1861
Yale awarded the first Ph.D. degrees in the United States.
Tuition, Funding & Living Costs
All Ph.D. students at Yale are fully funded. On average, doctoral students at Yale, receive more than $400,000 in tuition fellowships, stipends, and health care benefits, over the course of their enrollment. Some terminal Master's degree students also receive funding.
Tuition
Tuition for full-time study at the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences in the academic year 2019-2020 is $43,300.
More information on Tuition & Fees is available in our Programs & Policies handbook. Please note that we do not charge many of the fees common to other schools (e.g. technology fee, library fee, gym fee, student activities fee).
See Student Accounts for billing and payment inquiries.
For Ph.D. Degree Applicants
All Ph.D. students at Yale receive the following financial award, typically for a minimum of five years:
- a fellowship that covers the full cost of tuition ($43,300 for 2019-2020)
- a 12-month stipend (minimum of $31,800 for 2019-2020)
- free comprehensive health insurance, including hospitalization coverage and specialty care for students and their children
- a family support subsidy for graduate students with children under the age of 18
Additionally, a Dean's Emergency Fund is available to help doctoral students with eligible unexpected expenses. In some cases, the Continuing Registration Fee for advanced doctoral students is also covered by the Graduate School.
Most Ph.D. students complete their degrees without incurring debt.
For Master's Degree Applicants
Most students pursuing Master's degrees do not receive financial support from the Graduate School and are responsible for paying tuition, but some programs offer limited funding. Please check with the program that interests you for more information.
All Master's students registered at least half time receive free Student Basic Coverage at Yale Health. You are also eligible to purchase Hospitalization and Specialty Care coverage at a group rate through the university.
Other Sources of Funding
Many of our students win external fellowships and grants. See our policy on External Fellowship and Combined Award Policy for more information on how an external award will affect your Yale funding.
Some students choose to take loans, participate in work-study programs, or engage in part-time employment to supplement their funding while in Graduate School. More information is available on Other Means of Financing Graduate Education.
Living Cost Estimates
To ensure that our financial aid package provides enough support to enable you to live in New Haven and study full time, we developed a cost-of-living guide (see below). The Office of Financial Aid also uses these calculations to determine financial need as required by certain funding sources, and for immigration processes.
Estimated average living expenses include housing and food, transportation, personal and academic expenses (excluding tuition), and hospitalization coverage and specialty care. Expenses for doctoral students may actually be less than the estimate below, since Ph.D. financial packages cover the full cost of single-student hospitalization and specialty care coverage in the Yale Health Plan, as well as half the cost of two-person coverage (for spouses and partners), and the full cost to cover children.
2019-2020 Academic Year Living Cost Estimate:
| COSTS | MONTHLY | 9 MONTHS | 12 MONTHS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing and Food | $1,865 | $16,786 | $22,381 |
| Academic | $160 | $1,440 | $1,440 |
| Personal | $206 | $1,854 | $2,472 |
| Medical | $272 | $2,450 | 2,450 |
| Transportation | $165 | $1,485 | $1,980 |
| Total Living Cost | $2,668 | $24,015 | $30,723 |
| Tuition | $43,300 | $43,300 | |
| Cost of Education | $67,315 | $74,023 |
9 MONTH LIVING COST (Master's Students):
- Single Student: $24,015
12 MONTH LIVING COST (Ph.D. Students):
- Single Student: $30,723