How do I apply for financial aid?
All prospective and continuing students seeking financial aid, including merit scholars, must complete a Yale Divinity School Financial Aid Application for U.S. citizens and permanent residents OR a Yale Divinity School Financial Aid Application for International students.
U.S. citizens and permanent residents must also complete the FAFSA.
See our Applying for Financial Aid webpage for more information and links to the required forms.
What is the financial aid application deadline?
For the 2024–2025 academic year, the financial aid application deadline for admissions applicants is March 1; for continuing students, it is May 15.
How do I apply for merit scholarships?
Merit award offers are based on your application for admission and determined by the admissions committee. There is no application form specifically for merit scholarships.
Applicants selected as merit scholars are informed of their award in their admissions letter. Students who are offered merit awards must complete a full financial aid application to receive the scholarship.
What forms will I need?
U.S. citizens and permanent residents must complete the FAFSA and the YDS Financial Aid Application for U.S. citizens and permanent residents. International students must complete the YDS Financial Aid Application for International students.
See our Applying for Financial Aid webpage for more information.
Do I need to provide a copy of my federal tax return?
No. U.S. citizens and permanent residents must provide consent and approval to have federal tax information transferred into the FAFSA via direct data exchange with the IRS. The 2024–2025 FAFSA will use information from the 2022 tax year.
International students must provide financial information in the YDS Financial Aid Application form. If additional documentation is needed to determine scholarship eligibility, the Financial Aid Office will notify you directly.
What if I am selected for verification on my FAFSA?
If your FAFSA is selected for federal verification, you may need to complete a YDS federal verification form and provide a copy of your IRS tax return transcript, government-issued photo ID, or other documents. The Financial Aid Office will contact students selected for verification regarding the necessary documentation.
Is the CSS Profile form required?
No. The only forms required are the FAFSA (for U.S. citizens and permanent residents) and YDS’s own institutional forms.
Is on-campus work available?
Yes. After matriculation, you may check the Student Employment website for job listings. There are usually more jobs on campus than students to fill them. Once you find a job you may check with the financial aid office for Federal Work Study eligibility.
How do I find information about student loans?
The Affording YDS webpage has information about loan options available to YDS students. It also includes budgeting resources that can help students decide whether to borrow and, if they borrow, the amount of loan funds to request.
The University’s financial aid website has a section for graduate and professional students that includes general information on financial aid and loans. The site also provides links to other Yale schools’ financial aid websites and to resources for outside scholarships.
Is on-campus housing available?
Yes, the Divinity School has on-campus housing in junior (small) 1-bedroom, 1-bedroom, and 2-bedroom apartments. You can find information about YDS on-campus apartments and other Yale campus housing for graduate and professional students on the Yale Graduate Housing website.
Please be aware that on-campus housing availability is limited. Yale Housing does not have sufficient numbers of dormitory rooms or apartments to accommodate all applicants. After applying for on-campus housing, students are encouraged to continue looking for other housing options.
How do I apply for housing?
Applications for on-campus housing open in mid-April. You must have an active Yale NetID to apply. For information on the application process, please visit the Yale Housing website’s “Apply” page.
After matriculation, you may visit Yale’s Off Campus Living website to search and apply for other Yale-owned housing near campus, as well as to search for privately owned housing options in the New Haven area.
Am I required to stay under Yale Health Insurance?
The University expects all students enrolled at least half time to have adequate hospitalization insurance coverage and automatically enrolls students in Yale Health Hospitalization/Specialty Care Coverage. The Yale Health insurance premium may be waived only if students are able to provide adequate proof of insurance to the University. For more information on student coverage with Yale Health, visit the Yale Health Student Coverage website.
Does Yale offer a payment plan?
Yes. However, the Yale Payment Plan is not recommended for students receiving a YDS scholarship that covers their Yale-billed expenses or for students living in on-campus Yale apartments (with rent charged monthly).
YPP may be a helpful option for students living in Yale dormitories (with rent charged by semester), STM or part-time students who do not waive the Yale Health Hospitalization/Specialty Care Coverage, and students who do not receive YDS aid. More information about the Yale Payment Plan is available on Yale’s Student Accounts website. Enrollment in the Yale Payment Plan begins in late spring for the following academic year.