover living expenses, travel expenses, tuition, and health fees for the duration of their academic program. While international applicants are eligible for scholarship assistance from the Divinity School, that assistance by itself is seldom, if ever, sufficient to secure an I-20. An international student must be admitted by the Admissions Committee and must have accepted his/her admission before the application process for an I-20 can begin. Once all financial documents are received, the appropriate forms will be filled out and forwarded to the Office of International Students and Scholars (OISS), which will generate the I-20. The financial aid office will forward the I-20 to the student by Federal Express, usually in May for a student to begin study in the fall term. Because of new federal INS policies, international students must maintain full-time status, and can only be granted one extension to complete their programs. More information about the process of applying for an I-20 and the necessary forms required may be obtained by exploring the OISS Web site at www.oiss.yale.edu.
The Office of International Students and Scholars is located at 421 Temple Street, New Haven CT 06520; telephone 203.432.2305; e-mail oiss@yale.edu.
Transfer Students
When it seems advisable for a student to transfer from another school before receiving a degree from that school, the same application process is followed. However, credit for work done at a prior school is not determined until at least one term of residence at Yale Divinity School has been completed successfully. (See the regulations under Tranfser of Credit, in the chapter on Standards and Requirements.)
Nondegree Programs
Traditional
Yale Divinity School offers a limited number of students the opportunity to enroll as nondegree students (see Nondegree Students, in chapter on Programs of Study). Nondegree students are limited to enrollment in Divinity School courses only, are not eligible for financial aid, and may not enroll in field education placements. The requirements for admission as a nondegree student and the application procedure are the same as those for degree applicants.
Students receive full credit for work completed as nondegree students and may transfer these credits elsewhere, or petition the associate dean of academic affairs to have some or all of the work applied toward a Yale Divinity School degree program. Applicants should understand that admission as a nondegree student is not an indicator of future admission to degree programs at YDS.
Research
Students enrolled in doctoral programs at other institutions may apply for nondegree status for one term or one academic year in order to conduct research and/or work with a professor in a specific academic area. A separate application is available for this program. The fee is $1,500 per term.
Exchange
Semester and yearlong exchange programs have been initiated between Yale Divinity School and Cambridge University in England and with German universities in Heidelberg, Freiburg, and Tübingen. There are also semester and yearlong exchanges with Singapore’s Trinity Theological College and the Divinity School of Chung Chi College (Chinese University of Hong Kong). An exchange program between Yale Divinity School and the Eastern Cluster of Lutheran Seminaries permits students to spend one academic year at either YDS or one of the Lutheran seminaries.
For more information on the Research and Exchange programs, please contact Anna Ramirez, Associate Dean of Admissions (anna.ramirez@yale.edu).
The exchange programs are limited to M.Div. and M.A.R. students only.
Hispanic Summer Program
The Hispanic Summer Program (HSP) takes place for two weeks every summer at a different site in the United States or Puerto Rico. This is a program of a consortium of sponsoring institutions, Yale Divinity School being one of those sponsors. This academic program is open to Hispanic students, as well as others who are bilingual, who are interested in Hispanic ministries, and who are enrolled in Yale Divinity School. Courses in the HSP cover a wide range of the theological curriculum and are always taught with the Latino church in mind. Applications are usually available in mid-December from the Registrar’s Office and are due by the end of January prior to the summer term. Transcripts are issued by the host institution.
Visiting Fellows
Each year the Divinity School appoints as visiting fellows a limited number of professors, ministers, priests, or otherwise professionally qualified persons who have clearly articulated research projects.
Appointment may be for a term or an academic year. Visiting fellows have access to the libraries of the University and may audit classes with the permission of the instructor. They are not candidates for degrees and receive no academic credit. A nonrefundable application fee of $50 is required at the time of application. There is a fee of $250 per term. Visiting fellows are not eligible for financial aid from the School and no stipend is available.
Inquiries about appointment should be addressed to Professor Paul Stuehrenberg, Director of the Visiting Fellows Program, Yale Divinity School, 409 Prospect Street, New Haven CT 06511-2167.
Spouses
Spouses and same-sex domestic partners of regularly enrolled students are permitted to audit courses in the Divinity School curriculum without charge, with the permission of the faculty member teaching the course.
