Family Support Subsidy for Parenting PhD Students

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If you are a PhD student with a child or children, we know that you have additional child-related expenses. We want you and your children to thrive while you are at Yale and are pleased to provide a family support subsidy to assist you with these expenses. PhD students who are registered full time in any year of study are eligible for the family support subsidy; PhD students who take medical or parental leave are eligible in the semester in which their leave begins, but not beyond.

  • The annual subsidy of $7,500 ($3,750 per term) is available to eligible PhD students with a child under the age of 18. Note: if a student elects the Family Plan at Yale Health, the subsidy will first be applied automatically to pay for the spousal portion of family coverage; any remainder will be disbursed directly to the student. 
  • An annual subsidy of $2,500 ($1,250 per term) per child is available for each additional child under the age of six.

Health Coverage and the Family Subsidy

The subsidy is disbursed differently depending on the type of health insurance coverage you elect. PhD students receive a Health Award that covers the cost of Yale Health coverage for you and your children (student + child/ren coverage). If you have a child or children under the age of 18, you can enroll them in Yale Health at no cost to you and receive the family support subsidy in addition to meet other family needs and expenses.

If you elect Family Plan coverage at Yale Health (student + spouse + child/ren), your family subsidy will first be applied automatically to pay for the spousal portion of family coverage. You will then receive any remainder of the subsidy as a lump sum payment once per term. If you choose not to enroll a spouse at Yale Health, or if you have elected to waive Yale Health coverage entirely, you will receive half of the family subsidy ($3,750) as a lump sum payment once per term.

Enrollment

All full-time registered PhD students—and PhD students in the first term of a medical or parental leave— with children under the age of 18 are eligible to apply for the family subsidy. There is no means testing, so you do not need to submit any financial documents to us, nor are you subject to income threshold limitations. There is only one family subsidy available per family, so if two PhD students are the parents of a child or children together, only one student should apply for the family subsidy.

If a child under 18 is adopted, please submit a copy of documentation that a legal adoption has occurred with your first request for the family subsidy. If your documentation is not in English, please submit an English translation as well.

You MUST enroll each term to qualify for the subsidy. The PhD Student Family Support Enrollment form is available online during the enrollment period.

The family subsidy enrollment periods for the 2023-2024 academic year are:

  • Fall Term: September 1– September 30 
    • Subsidy disbursed on October 15
  • Spring Term: February 1 – February 12 
    • Subsidy disbursed on February 29

Midterm Adoptions and Births

If your child is born or adopted after the start of a term, you can receive a pro-rated subsidy for that semester. To qualify, submit the Midterm Birth/Adoption Event form as soon as possible. Use this form only if your birth/adoption takes place during a semester and after the enrollment period has closed.

Parental Relief

A birth or adoption may also qualify you for Parental Relief. The relief policy stops your academic clock and offers eligible PhD students a fully funded extra semester in your program (paid for by the Graduate School) in the semester in which a birth or adoption occurs or the semester immediately thereafter. There is a maximum of two relief periods per student.

Additional Resources

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