Admission to the Graduate School | Yale Graduate School of Arts & Sciences

Welcome to the Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences! 

We’re glad you’ve come to our website. If you’re new to Yale, here’s some basic information to help you get started.

The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS) is one unit within a large, complex, and historic university. In addition to the Graduate School, Yale has an undergraduate school (Yale College) and 13 professional schools that award post-baccalaureate degrees in law, medicine, business, drama, art, architecture, music, nursing, etc. Each school at Yale has its own policies, requirements, and admissions practices. Each grants specific degrees. GSAS is the school that prepares scholars and scientists for careers in research, teaching, and leadership.

Note that all programs at the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences have a residency requirement. GSAS does not offer any online degrees.

GSAS is home to more than 50 academic departments and programs. The full list of our degrees and programs can be found on the Programs & Departments page. Make sure the program and degree you are interested in is listed there.

If you don’t find what you are looking for on our site, check out Yale’s professional schools . If you are looking for an undergraduate degree, Yale College is the place to apply.

Ph.D. and Master’s Degree Applicants

If you are interested in applying for admission to a Ph.D. or Master’s degree program at GSAS, these web pages will be very useful: 

Non-Degree Applicants

In some cases it is possible to enroll at the Graduate School as a non-degree student. Non-degree students receive a transcript and many of the benefits of being a Yale student, but do not earn a degree upon completion of their enrollment. 

We offer three types of non-degree programs:

• Exchange Scholars – to be eligible, you must be enrolled at an institution that has a formal exchange program with Yale. Exchange Scholars may enroll in courses or participate in research at Yale. 
• Visiting Assistants in Research (VAR) – if you are an advanced graduate student currently enrolled at another institution and wish to pursue full-time dissertation research at Yale, you may qualify for the VAR program. VARs are not eligible to enroll in courses. 
• Visiting Students – if you have a bachelor’s degree, you may apply to take courses at Yale, with the permission of the program.  

Information for All Applicants

• Our application process is entirely online. Your application and all supporting materials, including letters of recommendation, must be submitted online through the application platform. Please do not mail or email any materials to us. 
• Once you initiate an application, your Application Status Portal will keep track of the materials you send, including test scores and recommendations, and will post the admissions decision when it is ready. 
• A complete list of admissions policies and procedures can be found in the Graduate School’s Programs and Policies.

Questions?

We are happy to assist you with your application. If you have questions, please Contact Us . To ensure that your question is answered as quickly as possible, please note the following:

• Transactional questions. If your query is about the application process (i.e. the receipt of test scores, a change of name/address, technical problems with the application, etc.), please contact the Graduate School admissions staff at Graduate Admissions. 
• Program-specific questions. Each program evaluates applications differently and independently. If your query is specific to the academic program for which you are applying, please consult their website, where you may find the information you seek. If you still have questions, feel free to contact the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) or the registrar of the program. They will be able to help you.