Affordable. For everyone.
All undergraduate financial aid at Yale is awarded on the basis of financial need, with the goal of making a Yale education affordable to all students and families. Yale’s financial aid resources meet the full demonstrated need of every undergraduate—regardless of citizenship or immigration status—without relying on student loans, for all four years.
- Estimate your cost in three minutes with the Quick Cost Estimator.
- Get a more detailed estimate with the Net Price Calculator.
- See who qualifies for aid and what a financial aid award covers.
Applicants from a range of socioeconomic backgrounds and income levels qualify for need-based aid. Each family’s financial circumstances are unique, and our staff performs a holistic review of each application for aid. A Yale financial aid award meets 100% of a student’s Demonstrated Financial Need based on the Estimated Cost of Attendance and a calculated Expected Family Contribution.
Every Yale financial aid award includes two parts: grant aid and the Student Effort. Grant aid may include a need-based Yale Scholarship and/or funds from external sources including entitlement grants (Federal Pell Grant, Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant/SEOG, and state grants) or merit-based scholarships a student may have earned from outside organizations. Yale does not award any merit-based scholarships, but funds from external scholarships may reduce or replace the Student Effort.
The Student Effort is a fixed amount students receiving aid should anticipate contributing from term-time and summer job earnings. The grant aid and Student Effort in every Yale financial aid award will meet a student’s full demonstrated financial need.
Yale does not expect students to finance their college education with debt, and loans are not included in the Yale financial aid award. Some students and families prefer to cover some or all of their Student Effort with loans instead of taking a term-time or summer job, and families may find it more convenient to defer some costs until after graduation. Upon request, Student Financial Services can help guide students and families through the process of applying for and receiving a loan.
Who qualifies for aid?
Every family’s financial situation is unique, but the table below can give you an idea of typical awards. The table shows median financial aid awards for families of first-year students in the Class of 2021 who applied for financial aid.
| Annual Income Range | Median Net Cost* | Median Scholarship | Percentage Who Qualified for Aid |
| Less than $65,000 | $3,450 | $74,732 | 99% |
| $65,000-$100,000 | $5,538 | $72,217 | 96% |
| $100,000-$150,000 | $15,298 | $57,856 | 93% |
| $150,000-$200,000 | $34,005 | $37,542 | 85% |
| $200,000-$250,000 | $45,051 | $27,165 | 72% |
| Greater than $250,000** | $52,102 | $19,817 | 23% |
*Net Cost is the difference between the Estimated Cost of Attendance (tuition, room, board, books, travel expenses and personal expenses) and a student’s scholarship grant(s) from all sources. Yale financial aid awards include a standardized Student Effort, which is an option to meet Net Cost.
** Most who qualify have multiple children in college.
What does a financial aid award cover?
The graph below shows how the median figures above compare to Yale’s Estimated Cost of Attendance
