http://gsas.yale.edu/admission

Application for admission to any of the graduate school’s programs should begin in the summer or fall of the academic year prior to the one in which the applicant seeks to matriculate. Application can be made to only one department, program, or combined program. The graduate school utilizes an online application. Access to this application as well as application procedures, guidelines, requirements, fees, deadline dates, and all other information that an applicant will need are available at the website listed above.

Holders of American Ph.D. or Sc.D. degrees, or their international equivalents, are not eligible for admission to the graduate school in the field in which they have already earned their degree. They may, however, apply in other fields and are also eligible to apply for admission to the Division of Special Registration as Visiting Students for nondegree study. (See Nondegree Study under Programs of Study for more information, or visit the website listed above.) With the approval of the appropriate associate dean, holders of master’s degrees are eligible for admission to a terminal master’s degree program in the same field at the graduate school provided that there is significant curricular distinction between the previous and proposed programs of study.

Individual program descriptions, prerequisites, special admissions requirements, and links to these programs are available via the graduate school’s website. Although programs may have varying prerequisites and special requirements for admission, all programs will require, in addition to an application and the application fee, three letters of recommendation, a résumé/CV, and transcripts from each academic institution previously attended. Some degree programs require the submission of scores from the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) General Test, which is administered in the United States and abroad by the Educational Testing Service (ETS). This examination, in addition to any GRE Subject Tests that may be required by the student’s program of study, should be taken as early as possible to ensure that official scores are released and received no later than the stated deadline of the program for which the student is applying. Applicants to combined degree programs should consult both programs’ admissions requirements and submit scores if either of the two programs require the GRE General Test and/or Subject Tests. For all programs where the GRE General Test is not accepted, any scores submitted will not be considered for the purposes of admission. For programs where the GRE General Test is optional, any scores submitted will be taken into consideration for the purposes of admission, and any self-reported scores must be verified with official scores.

Applicants whose native language is not English must present evidence of proficiency in English by satisfactorily completing the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), which is administered by ETS, or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). Applicants who have received or will receive an undergraduate degree from a college or university where English is the primary language of instruction are exempt from the English Language Test requirement and are not required to submit the TOEFL or IELTS. Applicants must have studied in residence at the undergraduate institution for at least three years to qualify. The TOEFL or IELTS, if required, should be taken as early as possible to ensure that official scores are released and received no later than the stated deadline of the program for which the student is applying.

Students who do not demonstrate sufficient proficiency in English may be retested or asked to take courses in English for speakers of other languages. A higher level of proficiency will be required in order for students to serve as teaching fellows.

Non-U.S. applicants who accept offers of admission will be required to give appropriate evidence of necessary financial support before the university will be able to issue visa documents.

The application contains questions regarding prior or pending criminal charges, disciplinary sanctions, and breaks or leaves of absence in educational/professional experience. Responses regarding prior or pending criminal charges are not shared with the program to which an applicant seeks admission, nor are they a bar to admission in the graduate school. When an applicant answers affirmatively to any of these questions, however, the graduate school will evaluate the circumstances outlined by the applicant to determine if they are potentially relevant to the applicant’s participation in the Yale community as a graduate student. In cases where such charges are pending, the graduate school may decide to admit the applicant contingent upon the charges being resolved or to defer the decision on admission until the charges are resolved. If new criminal or disciplinary charges are filed against an applicant after submission of the application but prior to matriculation, applicants are required to notify the graduate school admissions office of this fact in writing. Failure to do so may result in rejection of an application or rescission of an offer of admission.

It is the policy of the graduate school to verify all credentials submitted in support of an application. All transcripts, recommendations, publications, standardized test scores, and supplemental materials may be traced to their sources in order to confirm their authenticity. Written materials submitted by an applicant are subject to review for the purpose of identifying plagiarism. Any falsification or misrepresentation contained in the application and supplied by an applicant may be cause for denying or rescinding admission to the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.

Applicants are typically notified of decisions regarding their applications during the months of February and March. Official notification is sent from the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences only.

All entering students must have obtained the bachelor’s degree or its international equivalent. Offers of admission are contingent on a student’s providing an official transcript indicating that the student has been awarded a baccalaureate degree (or its international equivalent) prior to matriculation. Students who are not able to provide such evidence will not be permitted to register. Those who have been engaged in graduate work at Yale or another university must also present an official transcript giving evidence of degree(s) awarded and/or satisfactory completion of the previous year’s work.

Applicants who have been previously denied admission to the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences three times may not apply again.

The Office of Graduate Admissions will not release application materials, including standardized test scores, letters of recommendation, or transcripts, to the applicant or other institutions or agencies for any purpose. Students will need to contact ETS, recommenders, or educational institutions they have previously attended in order to furnish such materials to a third party.