Accommodations for Applicants Facing Extenuating Circumstances
When severe circumstances arise, it may be difficult to complete an application to graduate school on time.
We offer some flexibility to prospective PhD/Master's students affected by extreme conditions such as:
- natural disasters (e.g., wildfires, hurricanes, earthquakes, floods)
- political unrest or armed conflict
- sweeping network or power outages
- global pandemic (e.g., COVID-19)
We understand that these situations are very disruptive for some of our applicants.
If you are facing a situation of this nature, we understand this is a stressful time for you. We hope you are able to address your immediate needs and those of your family, friends and colleagues.
If you wish to pursue admission to Yale, here is some information you may find helpful:
Due to the impact of COVID-19, my institution adopted a Universal Pass or Credit/Fail option for Spring 2020 courses. Will my chance of admission be impacted by this change?
No. Yale's graduate programs evaluate applicants holistically and will take the significant disruptions of COVID-19 into account when reviewing students’ transcripts and other admissions materials relating to Spring 2020. In particular, we will respect decisions regarding the adoption of Credit/Fail and other grading options during this unprecedented period, whether they were made by institutions or by individual students.
I am unable to submit my application by my program deadline. What should I do?
In an extreme circumstance, you may submit an application through January 2, regardless of your program's deadline.
If you need an extension beyond January 2, please contact the director of graduate studies (DGS) and the registrar of the program to which you are applying. They will contact the Graduate School if they wish to consider your request.
I am not able to take a required GRE or TOEFL test before the application deadline. What should I do?
Enter a future test date in the “Test Scores” section of the application. This will allow you to submit your application. We will add your official test scores to your application for review as soon as we receive them.
If you will not be able to take a required test for several months and/or after the admissions deadlines have passed, please contact the director of graduate studies (DGS) and registrar of the program to which you are applying. They can offer more information and let you know if it is realistic to submit a competitive application without required scores.
What happens if I can't submit my official test results before the application deadline?
Self-report your scores on the “Test Scores” section of the application. Self-reported scores will be used to evaluate your application pending receipt of your official scores.
My recommenders do not have access to computers and may not be able to upload letters before the application deadline. Is that ok?
Yes. Recommenders may upload letters after the program deadline. We will add their letters to your application for review as soon as they arrive. Some programs begin reviewing applications right away, so it is best for recommenders to submit letters as soon as they are able. Please note that we only accept letters uploaded online; we do not accept mailed or faxed letters of recommendation.
I am unable to get official transcripts from my prior college. What should I do?
Please upload unofficial transcripts with your name, institution, courses taken, grades received, and any academic comments. We define an unofficial transcript as any academic record in your possession, such as a transcript issued to you, or a record of your academic performance obtained from your institution's SIS portal. It is not necessary to upload an official transcript to submit your application.
Can you waive or defer my application fee?
If you need an application fee waiver, please request one through our regular Fee Waiver process. Please note that deadlines and restrictions apply.
Unfortunately, we are not able to defer payment of the application fee and we do not accept late fee waiver requests.