Advanced graduate students who are degree candidates at another university and who have made arrangements with a specific Graduate School faculty member for a research project under his or her direct supervision may be admitted to the Division of Special Registration as Visiting Assistants in Research. Undergraduate students in combined or simultaneous B.S./M.S., B.A./M.A., or similar programs are not considered advanced graduate students. Student research conducted at Yale must be part of the visiting student’s thesis or dissertation. Students in Master’s programs that do not require a thesis are not eligible for admission as VARs.
Initial appointment may be for any length of time up to one year. After the initial appointment, students may apply for reappointment. Students are limited to cumulative enrollment of two years in all non-degree programs in the Graduate School.
Application for admission to the Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Division of Special Registration for Non-Degree Programs is an online process (there is no paper application for you to fill out or mail).
The first step is to create an account and select Application Type (Non-Degree Visiting Assisant in Research (VAR).
You will be guided in the completion of your application and prompted for materials that are required.
You will be required to "upload" required items such as a Personal Statement of Purpose, Proof of Enrollment and Invitation Verfication Form, as examples, and other items which may include a Writing Sample, a Resume, transcripts and other documents you wish to include with your application. You will be required 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. Submission of the application can be made after all required materials have been uploaded. At the time of submission you will be prompted for the application fee..
After submission you may print a PDF copy for your own use which will look exactly as the image that will be available for the faculty to review online.
Applications must be submitted no later than thirty (30) days prior to your proposed starting date (for domestic applicants), or no later than sixty days (60) prior to your proposed starting date (for international applicants)
The Advisor Invitation Verification Form is part of the online application.
The purpose of the form is to provide your advisor with information regarding your study at Yale and for that information to be verified/corrected or modified by the advisor. The information for that form comes from your responses in the online application. When you have completed information regarding your advisor (Yale Faculty Advisor/Sponsor page and expenses/tuition (Living Expenses/Tuition Costs and Income Sources) that information is copied over to the form.
You may view the information on the form and, if necessary, correct any entry by returning to that section in your application.
When the form is correct you save it to your desk and then e-mail it to your advisor.
Once verified by your advisor and returned to you it must be uploaded to your application prior to submission.
It is the responsibility of the applicant to identify and make contact with a Yale faculty member who will agree to be your Advisor.
Once you identify your advisor and any level of funding they may provide, this information is entered in your on-line application (Yale Source). From the downloadable forms section you can select the Advisor Invitation Verification Form and check the information you have entered. If correct you need to save that form as a PDF file and send it to your advisor for verification/correction or modification. When your advisor has completed the form it is to be returned to you to upload to your on-line application.
Your advisor must return the form to you to upload - without it you will not be able to submit your application.
Typically, students who come to Yale as VARs are either already collaborating with a member of the Yale faculty, or wish to be at Yale to work with a specific scholar whose research is of interest to them. Faculty members are under no obligation to take VAR applicants, and students will not be admitted to the program without a faculty advisor.
Students interested in a specific project who are seeking a compatible advisor are encouraged to review the research descriptions posted by most professors on their department websites.
VAR applicants must provide undergraduate transcripts showing completion of the bachelor's degree or foreign equivalent, and current graduate school transcripts. All transcripts must be in English, or translations must be provided and are to be uploaded to the online application prior to submission. Do not mail in any transcripts as they cannot be accommodated and will be discarded.
You will be able to upload any materials you wish to support your application. You will be prompted for all materials required to support your application, such as a Personal Statement of Purpose, an Invitation Verification Form filled in by you and verified by a Yale faculty member agreeing to serve as your advisor and documentation asserting that your enrolled as a graduate student and evidence of financial support.
The application fee is $100 ($125 for international applicants). Credit card (Visa or MasterCard) payment from within the online application is the only method of payment. Debit cards, credit card debit authorizations or Wire transfers (such as SWIFT or Fed wire) are not accepted.
As a Visiting assistant in Research you must be currently enrolled, at the graduate degree level, at a degree granting institution. Proof of that enrollment must come from an institutional staff member responsible for enrolled student records (normally the institution's Registrar. You will be prompted to upload this letter (which must be on the institutions letterhead stationary) to your online application.
Once you submit your application it will be reviewed by the program you will be affiliated with.
Decisions regarding your application are made via e-mail referring you to your online application for decision information.
If you are admitted as a Visiting Assistant in Research, you will be notified by e-mail that a decision has been on your applicaiton and you will be referred to your application for that decision.
If admitted you will receive an Offer Letter by first class mail. You accept (or decline) that offer within the online application.
The VAR program has a rolling admission process, which means that you can begin at any time of year and stay for any length of time up to one year, with the possibility of renewing for a second year. It is important to remember that the date of arrival and the length of stay should be agreed to by the research advisor, and should be consistent with the available funding. If there is a mismatch between your dates and the dates indicated by the funding agency or by your research advisor, this will delay approval of your application while we clarify the dates of study.
Please note that you will not be able to submit your application if your start date is less than 60 days from the date of submission (for internation students) or less than 30 days (for domestic students).
In some cases, students find it necessary to; delay their start date after they have been offered admission; extend their stay beyond the period originally requested; or terminate their program early. A delay in the start date is possible provided the research advisor approves and the source of funding remains available to the student. Similarly, an extension of the period of study is possible under the same conditions, provided the student has not exceeded two years of study at Yale. Truncation of study is always possible. In any of these cases, both the department to which the student has applied and the associate dean of the Graduate School should be notified of the change in date, and a new letter with revised dates will be sent to the student.
Once you have been offered admission and accept that offer as a VAR, and the Admissions Office has documented you as a new student, the Office of International Students and Scholars (OISS) will contact you in 3-6 business days, by e-mail, and ask you to fill out a biographical questionnaire. OISS will then complete the DS-2019 immigration document, which will then be courier mailed to you. This document includes the SEVIS ID number, which you will need to pay the SEVIS fee and book the visa appointment.
As there are several stages to this process, including the mailing and delivery of forms, you can facilitate the visa process by responding promptly to queries from OISS, and making sure that you have provided appropriate documentation to support your statement of financial support. Questions regarding the visa process should be made to OISS by email.
Once your applicaiton has been reviewed and a decision to offer you admission as a VAR you will be notified by e-mail and referred to your online application. You accept (or decline) that offer with in the online application. Your decision is processed electronically to the Graduate School.
The review of a Visiting Assistant in Research application can take one to two weeks. If, after two weeks, you have not heard anything please contact the Admissions Office by e-mail (to ensure your e-mail is seen please add a "#" as the first charactor of your subject line).
No. Non-degree students who wish to take classes should apply as Special Students, not VARs. The Special Student program charges tuition to non-degree students on a per course basis.
International VAR Students should first check in with the Office of International Students and Scholars, 421 Temple Street, and should bring their passport and immigration documents. Their second stop should be to inform their Yale department and advisor that they have arrived.
Domestic students should first inform their Yale department and advisor that they have arrived. After notifying your department, go to the Registrar's Office at 246 Church Street for instructions about receiving your ID card, Net ID, e-mail access and other important information.
No. University-based housing is not guaranteed to admitted VAR students and the students are responsible for their living expenses. Entering VARs must identify their own housing. Information about housing options can be found at www.yale.edu/gradhousing/
When you arrive, bring either your passport or current US Driver's License to the Registrar's Office at 246 Church Street. There you will receive an authorization to obtain an ID card. After you receive this authorization, you may go to the ID Center, located in the same building.
When you arrive, bring either your passport or current US Driver's License to the Registrar’s Office at 246 Church Street. You will either be given a Net ID and pin, or a request for a new ID will be made at that time.
Students are required to show proof of sufficient financial support to cover tuition and living expenses while at Yale. This may include support from your home institution, an external award agency, or personal funds. A letter from the school or agency detailing the amount and dates of the award, or a bank statement, is usually required. For international students, the J-1 visa requires that you have substantial funding from sources other than personal funds. It is not possible to privately fund your study in total. Some portion of your support must come from your home institution, an outside fellowship, or your advisor at Yale. The amount of non-personal funding to be eligible for the VAR program is at least 100% of the tuition costs, or 30% of the total costs (tuition and $2,320 per month in living expenses), whichever is lower. Successful applicants have provided evidence of home university fellowships or stipends, scholarships from their home government or a private foundation, or occasionally Yale department grant funding.
The Graduate School does not provide financial support to Visiting Assistants in Research. Most VAR students provide their own funding through external awards or personal resources. If funding is provided by the faculty advisor at Yale, the level of support, including stipend, tuition, or other payments, should be specified in the invitation letter. For international students, any funding coming from outside of Yale, including personal funds, should be documented in the application for visa purposes.
Billing issues should be directed to Student Financial Services at either sfs@yale.edu or 203-432-2700.
Your tuition bill will be sent to your yale.edu e-mail address, after you arrive at Yale. The bill is payable upon receipt, and will include instructions on methods of payment.
This will vary from department to department, so please contact the Registrar in the department to which you have applied to find out how your funding will be provided.
Yes. Spouses or same-sex partners of Yale Graduate and Professional students are eligible for a Student Affiliate ID Card which confers certain privileges with regard to the campus shuttle services, athletic facilities, and library, museum admission, film society screenings, discounts at the Yale Repertory Theatre and Yale athletic events, among others. Students should bring a valid ID and proof of marriage (copy of license) or domestic partnership (e.g., joint lease, civil union, joint banking statement) to the Office of the Registrar at 246 Church Street. Pending approval of the documentation, the Registrar will issue a card permitting the spouse or same-sex partner to obtain an affiliate ID from the University’s ID Center.
If you are trying to contact one of the support offices and are having trouble getting a response to your questions, please contact the Registrar in the department to which you have applied. The department Registrar will be able to help you identify the appropriate person to contact.
If you were unable to find the answer to your question and you still want to contact the Office of Graduate Admissions, send another email with a “#” (pound or number sign) as the first character in the subject line of your message. If you do receive another auto-response, please do not worry, we will answer your question as quickly as possible.
If you are an applicant you should provide your full name and date of birth, or your applicant ID, if you have one. You should never send your application
If you desire to contact us via telephone, our number is 203-432-2771, but please be aware that our office becomes extraordinarily busy during the fall and winter, which may limit our ability to answer your call.