FAQ

General FAQ

Financial aid is available to all students at Yale University regardless of their citizenship.

Undergraduate Students

Yale's financial aid resources meet the full demonstrated need of every undergraduate, including international students, for all four years. Please see the application instructions on the appropriate page below.

Graduate and Professional Students

The types of financial aid available and the application procedures for aid vary by school. Visit your school’s financial aid website for details.

Undergraduate students

All financial aid for Yale undergraduates is need-based. Yale College does not award merit-based scholarships. Read more about the types of financial aid available to undergraduates.

Graduate and professional students

Scholarships and financial aid for graduate and professional students vary by school. Select the school's financial aid website below for details.

Federal Work Study is available to undergraduate, graduate, and professional students who have federal eligibility as determined by the completion of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). If you are a current student, please check with your financial aid office to see if you qualify for funding under the Federal Work Study program.

Most campus jobs are available to all students regardless of their work-study or financial-aid status; see Student Employment's work-study FAQs for more information.

The best way for most prospective students to get an estimate of what their Expected Family Contribution would be at Yale is to use the Net Price Calculator.

Yale University's Student Employment Office (SEO) administers hiring of undergraduate, graduate, and professional student hourly positions.

Yale students can search for an on-campus job, submit electronic timesheets, and view online tutorials by logging in to the SEO website.

New students receiving Yale financial aid

After matriculation if you will be receiving an outside award you should complete an Outside Scholarship/Resource Information form.

Continuing students receiving Yale financial aid

If you receive an outside award, you should complete an Outside Scholarship/Resource Information form.

Students who are not receiving Yale financial aid

Submit an Outside Scholarship/Resource Information form to report outside resources or merit scholarships so the credit(s) can be applied to your term bill.

Typically, your award can be reviewed if your family's financial situation has changed significantly since you applied for aid, or if there is additional information that was not included on your original application. Common examples include recent unemployment, extraordinary uninsured medical expenses, and changes in family size.

For information on the review process, including required forms and documentation, see Requesting a Review.

Checks made out to Yale only

The student or scholarship agency should mail checks to the address listed below. All payments must include the student's name, birth date, and Yale Student ID number.

Checks made out to the student and to Yale

The student must endorse the check before mailing it to the address listed below. All payments must include the student's name, birth date, and Yale Student ID number.

Checks made out to the student only

Do not send the check to Yale. The student should cash the check and use the funds accordingly.

Mailing address

 Please send checks to the following address and allow at least 2–3 weeks for processing:

Yale University
P.O. Box 208232
New Haven, CT 06520-8232

Students may decline enrollment in Yale Health Hospitalization/Specialty Care coverage by submitting a waiver, available in June on the Yale Health website. A waiver must be submitted annually and received by September 15 for the full year or the fall term and by January 31 for the spring term only.

Yes. If you miss the application deadline, you are still eligible for financial aid, and your award will not be reduced because of late submission. Please submit all documents as soon as possible; the more quickly you complete your file, the sooner you will receive your financial aid award.

For students who miss the application deadline, the following delays may occur:

Because of the time and financial commitment required to take summer courses, we understand that you may not be able to meet the Student Share with earnings from a summer job. Options for covering costs include requesting additional term-time earnings, a student loan, and funds from outside sources. Contact Student Financial Services for information on all financing options.

If you plan to take summer courses abroad, you may also be eligible for an International Summer Award.

Yale believes that both parents have a responsibility to contribute toward their child's college education, even if they are divorced or separated. Therefore, we require financial information for both parents to generate a financial aid award. Your award letter lists one total Parent Share, which your parents may determine how best to meet. We understand that it may be difficult to provide accurate figures for both parents when applying for aid. Please contact our office if you feel your family's financial situation requires additional attention from our staff.

Does living off campus change my eligibility for financial aid?

For the 2024–2025 academic year, the estimated Cost of Attendance for Juniors and Seniors in residence and those who are living off campus are expected to be the same.  As a result, they will have the same financial aid budget as students living on campus. 

Will I get a refund on my financial aid to cover off campus expenses?

If the total aid paid to your Student Account for a term exceeds your term charges (tuition, Student Activities Fee, health plan option), you will have a credit balance on your account. You can request a refund of that credit balance to use toward your off-campus expenses. See the Student Accounts website for more information.

When will I be able to receive a refund on my financial aid?

Student Accounts will begin processing refund requests one week prior to the first day of classes each term. If your financial aid has been paid to your account and you have submitted a refund request, you can usually expect your refund to be processed within a few business days.

What if my financial aid is not paid to my account by the first day of classes?

It is important for you to complete your financial aid application by the deadline if you are depending on those funds to cover off-campus expenses. Loan funds may be advanced to you, but only after your award has been verified and all of the requirements for the loan have been satisfied. The maximum advance on a loan is $1,000 per month. A Pell Grant may be refunded to you before it pays to your account. Advances will be made only on funds not needed to cover term charges. Advances cannot be given on Yale scholarship, state grants, or outside resources.

What if I need money prior to one week before classes begin?

Financial aid refunds can only be processed one week before the first day of classes at the earliest. It usually takes 1–2 business days after processing for your bank to make the funds available to you. Expenses such as security deposits, rent for months before the academic year begins, and utility hook-up fees should be covered by other resources. Be sure to consider these expenses in making your decision to live off campus.

What if I run out of money for rent and food during the year?

You cannot increase your budget and request additional financial aid to cover the increase in expenses if your off-campus expenses are higher than the standard room and board budget.

What if I need money to cover rent for the next summer because I signed a twelve-month lease?

Your budget is based on the nine-month academic year. You cannot add summer rent to your academic year budget and financial aid.

Can my parents continue t​o pay my bill through the Yale Payment Plan (YPP)?

Yes, but the amount of the contract should not exceed the total of tuition, and the health plan, if applicable, minus anticipated financial aid credits. You will not be able to get a refund on a credit balance on your account if the credit is due to a Yale Payment Plan contract. This is because the Yale Payment Plan posts the credits to your account before your parents fulfill their financial obligation. Visit the Student Accounts website for more information about YPP.

Undergraduate students

All financial aid for Yale undergraduates is need-based. This policy helps to ensure that Yale College will be accessible to talented students no matter what their resources. There are no athletic or other merit-based awards.

For more information on the different types of financial aid available, see Types of Aid and Other Financial Resources.

Graduate and professional students

Please visit a specific school's financial aid website to learn more about financial aid in the Graduate and professional schools.

Yale believes that both parents have a responsibility to contribute toward their child’s college education, even if they are divorced or separated. Therefore, we require financial information for both parents to generate a financial aid award. We understand that some families may have extenuating circumstances that would require an exception. In such cases, students may petition to have their noncustodial parent's financial information waived.

The Noncustodial Parent Waiver Petition form is available on our Forms page. Petitioning students should complete the form and submit it to Student Financial Services with the documentation it describes. If you have questions about whether a Noncustodial Waiver Petition might be appropriate in your case, please contact us to discuss the specifics of your situation.

Student Share FAQ

The Student Share is included in every Yale Financial Aid Award as part of a family’s options to meet their estimated Net Cost. It represents Yale’s estimate of a student’s ability to contribute financially toward the overall cost of attending as a full-time student.

No. The Student Share is not a billed amount and does not appear on the Yale billing statement. The Student Share is Yale's estimate of a student's ability to contribute toward their total Cost of Attendance, which includes both billed (direct) expenses and unbilled (indirect) expenses.

The Student Share is equal to Yale's estimate for books and personal expenses. If students find that these costs are lower than Yale's standardized estimates, they may earn or contribute less. 

To meet the Student Share, students may choose to work during the academic year and summer, to use merit scholarship funds from an outside source, or to take out a small student loan. Many students find that their books, personal expenses, and travel expenses are less than Yale’s estimates. This reduces students’ Net Cost and the amount they need to earn or contribute. To meet the full estimated Student Share through only term-time and summer employment, a student would expect to work 6 hours per week or less while on campus and earn $1,600 through summer employment.

No. Working on campus and during the summer is an option available to students to meet their estimated cost, but Yale does not require that any student work. Students who prefer not to earn income through term-time and/or summer employment may opt to cover some or all of their Student Share with funds from outside merit scholarships or to take out a small student loan. Unlike many other universities, Yale allows funds from outside merit scholarships to reduce or eliminate the Student Share. Pursuing term-time and summer work is one option for students and families to meet their estimated Net Cost.

No. A student’s eligibility for the Federal Work Study (FWS) program does not affect the size of the Student Share or a student’s ability to work on campus. Participation in the FWS program simply means that the federal government subsidizes part of a student’s wage; however, FWS eligibility does not affect how much a student is paid or a student’s ability to be hired for most campus jobs.

For more information on the Federal Work Study program, see Yale Student Employment's work-study FAQs.