Application to the school is an online process. While completing the online application form, applicants will be asked to supply information regarding themselves, their education, their test scores, and their references; upload their transcripts and curriculum vitae (résumé); and pay an application fee. (Fee waivers are not granted.) In addition, applicants for the M.Arch. programs will be required to upload a portfolio. Applicants for the M.E.D. program will be required to upload a research proposal. See below for more detailed information on each required component of the application process.

The online application can be accessed at https://apply.architecture.yale.edu/apply, when it is available. Applications for programs beginning in the 2025–2026 academic year must be submitted no later than 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on January 2, 2025. Applicants will not be allowed to submit applications after the deadline has passed.

Since all required admissions materials must be uploaded to the online application, applicants should not send any materials directly to the school. Any materials received directly from an applicant will not be added to the applicant’s admission file.

Application Fee

The application fee is $90. Applications will be considered submitted only when payment of a nonrefundable application fee has been received. However, an application fee waiver request will be considered based on the need and criteria outlined below. Please note that admissions to Yale School of Architecture is need-blind. Requests for application fee waivers have no bearing on your application for admissions. 

To request a need-based application fee waiver, please complete and submit the following waiver form and financial information before December 1, 2024. Our financial aid office will review and respond by email to your fee waiver application no later than December 15, 2024. If you are not granted a waiver, you must pay the $90 fee prior to the January 2, 2025 deadline. The fee must be paid or waived in order for your application to be reviewed by the Admissions Committee.

Waiver Criteria

If your family size and income fall within the levels listed below, you will qualify for an application fee waiver: 

• A household size of one, with an annual income of less than $40,000 
• A household size of two or more, with an annual income of $40,000–$80,000 

Required Documentation: 

• U.S. citizens: Submit most recent Federal Income Tax Return or employer income statement
• Non-U.S. citizens: Submit income documentation to verify financial hardship 

The only acceptable method of payment of the application fee is by credit or debit card, a transaction that is made within the online application. Wire transfers cannot be accepted. 

Transcripts

A transcript or academic record indicating degree earned or anticipated is required from each college or university attended and listed in the Academic Record section of the online application. Applicants will need to upload a scanned copy of their transcript or academic record to the application. (Please ensure that the scanned copy is legible.) Refer to the detailed instructions within the online application regarding transcripts/academic records and uploading. Do not send a hard copy of a transcript or academic record that has been uploaded to the application.

Applicants who have attended international institutions must submit transcripts or certified attestations of study. If such documents are not written in English, certified English translations are required. Once translated, the original transcript as well as the certified translation should be uploaded to the online application.

Applicants expecting to graduate this academic year but still attending their college or university must upload their current, in-progress college or university transcript to the application.

Applicants who are offered admission and who accept that offer will be required to have their respective institutions directly submit final, official transcripts to the school at gradarch.admissions@yale.edu.

Standardized Examinations

The Internet-based Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL iBT) is required of all applicants whose native language is not English. The requirement for the TOEFL iBT may be waived only for applicants who have studied in residence for at least three years at a university or college where English is the primary language of instruction and who will have received a baccalaureate degree, or its foreign equivalent, from that institution prior to matriculation at Yale. For further information regarding the test and/or to arrange to take the test, visit www.ets.org/toefl. The TOEFL must be taken no later than December preceding the application due date. IELTS is not accepted as a substitution for the TOEFL iBT examination.

The Yale School of Architecture institution code number for the GRE and TOEFL iBT is 3985. Please note that this is different from other Yale University code numbers. Unless 3985 is used on the test form, applicants’ scores will not reach the school.

The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is optional for applications to the M.Arch. I, M.Arch II, and MED programs. Applicants are welcome to submit scores if they feel it would support their application. If an applicant chooses not to take the GRE or submit scores, it will not affect the strength of their application and the school will review all other application materials comprehensively. For information regarding the GRE test, test dates and locations, and/or to arrange to take the test, visit https://www.ets.org/gre. Although the test may be taken at any time, it should be taken no later than December preceding the application due date to be considered. 

Curriculum Vitae

A curriculum vitae (résumé of academic and employment experience) is required and must be uploaded to the online application.

Letters of Recommendation

Three letters of recommendation are required and must be uploaded by each recommender no later than January 9, 2025. Letters of recommendation should be from individuals with direct knowledge of the applicant’s professional potential and/or academic ability.

Recommendations are submitted only through an online process. When recommenders’ email addresses are inserted into the online application, instructions on how to submit recommendations are automatically sent to the recommenders. Therefore, in order to allow recommenders sufficient time to prepare and upload their recommendations, applicants should insert their recommenders’ email addresses into the online application as early in the process as possible.

Applicants can verify that their letters of recommendation have been received by the school by viewing the status page of their online application.

Portfolio

(for the M.Arch. programs only) A digital portfolio (a single pdf document optimized not to exceed 40MB) is required and must be uploaded to the online application. The portfolio will be viewed on computer screens.

The portfolio should be a well-edited representation of the applicant’s creative work that reflects the applicant’s experience, interests, and accomplishments. Portfolios may not contain videos. Our applicants have a wide range of backgrounds, from those who have an undergraduate architectural degree and years of professional experience, to those who have educational backgrounds and experiences in different fields. Consequently, each portfolio is reviewed as a reflection of each applicant, and we encourage a diversity of creative work that demonstrates visual and spatial thinking. This may include architectural design, but also drawing, painting, sculpture, sketches, data visualization, product design, etc. Applicants without any architecture or visual arts background are encouraged to include work demonstrating creative thinking from their field, work, or life experience. Applicants may include work performed in an office setting, but such work will be considered a reflection of their experience more than their creative abilities. Anything submitted that is not entirely the applicant’s own work must be clearly identified as such, noting the applicant’s role.

Research Proposal

(for the M.E.D. program only) A full and specific description of the applicant’s research proposal is required and must be uploaded to the online application form. This proposal must include a statement of goals, a proposed study plan, and anticipated results. This submission is weighted heavily during the application review process and is considered in the assignment of faculty advisers. Do not send a hard copy of the proposal that has been uploaded to the application.

Preparation of the proposed study plan is an important part of the application process. As a guide to applicants, the following themes should be included in the proposed study plan:

1. Define a specific topic area and the goal of the study plan. List the prior work, publications, or other key references that provide the background or basis of study in the topic.
2. Define the key questions that might be answered or the important issues that would be addressed by the study. Describe proposed study methods and expected results.
3. List the Yale courses that will support the study. Include a tentative schedule or plan of study over the four terms.
4. Describe prior work relevant to the proposed topic, as well as career expectations in undertaking the study. Include examples of written papers, reports, and other documentation that illustrate a capability to carry out the proposed study.

Verification of Application Credentials

It is the policy of the School of Architecture to verify all credentials, such as transcripts, recommendations, and standardized test scores, as well as other information submitted in support of an application. By submission of an application, applicants automatically grant consent for such verification. Should it be determined at any time that any credential or other information submitted during the application process has been misrepresented, the university reserves the right to rescind the offer of admission and to prevent registration.