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Decision Questions

1. How and when will I receive an official decision notification about my application for admission?

2. How long do I have to accept an offer of admission?

3. I was offered admission. How do I respond to the offer?

4. I was offered admission and accepted (or declined) the offer, but now I have changed my mind. What do I do?

5. Can I defer my offer of admission?

6. I was not offered admission and want to speak to someone about this. Who do I contact?

7. I was not offered admission and want to re-apply next year. Does the Office of Graduate Admissions retain my application and supplemental materials?

8. I was offered admission but have a question about the financial package in my offer letter. Who do I contact?

9. I was offered admission and want to learn more about student life at Yale. What resources are available?

10. I was not offered admission and want my materials returned - is that possible?

 

Decision Questions

1. How and when will I receive an official decision notification about my application for admission?

In most cases, official notification that a decision has been made is delivered by e-mail. For security, such e-mail does not contain the decision itself however. Decision information will be posted in the on-line application. Decisions are made and communicated during the months of February and March. Official decision notification is made by the Graduate School and not individual departments or programs. Only letters or e-mail sent directly from the Graduate School may be considered official notifications of admission and financial aid. The Office of Graduate Admissions can not give decision results over the phone.

It is important that you keep both your e-mail address and mailing address current. Any changes necessary can be made from within your on-line application.

2. How long do I have to accept an offer of admission?

Responses to offers of admission are made from within your on-line application. An applicant is free to decline an offer of admission and financial aid from one institution and accept an offer from another on or before April 15. An acceptance given or left in force after April 15 commits the student not to accept another offer without first obtaining a written release from the institution to which a prior commitment has been made. These requirements are consistent with the Council of Graduate Schools Resolution Regarding Graduate Students, Fellows, Trainees and Assistants. http://www.cgsnet.org/

3. I was offered admission. How do I respond to the offer?

Responses to offers of admission are made from within the on-line application. In order to respond however, you must have received your Offer Letter which is sent via first class mail.

4. I was offered admission and accepted (or declined) the offer, but now I have changed my mind. What do I do?

You must immediately contact the Office of Graduate Admissions by calling 203-432-2771. Do not contact us via e-mail. You may also be asked to contact the Office of the Graduate School Deans as well as the program to which you applied. The Office of Graduate Admissions will instruct you how to proceed.

5. Can I defer my offer of admission?

Requests for deferred admission will be considered only after an offer of admission has been accepted. A request for deferral must be submitted in writing to the appropriate associate dean who will communicate with the Graduate School’s official department or program. An admissions deferral may be requested for either one term or one academic year. Offers of financial aid cannot be deferred.

6. I was not offered admission and want to speak to someone about this. Who do I contact?

As all admissions descisions are made at the departmental level, you might try contacting the program to which you applied. Be advised, however, that the large number of applications received and the small number of places available often make for difficult decisions. Admissions committees adopt a comparative perspective toward all applications received and seldom keep extensive records concerning the decision in each case.

7. I was not offered admission and want to re-apply next year. Does the Office of Graduate Admissions retain my application and supplemental materials?

Previous applicants to the Graduate School and applicants who declined a previous offer of admission must submit a new application. Records of applicants who did not enroll in the Graduate School are retained for two years by the Office of Graduate Admissions and will be combined with new application records. You will be required to submit transcripts depicting all academic work not included in the previous application, one new letter of recommendation, a new personal statement of purpose, the application fee, and any other credentials required to complete your application. Applicants, who have been denied admission three times by the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, whether by one or more departments, may not file further applications.

8. I was offered admission but have a question about the financial package in my offer letter. Who do I contact?

You should first go to the Graduate School's Financial Aid website at http://www.yale.edu/graduateschool/financial/. If your question is not answered, you may call their office at 203-432-2739.

9. I was offered admission and want to learn more about student life at Yale. What resources are available?

The best resources are online. The McDougal Graduate Student Center is a center for Careers, Teaching and Student Life.

For information on student life services at Yale and in New Haven, such as housing, transit, healthcare, recreation, and more, see the Student gateway at http://www.yale.edu/gateways/students.html and the Living in New Haven website

For questions not addressed by these online sources, contact Grad Student Life at the McDougal Center or call 203-432-2583.

10. I was not offered admission and want my materials returned - is that possible?

Although we maintain materials of applicants not offered admission for a period of two years, we do not return those materials either to the applicant or to a third party.