For those who do not wish to pursue a degree program, YSE offers the option of special-student status. Special students may be registered for a period as short as one term and may enroll in a minimum of one course or elect to take a full load of four courses per term. Please note that international applicants who are not coming through a preestablished Memorandum of Understanding between a partner university and Yale University will likely not be able to participate in the special-student program. Special students may not be eligible to participate in the summer Training Modules in Technical Skills. Under normal circumstances, no one may hold special-student status for more than one academic year. No degree or certificate is granted for special-student course work. Students will receive official transcripts of course work completed. For information on tuition for special students, see the chapter Tuition, Fees, and Other Expenses.

Special students wishing to matriculate in a degree program after completing courses will need to apply and be admitted through the YSE admission process described in the chapter Admissions: Master’s Degree Programs. Course credits earned while in special-student status will not be applied toward any degree credit requirements, and any fees paid while in attendance as a special student will not be applied toward degree tuition requirements.