Each year YDS appoints as visiting fellows a limited number of distinguished professors, clergy and others in ministry, government officials, journalists and other writers, or otherwise qualified persons of advanced professional status. These scholars will have clearly articulated research projects that necessitate their presence on campus, usually to work with the Divinity Library’s special holdings or to collaborate with a YDS faculty member. The aim of the program is to give established researchers a regular and significant presence at YDS for the mutual benefit of the fellows and the university.

Appointment at this rank requires review by the university’s Office for Postdoctoral Affairs and approval of the YDS dean as well as the Yale provost. Appointment may be for up to twelve months; in rare cases, reappointment for a second year is possible. Visiting fellows have access to the libraries of the university and may audit classes with permission of the instructor. They are not candidates for degrees and receive no academic credit. A nonrefundable application fee of $50 is required. There is a registration fee of $750 per six-month period. Visiting fellows are not eligible for financial aid from the school, and no stipends are available.

Recent Ph.D.s are not eligible for visiting fellowships but may apply for a postdoctoral fellowship. The funding and visa requirements for visiting and postdoctoral fellows are outlined at https://postdocs.yale.edu/administrators/titles-eligibility.

Inquiries about appointment should be addressed to Jan Hagens, Director of the Visiting Fellows Program, Yale Divinity School, 409 Prospect Street, New Haven CT 06511-2167, or jan.hagens@yale.edu.