Teaching Fellow Program
The Teaching Fellow Program (TFP) is the principal framework at Yale within which graduate students learn to become effective teachers. Learning to teach and to evaluate student work is a fundamental part of your graduate education. The TFP provides opportunities for you to develop teaching skills under faculty guidance through active participation in the teaching of Yale undergraduates.
Becoming a Teaching Fellow
The award of a teaching fellowship begins at the departmental, program, or school level. The first step in this process is the department’s determination of its teaching opportunities. In the spring of each academic year, departments and programs are asked to submit lists of the courses to be taught in the coming academic year that are appropriate for graduate student teaching assistance, describing for each course the teaching structure (e.g., lecture or laboratory with sections, lecture with graders) and the projected number and levels of teaching fellows. Requests are based on standard teaching fellow levels and types.
Teaching Fellow Resources
Teaching Fellow Funding
Graduate student teaching at Yale is divided into two categories: stipend and non-stipend teaching.
Teaching Levels & Types
Teaching Fellows are assigned at different weekly hour levels and to one of six TF categories, depending on the need of each department.
Teaching Fellow Requirements
Teaching for the first time can be a little overwhelming, but we have many advisers, mentors, and resources to help prepare and guide you along the way.
Teaching Fellow Program Policies
Review our TFP policies to understand who is eligible to become a teaching fellow and the selection process.
International Students and Graduate Teaching
International students must follow a subset of guidelines when teaching.
Additional Resources
Gaining experience in a workplace environment helps you to explore career options while gaining new skills. In some cases, students may pursue a Professional Development Fellowship in lieu of a standard teaching assignment. Additionally, there may be other professional development opportunities to enhance your teaching profile (i.e., through the Associates in Teaching Program, teaching in the professional schools, or in Yale Summer Session).
The Prize Teaching Fellowship recognizes graduate students for their outstanding performance and promise as a teacher. It is considered among the most important honors that Yale bestows upon graduate students.
Teaching Fellow assignments are administered and tracked by each department in the Teaching Fellow System (TFS).
If you are a teaching fellow and have concerns about your teaching assignment, please complete this online form:
In the rare instances when issues cannot be resolved informally, the Teaching Fellow Program Resolution Process is a formal procedure for addressing allegations that a teaching fellow (TF) is failing to meet their TF obligations.
Contact us
If you have questions about the Teaching Fellow Program, please contact the Teaching Fellow Office:
Matthew Regan
Assistant Director
- teaching.fellows@yale.edu
- 203-432-2757
- 246 Church Street, 2nd Floor