Financing Graduate School

Fees:†

Continuous Registration Fee (CRF), per term	$245
Special in absentia registration, per term	245
YHP Hospitalization/Specialty Coverage, twelve months‡	852
YHP Prescription Plus Coverage, twelve months	300

For fees relating to registration and course enrollment see Academic Regulations.

* It is anticipated that tuition will be increased in subsequent years.
†  It is anticipated that the Continuous Registration Fee will be increased in subsequent years. Other fees are subject to change without notice.
‡  Hospitalization fees are for single students. Rates are higher for students needing dependent coverage.

Appointment to a University post does not exempt a student from registration and payment of other fees. Full-time (and certain part-time) Yale managerial and professional employees and their spouses, as well as the spouses of Yale faculty, are eligible for a tuition reduction in the DSR and master's programs. They should consult the Department of Human Resources for details. University employees and faculty spouses may audit courses without charge.

Candidates for degrees in the Graduate School, nondegree students paying full tuition, and spouses of full-time candidates for degrees in the Graduate School may audit courses without charge.

Student Accounts and Bills
Student accounts, billing, and related services are administered through the Office of Student Financial Services, which is located at 246 Church Street. The telephone number is 203.432.2700.

Yale Charge Account
Students who sign and return a Yale Charge Card Account Authorization form will be able to charge designated optional items and services to their student accounts. Students who want to charge toll calls made through the University's telephone system to their accounts must sign and return this Charge Card Account Authorization. The University may withdraw this privilege from students who do not pay their monthly bills on a timely basis. For more information, contact the Office of Student Financial Services at 246 Church Street, PO Box 208232, New Haven CT 06520-8232; telephone, 203.432.2700; fax, 203.432.7557; e-mail, sfs@yale.edu.

Yale Payment Plan
The Yale Payment Plan is a payment service that allows students and their families to pay tuition, room, and board in eleven or twelve equal monthly installments throughout the year based on individual family budget requirements. It is administered for the University by Academic Management Services (AMS). To enroll by telephone, call 800.635.0120. The fee to cover administration of the plan is $50. The deadline for enrollment is June 21. Application forms will be mailed to all students. For additional information, please contact AMS at the number above or visit their Web site at http://www.amsweb.com/.

Bills and Payments
Term bills reflect charges for tuition and health coverage, as well as for room and board, library fines, miscellaneous purchases, and unpaid balances from prior terms.

For Ph.D. students, stipends are paid directly to students by checks issued periodically during the academic year, while tuition fellowships and the Health Award for hospitalization coverage are normally paid as credits against the related charges on students' term bills.

Term bills for the fall term are mailed to students by August 5 and are due and payable by September 1. Bills for the spring term are mailed by November 5 and are due and payable by December 1.

A late fee of $110 will be imposed by the Office of Student Financial Services for every term in which outstanding charges, less Yale-administered loans and scholarships, exceed $250 and are not paid by September 1 for the fall term, and by December 1 for the spring term.

Until all outstanding charges, less Yale-administered loans and scholarships, are paid in full, students are not furnished, directly or indirectly, with transcripts, certificates of attendance, or diplomas.

Charge for Returned Checks
A processing charge of $20 will be assessed for checks returned for any reason by the bank on which they were drawn. In addition, the following penalties may apply if a check is returned:

1. If the check was in payment of a term bill, a $110 late fee will be charged for the period the bill was unpaid.

2. If the check was in payment of a term bill to permit registration, the student's registration may be revoked.

3. If the check was given in payment of an unpaid balance in order to receive a diploma, the University may refer the account to an attorney for collection.

Transcripts
Transcripts may be ordered in writing at the Office of the Registrar for the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (246 Church Street, third floor), or faxed, with a signature, to 203.432.2334. For each transcript order, the charge for the first transcript is $5, with a charge of $1 for each additional transcript. Normally a transcript order is processed within forty-eight hours after receipt. In some circumstances it may be possible to provide a transcript within twenty-four hours after receipt of the order; there is an additional charge of $10 for such requests. For overnight delivery, additional mailing charges may be imposed.

Financial Aid
Financial assistance is provided in the form of Yale University Fellowships, tuition fellowships, teaching fellowships, traineeships, and research assistantships. The nature of the assistance varies among the divisions and departments. Yale University Fellowships are awarded at the time of admission. Doctoral students are normally provided a level of support comparable to the fellowship awarded at admission, from the first through the fourth year of study. Eligible students in the humanities and social sciences receive University Dissertation Fellowhips in their fifth or sixth year of study.

In addition to grants and fellowships for tuition and living costs, eligible Ph.D. students receive a Health Award, which covers the full cost of single-student Yale Health Plan Hospitalization/Specialty Coverage. For those eligible Ph.D. students who elect two-person or family coverage at the Yale Health Plan, the Graduate School covers half the cost of the coverage plan (which includes both Basic Coverage and Hospitalization/Specialty Coverage for the student and his or her dependents). Information about Yale Health Plan Basic Coverage, provided at no cost to students enrolled at least half-time in M.A., M.S., or Ph.D. programs, may be found under University Services and Facilities.

Students who do not participate in the Yale Health Plan Hospitalization/Specialty Coverage will not be provided with Health Awards. Yale Health Plan Prescription Plus Coverage is an option that eligible students may choose to purchase for themselves and their dependents. The Prescription Plus plan is not covered by the Health Award.

Application for University Fellowship Support
Applicants for admission to the DSR and to terminal M.A. departments and programs are required to complete the financial statement contained in the application brochure. Applicants for admission to Ph.D. departments and programs will automatically be considered for all Yale fellowships, traineeships, research assistantships, and teaching fellowships for which they are eligible. These awards of financial aid are announced in letters of admission, which are usually mailed during the month of March. Tuition assistance is not available beyond the fourth year of study. Students are strongly encouraged to seek financial support from external sources (see External Fellowships and Combined Award Policy, below).

University Fellowships
The Graduate School awards University Fellowships in most departments. Fellowships are awarded at admission to entering students on the basis of recommendations made by individual departments to the appropriate associate dean. Fellowship awards are based on merit.

The Graduate School provides Ph.D. students with a level of support during the second, third, and fourth years of study comparable to that awarded at admission. In most departments the source of stipend support will change after the first or second year of study to a teaching fellowship or research assistantship. If during the teaching years a student's teaching fellowship is less than the standard departmental stipend, the Graduate School provides a supplemental fellowship to bring the annual stipend/fellowship to the level of the department's standard stipend.

To assist students in the completion of their studies, the Graduate School also offers Summer Study Fellowships to eligible students in their first and second years in the humanities and social sciences, and University Dissertation Fellowships to eligible students in years four, five, or six in the humanities and social sciences. Students awarded a University Fellowship may not accept any other award without the permission of the appropriate associate dean. The Graduate School is the final authority on University Fellowships. It is important to note that no University Fellowships are awarded during the summer.

In most departments in the humanities and social sciences, the fellowship stipends of students in the third and fourth years of study will be derived from teaching fellowships. When a student teaches in the third or fourth year, the teaching fellowship will comprise the student's fellowship stipend, according to the terms of the offer of admission. For students who teach in their first or second year when such teaching is not a departmental requirement, the Graduate School will use the standard departmental stipend as a ceiling for combined fellowship stipend and teaching award and will reduce the stipend accordingly.

In some departments where there are insufficient opportunities for undergraduate teaching, graduate students who were admitted with stipends may continue to receive fellowship stipends in their third and fourth years of study up to the level of their standard departmental stipend. Stipend support will normally be withheld if a student in the third or fourth years refuses a teaching position or elects not to teach. Exceptions to this policy require the permission of the appropriate associate dean and the director of the Teaching Fellow Program.

Teaching Fellowships
Purpose
The Teaching Fellow Program (TFP) is the principal framework at Yale in which graduate students learn to become effective teachers. Learning to teach and to evaluate student work is fundamental to the education of graduate students. The TFP provides opportunities for graduate students to develop teaching skills, under faculty guidance, through active participation in the teaching of Yale undergraduates. Teaching fellows who encounter problems or difficulties related to their teaching appointments are encouraged to meet with the director of the TFP (Judith Dozier Hackman) or their associate dean (Richard Sleight for the natural sciences and Anthropology, Linguistics, Psychology, and Statistics; Pamela Schirmeister for the humanities and other social sciences). A student must be registered in the Graduate School to be appointed as a teaching fellow (TF) or as a part-time acting instructor (PTAI). TFs assist faculty in teaching and administering relatively large undergraduate courses. PTAIs are responsible for small undergraduate courses, subject to guidance and advice by department faculty. For a more detailed description of these types of appointments, see "Teaching Fellow Levels" at the end of this section.

The Graduate School requires that all students who teach be in good academic standing. In addition, they must be fluent in English, except for those who only grade. Graduate students whose native language is not English are required to meet the oral English proficiency standard before they may begin teaching. The standard may be met by (1) passing the SPEAK test, (2) passing the Test of Spoken English (TSE), or (3) having received a degree from an institution where the principal language of instruction is English. (Degrees awarded en route to the Ph.D. at Yale will not satisfy this requirement.) In some instances, a student's director of graduate studies (DGS) may require that students with degrees from English-speaking institutions also pass the SPEAK test to satisfy the language requirement.

Access to Teaching Fellowships
When departments are considering applications for teaching fellowships, priority is given to qualified graduate students who are expected to teach as indicated in their letter of admission (usually in years three and four in the humanities and social sciences). Students in their fifth or sixth year of study will be permitted to teach as long as they have been admitted to candidacy and do not currently hold a dissertation fellowship. Students who are permitted to register beyond the sixth year of study may be appointed as TFs or PTAIs, but only if there is no other qualified candidate available in the first six years of study in any department or program of the Graduate School. In cases where an appointing department must choose between two or more graduate students who are each well qualified to teach a particular course, the student or students who have not yet had a chance to teach or who have taught the least should be given preference.

Teaching and Admission Offers
Letters of admission inform students of their programs' requirement for teaching. In many programs there are specific years when students teach and when a portion of their financial aid is derived in part from teaching. For example, most humanities and social science students will participate in teaching in their third and fourth years. In the natural sciences, the timing of teaching is earlier or is flexible across several years. When students are teaching as specified in their letters of admission, teaching assignments will not be adjusted in response to changes in course enrollments. Appointments for these students will change only if a course is cancelled or if the student, course instructor, and DGS all agree upon a reassignment.

Upon admission, many students receive financial aid packages that include teaching fellowships. The admission letter sets the minimum annual total stipend (including the teaching fellowship), which will be awarded even if appropriate teaching is not available or if the teaching fellowship is less than the standard departmental stipend. Such funding adjustments are made with the participation of a student's associate dean and DGS.

Teaching appointments outside those specified in the letter of admission are contingent on a graduate student's satisfactory academic progress and on sufficient course enrollment. Because the Graduate School considers teaching experience an integral part of graduate education, every effort will be made to assign students to another course at an equivalent level if enrollments are lower than anticipated. Ph.D. students who teach in their first or second year, or when such teaching is not a departmental requirement, will receive the full teaching fellowship, plus a supplemental fellowship, bringing their combined stipend up to the level awarded in the admission letter. M.A. students will receive the full teaching fellowship; any other financial aid will be awarded according to the policies of their program.

Limits on Teaching
Except in certain science departments, first-year students may be appointed as teaching fellows only in exceptional cases, and only after prior approval by their DGS, the appropriate associate dean, and the director of the TFP. First-year students in the sciences and second-year students in all divisions will normally not be allowed to teach more than eight teaching fellow units in a single year, and not more than four units in a single term. (See "Teaching Fellow Levels" section for definition of a teaching unit.)

After the second year, but before they have completed their qualifying examinations, students are permitted to teach up to a maximum of four TF units or one PTAI in introductory courses per term with a maximum of eight TF units or two PTAIs per year.

Students with outside fellowships are eligible to serve as TFs according to the policies of their departments and the conditions of their outside awards.

Appointment Letters
The Graduate School expects that each term, departments will send letters of appointment to graduate students, signed by both the department and the TFP director, indicating the course in which a graduate student is expected to teach and the level of the assignment.

Teaching Fellow Levels
There are five levels of TFs at Yale. They are distinguished from one another by several considerations, including the kind or kinds of activity required, the approximate hours per week, and the number of students taught. For example, courses in which TFs are expected to provide frequent and intensive writing criticism, to grade problem sets or vocabulary tests frequently, or to prepare especially complicated visual or laboratory materials, may be accorded a higher-level teaching fellowship than courses that do not carry such an expectation. A graduate student's teaching assignment is measured in terms of teaching fellow units (one unit for a term as TF 1, two units for a term as TF 2, and so on).

Teaching Fellow 1: The duties of a TF 1 are primarily (a) grading or (b) a modest combination of the following: attending class, reading, advising undergraduates, offering an occasional discussion section, helping to set up a lab, or assisting in the administrative details of a course. A TF 1 does not engage in regular classroom teaching. Approximate weekly effort, 5 hours. The 2002–2003 teaching fellowship is $1,745 per term.

Teaching Fellow 2: A TF 2 typically leads and grades one discussion or laboratory section of up to twenty students in courses in the natural sciences and some social sciences or combines responsibilities (a) and (b) as described under TF 1. Approximate weekly effort, 10 hours. The 2002–2003 teaching fellowship is $3,490 per term.

Teaching Fellow 3: Depending on department policy, the duties of a TF 3 may include leading and grading one or two lab or discussion sections, as in Chemistry. Alternatively, a TF 3 may be appropriate for a combination of duties that might include attending lectures, office hours and consultations, and grading, as in Psychology. Approximate weekly effort, 15 hours. The 2002–2003 teaching fellowship is $5,235 per term.

Teaching Fellow 3.5: This appointment is appropriate for TFs who lead and grade one section in English, History of Art, the Literature major, in any literature course in the national language departments that may conform to the same mode of teaching, in courses double titled with these departments and programs, and in a few designated courses. Discussion section leaders are appointed for lecture courses with 30 or more students; a section size is expected not to exceed 18 students, with 20 the absolute maximum. This appointment is also used for Writing Intensive TFs. Approximate weekly effort, 17.5 hours. The 2002–2003 teaching fellowship is $6,108 per term.

Teaching Fellow 4: This appointment is appropriate for TFs in humanities and social science departments where teaching fellows usually lead and grade two sections. Discussion section leaders are appointed for lecture courses with 30 or more students; a section size is expected not to exceed 18 students, with 20 the absolute maximum. Approximate weekly effort, 20 hours. The 2002–2003 teaching fellowship is $6,980 per term.

Part-Time Acting Instructors

Graduate students appointed as part-time acting instructors (PTAIs) are responsible for the conduct of sections of introductory courses or advanced courses, normally seminars in their special fields. PTAIs are subject to departmental guidance, which, in the case of multisection introductory courses, may entail the use of a common syllabus and examinations. PTAIs who teach advanced courses must have satisfied all predissertation requirements (including the dissertation prospectus) and must be registered full time to be eligible for the appointment. Hours of effort for PTAIs will vary from one individual to another. The 2002–2003 teaching fellowship is $7,080 per term.

Traineeships and Assistantships in Research
Traineeships (National Research Service Awards) from the National Institutes of Health and the National Institute of Mental Health are available in most of the biological sciences and in some other departments. These awards support full-time Ph.D. study by U.S. citizens, noncitizen nationals of the United States, and permanent residents. In combination with University and departmental supplements, they provide payment of tuition, a monthly stipend, and the hospitalization premium. Federal rules require that trainees pursue their research training on a full-time basis. In some instances, there is a federal payback provision, which is ordinarily satisfied by serving in health-related research or teaching at the conclusion of training. Information about this obligation and other matters relating to traineeships is available from the director of graduate studies or the principal investigator of the specific training grant in question.

Research Appointments
Graduate students in departments where the faculty receive research grants or contracts may be eligible for appointments as assistants in research (AR). In most of the science departments, advanced students are normally supported as ARs by individual faculty research grants. An assistantship in research provides a monthly salary at a rate agreed upon by the department and the Graduate School. It is understood that the work performed not only is part of the faculty principal investigator's research project but also is the student's dissertation research and therefore in satisfaction of a degree requirement. For a standard AR appointment, in addition to the salary, the grant pays half of the tuition or all of the CRF. When the appointee is eligible for a University Fellowship, the other half of tuition is covered by a fellowship.

An appointment as a project assistant (PA) is intended for a student who performs services for a research project that are not a part of the student's degree program. A project assistant may normally work no more than ten hours per week. The rate of compensation is based on the department-approved rate paid to assistants in research. With the permission of the director of graduate studies and the appropriate associate dean, a student may receive a combination of project assistant and assistant in research appointments.

Questions about AR or PA appointments should be directed to the director of graduate studies or the appropriate associate dean in the Graduate School.

Supplementary Fellowship Aid
The Graduate School is currently able to offer a small amount of supplementary fellowship assistance to students who experience significant financial hardship at some point during their first four years of study. Students who wish to request supplemental fellowship awards should send to their associate dean a letter explaining the reasons for their request. Students requesting supplemental assistance may be asked to submit additional information about their financial status at any time thereafter until their request is considered. Requests for supplemental fellowship assistance are usually made during the spring term, and students are typically notified of decisions during the summer.

Students should note that the budget for supplementary aid is extremely modest and only requests from students in serious financial difficulty are likely to be met. Awards of supplementary aid are made for one year only.

External Fellowships and Combined Award Policy
All current students and applicants for admission are strongly encouraged to compete for outside fellowships. These fellowships, sponsored by both public and private agencies, confer distinction on a student who wins an award in a national competition. They are often more generous than the fellowships the University is able to provide. Students must report to their associate dean any scholarship/fellowship received from an outside agency or organization.

Students are allowed to hold outside awards in conjunction with University stipends up to combined levels that are significantly higher than the normal stipend. During the nine-month academic year, the sum of the Graduate School's initial stipend award and all outside awards may total the standard department/program nine-month stipend plus $4,000. If the sum of the Graduate School's initial stipend award and all outside awards exceeds this limit, the Graduate School stipend award will be reduced accordingly.

In humanities and social science departments, up to 3/12 of the external award may be reserved for the summer (when this is permitted by the awarding agency), prior to calculating the nine-month combined award. When outside awards include restricted funds (e.g., for tuition and/or research support), the restricted funds will not be used in calculating the combined stipend.

University Fellowship stipends awarded as a result of this formula are subject to all applicable policies, including replacement of stipends by teaching fellowships, and are awarded for the nine-month academic year. In no case will the application of this policy reduce the amount of an external award, nor will it reduce the amount of a teaching fellowship.

Dissertation Fellowships
In addition to the substantial regular fellowships awarded to students, the Graduate School offers special University Dissertation Fellowships to eligible advanced graduate students in the humanities and social sciences during their fourth, fifth, or sixth year of study. These awards are made when a student's adviser and director of graduate studies certify that the student will be engaged full-time in research and writing, is making satisfactory progress toward the degree, and has a reasonable schedule for the timely completion of the dissertation. The University Dissertation Fellowship is an academic-year fellowship and is offered exclusively during the fall and spring terms. It may never be held concurrently with a teaching fellowship of any kind. Students who accept a teaching position in the fall or spring of the year of final eligibility will forfeit that term's dissertation fellowship amount. In 2002–2003, University Dissertation Fellowships will carry a stipend of $15,000. A student may be awarded a dissertation fellowship for one year only. Application materials and additional information can be found in the Graduate School Web site: www.yale.edu/graduateschool/financial/UDF_Form.pdf or from the appropriate associate dean.

Eligibility for Fellowships
Students who hold Yale-administered fellowships are required to be in residence and engaged in full-time study. Permission to hold a fellowship in absentia must be obtained from the appropriate associate dean. A student who leaves New Haven, except for short vacation periods, without having such permission may have the fellowship canceled. No fellowships will be paid for any period when a student is not registered.

Students are not eligible for stipend support from the Graduate School after six years of study, but they remain eligible for student loans as long as they are enrolled at least half-time.

A fellowship will be withdrawn and a stipend withheld if the recipient's activities become prejudicial to the purpose for which the fellowship was granted or if a student becomes ineligible to register for any reason.

Other Means of Financing Graduate Education

Part-Time Employment
Study toward the Ph.D. degree is expected to be a full-time activity. Accordingly, part-time employment for compensation, at the University or elsewhere, should not conflict with the obligations of the Ph.D. program or interfere with academic progress.

Part-time employment beyond an average of ten hours per week requires permission of the director of graduate studies, who will inform the appropriate associate dean.

Students who hold student loans must report all part-time employment earnings to the Office of Financial Aid. Failure to do so may result in cancellation of the loan(s).

Loans and Work-Study
U.S. citizens may be eligible to borrow through federally subsidized loan programs. Eligibility is based on federal regulations and University policies. Information is available from the Financial Aid Office, 129 HGS.

During 2002–2003, eligible students in the Graduate School may be able to borrow from the following federal student loan programs: Federal Stafford Loans and Federal Perkins Loans. The Graduate School also offers special "bridge loans" in the fall term to students whose financial aid is concentrated in the spring term. For full details, consult the director or associate director of finance.

The College Work-Study (CWS) program, which is federally funded, enables eligible graduate students to meet a portion of their academic year financial need through part-time employment.

All students applying for any of these federal programs must fill out a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Information on loan and work-study programs is contained in the 2002–2003 Financial Information for Entering Graduate Students. These documents are available from the financial aid office. Information and FAFSA applications are also available at the Web site of the United States Department of Education (www.fafsa.ed.gov/).

International students are eligible to borrow from Graduate School loan funds, but normally only in the third and fourth years of study. These loans are limited in number and may not exceed $5,000 per academic year. Because Graduate School loan funds are limited, this policy may change from year to year. Interest-bearing loans are available to international students from private lenders, but require a U.S. citizen as cosigner.

Two Federal Regulations Governing Title IV Financial Aid Programs

Satisfactory Academic Progress
Federal regulations require that students be making satisfactory academic progress each year in order to be eligible for Title IV funding (i.e., federal loans, Javits Fellowships, and College Work-Study). The standards by which satisfactory academic progress is measured are determined by the Graduate School and by individual departments. Verification of satisfactory progress is based on annual student evaluations from the directors of graduate studies and, for students in the dissertation stage, on a statement of progress from the student, the dissertation adviser, and the director of graduate studies.

Department of Education Refund Policy
Students receiving Title IV financial assistance who withdraw during a term and are entitled to a refund of any University charges will have their Title IV assistance adjusted according to a formula specified by the Department of Education. Please consult the Financial Aid Office in 128 HGS.

Next: General Information