Questions, and answers to them, in this section apply to our PhD and Masters's degree programs only. These questions and answers 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. Frequently asked questions applicable to our non-degree programs can be found by selecting the Non-Degree Programs link in the blue navigational bar to the left and selecting the non-degree program you are interested in.
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.
All documents in support of your application must be uploaded to your application. This includes required materials such as your Personal Statement of Purpose and transcripts, as examples. No materials are to be mailed to the Graduate School or to your designated program of study.
Recommenders 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 image that will be available for the faculty to review on-line.
Applications received on or before the deadline of the program you are applying are made available, in image form, to your designated program to review after the deadline of your program.
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.
Yes, but you should make every effort to have your Standardized Test Scores released to us as soon as possible and certainly before the deadline of your designated program. Score records received after the deadline will still be provided to the program.
How do I delete a duplicate application/account?
A duplicate application 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 application deleted. The process of deleting a duplicate application 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. While we are able to delete duplicate applications, we do not and cannot delete the underlying account.
The deadlines for Fall 2014 for receipt of the application (which must include all required or desired materials) are:
December 1, 2013: Biological and Biomedical Sciences (BBS).
December 15, 2013: African American Studies (combined with History or Political Science), Chemistry, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Economics, Epidemiology and Public Health, History, Political Science, and Psychology.
January 2, 2014. All other Programs and Departments including African American Studies NOT combined with History or Political Science.
Admissions committees may not consider applications and/or credentials received after the published deadline of any program.
Applications cannot be submitted after the January 2nd deadline.
Note: Deadlines are subject to change at any time
The application fee for fall 2013 was US$100.00. The application fee for fall 2014 has not yet been determined.
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 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.
Previous applicants who were not admitted to the Graduate School and applicants who declined a previous offer of admission must submit a completely new application and pay the application fee. Admissions records of applicants who did not enroll in the Graduate School are retained in image form and may be combined with your new application if requested by the program.
You do not however have to have another set of test scores sent in if they were already provided in support of your previous 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.
You need to "upload" all materials to your on-line application and not mail anything into us. Since all applications are reviewed by the faculty on-line there is no physical file folder. As such, materials not attached to your application cannot be accommodated and will be discarded if received.
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. If you have supplemental materials which could not be attached to your online application and you consider them absolutely necessary to support your application (such as a book, manuscript, journal or audio recording), you should extract a sample and upload that sample. Do not send in the actual document as it cannot be accommodated and will be discarded.
You will need to upload a record of your academic performance to your on-line application as you will not be able to submit your application if you do not do so. No transcripts are to be 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.
Do not send in materials you have uploaded to your on-line application. They cannot be accommodated and will be discarded.
Please also see question: Can I submit supplemental materials before I submit my application? Remember you should not mail paper copies of materials uploaded to your on-line application. Such materials cannot be accommodated and will be discarded.
The Yale office of Admissions does not accept Evaluations or Transcripts from credential management and dossier services unless the service has the ability to upload a letter directly into our online Recommendation System. Please check with your service to see if they have that ability.
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, if you are able to do so. The system preprints identifying information (name of uploaded item such as Personal Statement, your Name and Applicant ID #) in the upper right and left corners of all uploaded documents. If you do not leave this space, uploaded materials will print over this information making the first couple of lines difficult to read. While this will make your document, in the case of a writing sample or book report, etc., somewhat longer in terms of number of pages, that is not an issue as we do not print applications to paper. When uploading transcripts it is not necessary to leave this margin if it is not possible to do so.
No - all such material must be uploaded to your application prior to submission. Recommendations are completed on-line and attached to your application automatically. All other materials should be uploaded to your application. If you have materials such as books, manuscripts, CD's or sheet musicthat you considered essential in support of your application you should extract a sample and upload that sample to your online application.. Please note that all applications are reviewed online so hard copy materials cannot be accommodated. Do not mail any materials to your designated program.
Yes - once you start your online application 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 your GRE/TOEFL/IELTS scores. Please resist the urge to call or e-mail for status information if you have submitted your application within the last 48 hours. Please allow an ample amount of time when checking the receipt of scores.
Because of this we strongly urge you to submit your application as early as possible.
If your application is marked as "Incomplete" because of missing scores or letters of recommendation your application will still be processed on to your designated program. While the program may contact you for missing materials they are not obligated to do so. It is your responsibility to ensure that all materials are received prior to the deadline.
We cannot give any applicant status information over the phone or via e-mail.
All 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 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. 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.
You can request that your application be withdrawn from consideration any time after submission and prior to an admissions decision being rendered. Please note however, that application fees are refundable even if your request to withdraw an application is honored. However, if an application was submitted to the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences when intended for another school of the university and you have submitted an application to that school, then your application fee will be refunded. If you have started, but not submitted, an application, when you intended to apply to another school of the university, it can be deleted.
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.
You may re-upload a revised Personal Statement of Purpose, Resume or Supplemental materials to your application after it has been submitted up until December 15th. Under no circumstances should you send a revised materials to us as we cannot accommodate them and they will be discarded.
You need only to return to your online application, go to Personal Statement, Supplemental Materials or Resume section and click on the delete button. You will then be able to upload your revised materials.
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 required scores and letters of recommendation 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 or TOEFL scores if required.
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.
Yes it is. However, this can only be done up until December 15th. Please return to your on-line application and select Resume from the Optional Forms section. You can delete your current resume and upload a revised copy.
The status regarding Other Supporting Documents is administrative only and has no bearing on your application.
You should return to your on-line application, log in and select Application For Admission. From the blue navigational bar, select Fall Term Grade Report under the Optional Forms section. Enter your coursework and grades and follow the instructions provided in the form to upload this report to your application. When done, your fall term grades will be available to faculty for review.