Billed expenses are charges billed by Yale that will appear on a student’s YalePay Student Account statement. Also referred to as direct expenses.
The CSS Profile, which can be completed at College Board’s website using Yale College’s School Code 3987, is an online application used by colleges and scholarship programs to award non-federal institutional aid. This form is required by Undergraduate Financial Aid for all financial aid applicants .
Note: The CSS Profile has a submission fee. Waivers are available for eligible students to prevent this cost from being a barrier to financial aid.
The amount of gift aid a family needs to be able to afford one year of Yale. Yale financial aid packages meet this amount dollar for dollar with Yale Scholarship and any available outside resources, such as a Pell Grant. This represents the difference between Yale’s Estimated Cost of Attendance and the Expected Family Contribution.
Entitlement grants are awarded by the federal government, state agencies, or other agencies not affiliated with Yale. The criteria for receiving entitlements are based on federal need, city or state of residence, or affiliation with an employer. An entitlement grant may have a merit component, but if the student would not receive the resource without need, the resource is generally considered an entitlement.
Examples of entitlement grants include:
- Federal Pell Grants and Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (SEOG)
- State Grants
- Employer Tuition Benefits
- Yale Club or Association Scholarships
Entitlement grants reduce Yale Scholarship dollar for dollar.
The estimated cost of attendance (COA) refers to the total amount of expenses a student will incur - both billed an unbilled - when attending Yale College. Yale considers the the following expenses when determining the estimated COA for one academic year:
- Tuition
- Student Activity Fee
- Housing
- Food
- Books/Course Material/Supplies/Equipment
- Personal Expenses
- Travel Expenses
Most cost of attendance expenses are fixed, though expenses such as travel can vary based on the student’s home address.
Learn more about the cost of attendance at this webpage.
The total amount a family is expected to contribute toward a student’s Yale education. It is used to cover both billed and unbilled expenses. The EFC is comprised of:
- Parent Share
- Student Share
The Expected Family Contribution is not the amount that will appear on a Yale term bill. Rather, it is an estimate of the total net cost a family will pay to cover a student’s estimated expenses for one year.
Yale calculates the Expected Family Contribution through a holistic review process. As part of this process, we use a formula that considers the following:
- parents’ income
- parents’ assets (cash, savings, home equity, other real estate and investments)
- family size
- number of children attending college
- student’s expected income from summer and term-time jobs
- student’s assets (cash, savings, trusts, and other investments)
Yale also evaluates other circumstances, such as exceptional medical expenses, on a case-by-case basis.
A form used by colleges and career schools to determine how much financial aid a student is eligible to receive, which could include grants, scholarships, work-study funds, and loans. This form is required for all financial aid applicants who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents. Most of the required information can be gathered from your federal tax returns.
The FAFSA can be completed online on the U.S. Federal Student Aid website, and should be submitted to Yale using Yale College’s FAFSA code: 001426.
A designation made by the U.S. federal government when students with financial need complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). With the exception of a small number of service-related jobs, FWS status makes no difference for a student’s eligibility for term-time employment at Yale. It does not affect a student’s wages, hours, or chances of being employed.
IDOC is a College Board service that collects financial documents and distributes them to institutions on behalf of the student. It is Yale’s preferred submission method.
Access IDOC.
While Yale does not award merit-based scholarships, Yale students often qualify for merit awards from other organizations. Criteria for receiving merit scholarships are directly linked to a student’s performance in academics, sports, music, or another field of special interest. Potential sources for merit-based awards include:
- private companies
- employers
- nonprofit organizations
We encourage students to pursue outside aid awards, which can have a positive affect on your student share and overall offer. All outside aid that is paid directly to Yale is included on a student’s YalePay account, thus reducing the balance due.
Net cost refers to the actual amount a student and their family are expected to pay for their education after all forms of financial assistance, such as grants, scholarships, and other forms of aid, have been deducted from the total estimated cost of attendance.
Part of the expected family contribution (EFC), the parent share refers to the amount a student’s parent(s) or guardian(s) are expected to contribute toward the estimated cost of attendance. The amount is dependent on a family’s income and assets. Many lower-income families will have a Parent Share of $0.
Important Note: Yale believes that both parents have a responsibility to contribute toward their child’s college education, even if they are divorced or separated. For this reason, we require financial information for both parents to generate a financial aid offer letter. The Yale financial aid offer letter lists one total Parent Share, which a student’s parents may determine how best to meet.
We understand that some families may have extenuating circumstances that would require an exception. Students may petition to have their noncustodial parent’s financial information waived in such cases by submitting a Noncustodial Parent Waiver Petition form with supporting documentation. Submission of a waiver petition form does not guarantee that the noncustodial parent’s requirements will be waived.
An entitlement grant funded by the federal government for U.S. citizens and permanent residents with financial need. For more information, see the Federal Student Aid website.
The QuestBridge National College Match is a college and scholarship application process that helps outstanding low-income high school seniors gain admission to, and scholarships and grant aid for, the nation’s most selective colleges.
For more information, please visit the QuestBridge website.
An entitlement grant funded by the federal government for U.S. citizens and permanent residents with exceptional financial need. For more information, see the Federal Student Aid website.
A unique nine-digit number assigned to a student upon matriculation. The SID is used in place of a student’s Social Security Number for indexing and accessing documents and information. It is also a student’s account number.
The SID is located in the upper left corner above the date on the first page of the financial aid award letter. Whenever you contact Undergraduate Financial Aid, please have the Student Identification Number available.
Part of the expected family contribution (EFC), the student share refers to Yale’s estimate of what a student could earn from wages earned during the academic year and summer.
Important Note: Outside merit scholarships may be used to reduce or replace a student’s student share. Students may also choose to take out loans to cover their student share. For more information, visit the Types of Aid page or Outside Resources page of our website.
Unbilled expenses are not paid directly to Yale and do not appear on any Student Account (YalePay) bill. Also referred to as indirect expenses.
Since unbilled expenses are not paid directly to Yale, these amounts are estimates to help you plan for expenses you may incur throughout the year.
Yale University’s Student Financial Services electronic billing and payment system that allows students and student-designated proxies to view student account activity and make online payments.
Access YalePay.
A combination of resources that meets 100% of a family’s demonstrated financial need with gift aid. It includes Yale Scholarship and any available outside resources, such as Pell Grant. All Yale awards are based on financial need.
Student loans are not required as part of the Yale Financial Aid Offer.
An overview of the financial aid offer letter and each of its sections can be found on the Understanding your Offer Letter page.
Yale’s need-based grant aid for undergraduates, the Yale Scholarship, is a gift and thus never has to be repaid. If a student is awarded financial aid, the Yale Scholarship amount is included on the Financial Aid Offer Letter.
The Yale Scholarship can vary from a few hundred dollars to over $80,000 per year; the average Yale need-based scholarship is over $65,000. For additional statistics, see Affordability. Area Yale Club awards, endowed scholarships, and other gift aid from Yale’s alumni and friends may be used as grants in place of some Yale Scholarship funds.