Financial Aid

The School of Architecture is committed to being financially accessible to students of all backgrounds and geographical origins or worldwide. Financial aid, consisting of need-based scholarship and/or loans, is offered to the School’s students with demonstrated need.

In order to determine a student’s need based eligibility, the Yale School of Architecture requires all financial aid applicants submit parental information (must be submitted on the CSS Profile) in order to be considered for financial aid. If you feel you have extenuating circumstances for which parental information should be waived, please contact the financial aid office. It is important to note that unwillingness to provide parental information, age, marital status or other standards of dependency are not conditions for which the School of Architecture waives the requirement of parental data.

Barring any significant changes in a student’s financial circumstances (including spousal and parental circumstances), students can generally expect their need-based scholarship awards to be renewed in subsequent years.

U.S. citizens and permanent residents are eligible for a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan and/or a Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loan. Non-U.S. citizens and non-permanent residents are eligible for the Yale Graduate and Professional International Loan.

Application for financial aid is a separate process from application for admission to the School. We encourage you to apply for financial aid at the same time you apply for admissions. Applying for financial aid does not affect admission decisions.

Application Deadlines

When your financial aid application is due depends on whether you are a prospective student or continuing student:
Prospective Students & New Students: The application deadline is February 1, 2025.

Required Forms for Prospective and New Students

U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents:

• FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid)
  
• CSS Profile (YSoA Number 3975)
  
• Verification Form (Due May 15 for matriculated students)
  

Non-U.S. Citizens and Non-Permanent Residents:

• CSS Profile (YSoA Number 3975)
  
• Verification Form (Due May 15 for matriculated students)
  

Additional forms will be required to finalize your award and will be sent to you after you matriculate.

Current Students: The application deadline is April 30, 2025.

Required Forms for Current Students

U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents:

• FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid)
  
• YSOA Application for Financial Aid
  
• Verification Form
  
• Parent Financial Statement (Required if parent financial information is not included on the FAFSA and applicant wants to be considered for the Family Resource Scholarship)
  

Non-U.S. Citizens and Non-Permanent Residents:

• YSOA International Student Financial Aid Application (ISFAA)
  
• Verification Form
  
• Parent Financial Statement (Required if parent financial information is not included on the ISFAA and applicant wants to be considered for the Family Resource Scholarship)

U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is available online at https://fafsa.gov. The Yale School of Architecture’s FAFSA code number is 001426.

The Yale School of Architecture Application for Financial Aid is available online at the top of the Financial Aid page.

Because scholarship money and some loan funds are limited, applicants who miss the February 1 application deadline may jeopardize their eligibility for financial aid. Applicants who are accepted for admission and who have correctly completed their financial aid application by the February 1 deadline will receive a financial aid determination shortly after the online notification of admission.

The Verification Form can be found at the top of the Financial Aid page.

Non-U.S. Citizens and Non-Permanent Residents

The Yale School of Architecture International Student Financial Aid Application is available online at https://www.architecture.yale.edu/admissions/international-students.

Because scholarship money and some loan funds are limited, applicants who miss the February 1 application deadline may jeopardize their eligibility for financial aid. Applicants who are accepted for admission and who have correctly completed their financial aid application in a timely manner will receive a financial aid determination shortly after the online notification of admission.

The Verification Form can be found at the top of the Financial Aid page.

After admission to the Yale School of Architecture, students who have been awarded financial aid are required to provide documents for verification. For U.S. citizens or permanent residents, this process includes submission of the student’s federal tax returns, current bank statement and asset information and the parents’ federal tax returns and asset information. For international students, this process includes submission of the School of Architecture Verification Form along with the student’s tax returns and asset information, current bank statement and submission (translated into English) of the parents’ asset information and tax returns or alternative documentation of income.

The School reserves the right to adjust a student’s financial aid award if the actual income or asset information of the parent, student, or spouse is different from the original information included on the financial aid application(s). In addition, for U.S. citizens and permanent residents, all awards are contingent on the student meeting the general eligibility requirements specified by the U.S. Department of Education, including Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) requirements (below).

Applicants in default on a student loan will not be eligible for any financial aid until the default status has been cleared and documentation provided to the Financial Aid Office.

Students on financial aid are required to reapply for financial aid each spring for the following academic year. Financial aid does not extend longer than the normal equivalent length of time required to complete the program of study to which the student was admitted.

All students are encouraged to seek additional funding beyond what is available from the School of Architecture. A helpful website for students to search for third-party scholarships is www.finaid.org.

The Connecticut Chapter of the American Institute of Architects also offer outside scholarships. Information about AIA scholarships can be found at http://aiact.org/connecticut-architecture-foundation-scholarship. Additionally, other states with an AIA chapter or foundation also offer AIA scholarships. You can Google search by typing AIA NY, AIA MA, AIA NJ, etc.

Other organizations offering outside scholarships include the Yale Club of New Haven http://www.ycnh.org and PEO International https://www.peointernational.org.

Some state and private supplemental loan programs offer funds to students who require loan assistance in excess of the annual borrowing limits for the federal loan programs, or who are not eligible for the federal loan programs.

Additional information on financial aid may be found at www.yale.edu/sfas/finaid/graduate-and-professional-students.

In order to comply with federal regulations as well as University policy, students must advise the Financial Aid Office of any additional awards received (scholarships, grants, loans, VA benefits, teaching assistantships, teaching fellowships, etc.). As a general rule, outside awards up to $10,000 can be received without affecting the student’s need-based scholarship from the School of Architecture, although it may be necessary to reduce the student’s loan(s). Outside assistance in excess of $10,000 will likely affect a student’s need-based scholarship from the School of Architecture.

If a third party (employer or other sponsor) is to pay all or part of your cost of education and they require a bill in their name, you must provide documentation from the sponsor detailing the terms of the sponsorship to include: what charges are covered, the duration of the sponsorship and the billing requirements and contact information. In addition, you must submit written authorization allowing the University to communicate with and release your student account billing information to the sponsoring third party as necessary. This information and authorization is needed by June 1 and October 1 for the fall and spring terms, respectively. Please e-mail a copy of the award letter or scholarship notice, along with your authorization to yalepay@yale.edu.

Federal regulations require that in order to receive assistance under Title IV of the Higher Education Act, students must be making Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP), which is measurable academic progress toward completion of their degree requirements within published time limits. The following SAP policy applies to all enrolled students.

Guidelines for Academic Progress

The academic year at the Yale School of Architecture consists of fall and spring terms and summer courses. SAP is calculated twice per year, at the end of the fall and spring terms. A student’s SAP status at the beginning of a term is effective until the completion of that enrolled term. Students must maintain SAP in both qualitative and quantitative standards.

Qualitative standards: At the end of a term, students who are placed on “academic probation” for the next term due to their grades during the prior term fail to meet the qualitative SAP standard (refer to Section II.G of the School of Architecture Handbook for the definition of “academic probation”). All other students meet the qualitative SAP standard.

Quantitative standards: A student meets the quantitative SAP standard if maintains a pace is maintained of earning at least one-half (50 percent) of the total credits attempted. “Incompletes” do not count as credits attempted (refer to Section II.H.1 of the School of Architecture Handbook for information on “Incompletes”). “Withdrawals” count as credits attempted (refer to Section II.B. of the School of Architecture Handbook for information on “Withdrawals”). Credits for completed repeated courses count as both credits attempted and earned. Transfer credits are not accepted. The maximum time frame in which a student must complete degree requirements cannot exceed more than 200 percent of the minimum time for fulfilling degree requirements (refer to Section II.D. of the School of Architecture Handbook).

Financial Aid Warning

A student who fails to meet SAP at the end of a term will be notified in writing by the assistant dean responsible for academic matters, and the Financial Aid Office will place the student on “financial aid warning” until the end of the next term. During the “financial aid warning” term, the student may receive financial aid, despite the determination of not meeting SAP. Students on “financial aid warning” who fail to return to SAP by the end of the term will lose their future financial aid eligibility, unless they successfully appeal and are placed on “financial aid probation.”

Financial Aid Probation and Appeals

A student who has not successfully met SAP by the end of the “financial aid warning” term has the right to appeal the loss of financial aid eligibility. Appeals must be submitted to the Dean’s Office in writing within two weeks of receiving notice that the student did not meet SAP after a term on “financial aid warning.” The appeal must include information about why the student failed to meet SAP, and what has changed, or is expected to change, that will allow the student to meet SAP in the future. The written appeal should be accompanied by documentation that verifies the extenuating circumstances (e.g., death of a relative, an injury or illness of the student, or other special circumstances). The Dean’s Office shall notify the student of the outcome of the appeal within ten business days of receiving it. If the appeal is approved, the student is placed on “financial aid probation” until the end of the next term, and may receive financial aid during that term. Students on “financial aid probation” are required to meet with the assistant dean responsible for academic matters to establish an individual academic plan to enable the student to meet SAP at some point in the future, according to specific benchmarks established by the plan. Students on “financial aid probation” who fail to meet SAP by the end of the “financial aid probation” term, or fail to meet the benchmarks of their individual plans on time, will not be eligible for financial aid for the subsequent academic term. Students who are ineligible for financial aid may reestablish eligibility in future terms by meeting SAP.

Eligible students are strongly encouraged to seek specific information about GI Bill Education benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs at 888.442.4551 or http://benefits.va.gov/gibill. The Registrar’s Office will be happy to assist students with claims once they are enrolled.

For information on the Yellow Ribbon program, visit www.yale.edu/sfas/finaid/finaid-information/yellowribbon.html.

Teaching and Research Opportunities

The School offers teaching fellowships, teaching assistantships, and research assistantships. Students appointed as teaching fellows and assistants help faculty in their graduate and undergraduate courses. Research assistants aid faculty in their research. The Teaching Fellowship Program offers stipends (fixed payments); the Teaching Assistantship and Research Assistantship programs offer financial support to students according to the level of teaching or research involvement, and the nature of the course or research in which the student is assisting.

Fellowships and assistantships are one-term appointments made by the Dean’s Office at the request of the faculty. These appointments are usually made at the end of a term for the following term.

In addition, several departments in Yale College, including History of Art and several foreign languages, often offer teaching fellowships to students in the School who may have an appropriate expertise.

It is not necessary to qualify for financial aid in order to hold any of these appointments, although the earnings from these appointments may be included in determining financial aid awards.

Student Employment Within the School

The School of Architecture offers students job opportunities within the School that cover a wide variety of needs. Current positions include woodshop or computer monitors, receptionists, exhibition installers, archivists, clerical workers, and Urban Design Workshop employees. It is not necessary to qualify for financial aid in order to hold any of the positions, although the earnings from these positions may be included in determining financial aid awards.

Student Employment Within the University

The Student Employment Office, 246 Church Street, is maintained to give assistance to self-supporting students in obtaining employment outside of the School but within the University during termtime. Student job listings at Yale can be found online at https://yalestudentjobs.org/.

Employment Opportunities Outside of the University

The School is often advised of various employment opportunities outside the University that may interest architectural students, including work in local architectural offices, small architectural jobs, etc. These opportunities are posted for the convenience of students who may be seeking outside work.