Resources for Visiting Exchange Scholars

New Haven skyline

If you are coming to Yale as an Exchange Scholar, welcome! We hope that your visit is a productive and intellectually satisfying experience. Please see below for important information as you plan your program at the Graduate School, as well as resources that may be helpful to you during your stay.

During your exchange, the department or program with which you are affiliated will be your home base and may have activities and events in which you may participate. If you have questions about specific events or opportunities, contact your department/program directly.

Registration and Enrollment Information for Exchange Scholars

Exchange Scholars come to Yale to pursue research, take courses, or do a combination. As you plan your exchange program, please review the information below for international Exchange Scholars on a visa about how to maintain full-time student status (a federal immigration requirement). You can find comprehensive information about how to register at Yale and enroll in courses at https://registration.yale.edu, and relevant enrollment systems below.

If you are an international student on a J-1 visa, you have the option of engaging solely in coursework, solely in research, or in a combination of both. If you are on a J-1 visa and planning to engage only in coursework during your exchange, note that you must enroll in 4 courses (for credit, not for audit), which the Graduate School defines as a full course load, in order to maintain full-time student status as a condition of your visa. 

All other Exchange Scholars on a J-1 visa may enroll in up to a maximum of 4 courses (whether for credit or for audit) and have no minimum enrollment requirement.

If you are on an F-1 visa, you must enroll in a full course load in order to maintain full-time student status. In the Graduate School, a full course load is defined as 4 courses (for credit, not for audit).

Next:

In addition to any courses in which you may plan to enroll during your program, you must also enroll in EXCH 999 (“Exchange Scholar Experience”), a zero-credit course that allows us to document full-time student status for immigration purposes.

  • You must enroll in EXCH 999 during the course registration period for each academic term of your stay.
  • If you are an international student on a visa, you must enroll in EXCH 999, even if you are here for only a portion of the term. This is an ungraded, non-credit bearing course and so does not involve any additional academic requirements beyond what you are already completing as part of your planned program.
  • If you are engaging solely in coursework during your exchange, you need to enroll in EXCH 999 in addition to the 4 courses you are taking for credit.
  • EXCH 999 does not count toward the maximum course enrollment limit of 4 courses.
Next:

In addition to the registration actions described above, you must also complete an Exchange Scholar Program Confirmation, a brief webform that allows you to document your planned academic activities.

Incoming Exchange Scholars are required to complete this form during the first week of their program.

Continuing Exchange Scholars are required to submit a new form during the registration period for the upcoming term.

Registration and enrollment systems

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Registration Information and Dates

https://registration.yale.edu/

Students must register every term in which they are enrolled in the Graduate School. Registration for a given term takes place the semester prior, and so it's important to stay on top of your academic plan. The University Registrar's Office oversees the systems that students use to register. Instructions about how to use those systems and the dates during which registration occurs can be found on their registration website.

Yale Hub

https://yub.yale.edu/

Yale Hub is a self-service student portal for administrative, financial, and academic information. You can use it to check grades, update your mailing address, resolve registration holds, change your preferred name, and more.

Yale Course Search

https://courses.yale.edu

Yale Course Search (YCS) is the university's online course catalogue. Here, you can find course descriptions, scheduling information, and syllabi for courses offered in the Graduate School.

Canvas

https://canvas.yale.edu/

Canvas is Yale's learning management system for all courses. You'll find syllabi, assignments, grades, and additional resources for your courses on this platform.

Campus Resources for International Exchange Scholars

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Office of International Students & Scholars (OISS)

https://oiss.yale.edu/

The Office of International Students & Scholars (OISS) provides a wide variety of resources to international students, including support for immigration, travel, and visas, as well as opportunities for community building. OISS has dedicated advisers for GSAS students: Luca Lipparini (Biological and Physical Sciences PhDs); Kira Bellucci (Engineering PhDs); and Veronika Eriksson (Humanities and Social Sciences PhDs; all divisions Master's).

International Student Resources

There is an array of programs and resources available to international students as they get settled in the US and at the university.

Off-Campus Living Resources

https://your.yale.edu/work-yale/campus-services/campus-living

This is a resource for members of the Yale community looking for off-campus housing. Find information on properties for rent or sale, landlord ratings, maps of New Haven and the Yale Campus, and links to additional resources.

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McDougal Center

The McDougal Graduate Student Center offers support resources, events, and programming that build community and help you to connect with your fellow graduate students.

Yale Library

https://library.yale.edu/

Yale University Library is made up of 500 staff, more than a dozen libraries and locations, vast physical collections, and extensive electronic resources. All these elements are animated and connected by technology and expertise in the service of teaching, learning, research, and practice.

Featured Resource

Programs & Policies Bulletin

https://catalog.yale.edu/gsas/

The Graduate School's Programs and Policies (P&P) Bulletin is your primary reference guide for all policies and regulations in the Graduate School. The P&P provides a comprehensive overview of all Graduate School requirements, as well as the requirements of individual programs. Please refer to the handbook for more information.

Contact us

If you have questions about resources relevant to visiting Exchange Scholars, please contact: