New Students
Checklist
The Graduate School has developed this checklist for the new students who will be matriculating each fall. The first three items are required of all students; the remainder are recommendations. Please contact the Office of Graduate Student Life at the McDougal Center at (203) 432-BLUE with any questions or concerns you might have. International students are encouraged to review the extensive information for new students and their families provided by the Office of International Students and Scholars.
Required Actions
Once you have received your Net ID or Student Identification (SID) number, please complete the ID card form with passport size photo by June 8, 2009, to the address listed on the form. If you do not return the photo and form by the deadline, you will need to have your ID made when you arrive on campus. Please avoid long lines and delays by supplying your ID materials in advance so that your Yale ID will be ready for you when you arrive at HGS for Orientation.
IDs will only be issued to students who have satisfied the transcript and health pre-enrollment requirements outlined below. Temporary IDs are not available, and IDs cannot be issued prior to Orientation. You may obtain an ID card for your spouse or same-sex domestic partner at the ID Center after the beginning of fall term registration. Please contact the ID Center with any questions in this regard.
If you already possess a Yale ID card, you do not need to return the form or submit pictures. When you arrive on campus, you can renew your ID in person at the ID Center.
The Yale Health Plan provides a checklist of materials that students need to review and forms they need to submit in order to accept health coverage from the University and register for the fall term. Students who determine that they wish to waive the University’s coverage must do so by September 15.
Yale Health Plan Basic Coverage is provided at no cost to students enrolled at least half-time in M.A., M.S., and Ph.D. programs. Eligible Ph.D. students also receive a Health Award, which covers the full cost of single-student Yale Health Plan Hospitalization/Specialty Coverage, half the cost of two-person coverage, and the full cost for family coverage. Students who wish to enroll a partner or dependent in the Yale Health Plan must complete the requisite form or contact Member Services with questions. Please direct questions regarding the Health Award itself to the Graduate School’s Office of Financial Aid. Students may also enroll in the optional CO-Health Group dental/vision plan.
A student who accepts an offer of admission to the Graduate School must provide official documentation that he or she has received a bachelor’s degree (B.A. or B.S.) or its foreign equivalent prior to registering in the Graduate School. The Graduate School also requires that you provide official documentation reflecting the award of all other degrees (M.A./M.S./Ph.D., etc.) and/or coursework satisfactorily completed, from all other institutions listed in your online application.
This official documentation is normally in the form of an Official Transcript sent to us directly from the issuing institution.
If you uploaded transcripts or an academic record at the time of application, or if you provided a transcript prior to the award of any degree, you will need to have a final Official Transcript sent to us directly from the issuing institution unless you have already done so. Unfortunately, we are not able to accommodate Electronic Transcripts at this time.
Applicants who have attended international institutions must submit transcripts or certified attestations of study, with certified, literal and complete English translations. International students should note that the failure to provide such documentation will result in the inability to register for the term and therefore jeopardize the status of their visas.
Please submit the appropriate credentials to the following address by July 15:
Graduate School Office of Admissions
Yale University
P.O. Box 208323
New Haven, CT 06520-8323
Students who have been offered admission contingent upon the Graduate School receiving official GRE/TOEFL scores must have ETS release their scores as soon as possible. Paper copies of score reports are not acceptable. Please have scores released from ETS using the code 3987 for the Yale University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.
If you anticipate delays or have any questions, please contact Jaime Dietz prior to July 15.
It is the policy of the Graduate School to verify all credentials in support of an application. All transcripts, recommendations, publications, standardized test scores and supplemental materials may be traced to their source in order to confirm their authenticity.
Staying Organized
Review University and Graduate School publications. Students are encouraged to review the Living in New Haven web pages and The Compass: A Grad Student's Guide to Navigating New Haven to assist in their transition to life at Yale. New students should plan to arrive on campus in time for orientation in late August. Of particular interest to students in this process is information about the shipping of personal items to campus and bringing copies of one’s admission letter to obtain access to Yale services in advance of receiving an ID card at orientation.
Review security awareness information and programs prior to arriving in New Haven and selecting a place to live.
Obtain property insurance for on-and off-campus residences. The University urges all students living both on and off campus to obtain property insurance to protect against the unlikely occurrence of loss of or damage to personal belongings.
Review driver's license and vehicular registration requirements for new Connecticut residents, as well as New Haven's property tax on all vehicles maintained in the city (regardless of the state in which the car is registered) and the process for obtaining residential parking permits.
Plan for initial costs that will occur before stipends are disbursed on September 15.
Review student computing resources and guidelines.
Purchase a meal plan or “Eli Bucks” from Dining Services.
Contact the Resource Office on Disabilities to discuss any required accommodations or services.
April
Apply for on-campus housing starting April 1 or begin to look for off-campus housing.
When planning where to live, review transportation options.
May
Receive Network Identification (NetID) and Student Identification (SID) numbers.
Receive instructions and PIN number for activating Yale e-mail account. Begin to check Yale e-mail account regularly for official notices.
E-mail Graduate Admissions with "Net ID" as the subject if you have not received the NetID, SID or PIN by May 15.
June
Return student ID card form (please see Required Actions above).
July
Provide final transcript to Graduate School (please see Required Actions above).
Return forms to the Yale Health Plan (please see Required Actions above).
Receive statement from Student Financial Services and make arrangements for payment (tuition fellowships will appear as a credit on the August statement).
Request on-campus student parking if needed.
August
Register for orientation events.
View course information.
Contact the Office of Financial Aid if you have been awarded a tuition fellowship and it does not appear on your August statement.
