Admissions Overview
Yale welcomes applications to the Eli Whitney Students Program.
The admissions committee considers many factors when reviewing applications and uses a holistic approach to the review process. Academic strength is an important factor. Most successful applicants have recent college grades mostly in the A range. It is not unusual for some of our successful applicants to present weaker high school or earlier college records, but the most competitive candidates demonstrate strong recent performance in demanding liberal arts and science courses. Beyond academic strength, Yale looks for candidates who demonstrate intellectual depth and curiosity, strong motivation, leadership, and potential to make a positive impact on the Yale community.
Eligibility
Students are eligible to apply to the Eli Whitney Students Program if they do not already hold a bachelor’s degree and will have been out of high school for five or more years by the time of their proposed Yale matriculation.
Academic Preparation
Prospective students without recent academic credentials are encouraged to take classes elsewhere before applying to the EWSP and to enroll in courses that are similar to classes offered at Yale. Higher-level mathematics courses and writing-intensive courses are especially valuable to prepare for Yale’s rigorous curriculum.
Admissions Timeline
- Late November: Online application becomes available
- March 1: Admissions application deadline
- March 18: Due date for accompanying materials (e.g. transcripts, letters of recommendation)
- April 1: Financial aid application deadline
- Late April to Early May: Interviews for select candidates
- By mid-May: Decision notification
- Late May: Candidates’ reply date
Application Instructions
Yale accepts the Transfer Common Application for the Eli Whitney Students Program. All EWSP applicants will use the Transfer Common Application, even if they have few or no transferable credits. Follow these steps to apply:
1. Create a Transfer Common Application account at apply.transfer.commonapp.org.
2. Select Yale from the list of available colleges, then choose the Eli Whitney Students Program.
3. Complete all four sections listed in the My Application tab:
- Personal Information – share biographic and contact information and request a fee waiver.
- Academic History – provide education history and request official transcripts from all colleges attended. If you have not previously enrolled in any college, contact eliwhitney.students@yale.edu for instructions on completing the required Colleges Attended section.
- Supporting Information – detail experiences and achievements and submit a résumé with complete educational and professional history.
- Program Materials – respond to Yale-specific questions – including two personal statements – and add contact information for recommenders.
Additional Requirements:
- Official College Transcripts
Official college transcripts from all colleges attended. May be submitted via the Common Application, or sent by the college via email to transfer.documents@yale.edu or via mail to Yale Undergraduate Admissions, P. O. Box 208234, New Haven, CT 06520-8234. - Official final high school transcript or GED
An official copy should be sent from a high school or department of education via email to transfer.documents@yale.edu or via mail to Yale Undergraduate Admissions, P. O. Box 208234, New Haven, CT 06520-8234. An official GED transcript that includes GED test results is acceptable for students who did not graduate from high school. - Two letters of recommendation
The admissions committee prefers recommendation letters from recent academic instructors. One supplemental letter from someone other than an academic instructor is permitted but not required. Applicants who have not been recently enrolled or who have taken classes primarily online, may submit letters from employers, mentors, colleagues or others in place of academic letters. - A nonrefundable $80 application fee or fee waiver
Fees and waiver requests are processed through the Common Application. All U.S. military veterans and active duty service members may apply for free by responding “Yes” to Yale’s military fee waiver question in the Program Materials section.
Additional Information:
- Veterans of the U.S. military should submit their DD214 military discharge papers via the Documents tab in the Supporting Information section.
- SAT and ACT scores are optional. Standardized test results shared with the admissions office will be taken into consideration in the application review process, but these test results are not required.
- Non-native English-speakers who have not been taught primarily in the medium of English in the last two years should submit results from English proficiency exams.
Interviews
- StandOut interviews: All applicants to the Eli Whitney Students Program will be invited in early April to participate in an optional interview via StandOut, an online video interview platform. StandOut provides applicants access to record and submit video responses to interview questions for inclusion in the Eli Whitney Students Program application. StandOut interviews allow applicants an opportunity to share their perspectives and experiences beyond what is noted in their applications. Completing a StandOut interview is entirely optional. Applicants who do not submit StandOut interviews will not be negatively affected in the application review.
- Virtual interviews: After a preliminary review of completed applications, the Admissions Office offers virtual interviews to a small number of Eli Whitney applicants. These virtual interviews are scheduled with admissions officers in April.
Application Status
Current applicants can check for receipt of required application materials on the Yale Admissions Status Portal using their email address and personal password.
Financial Aid
The Eli Whitney Students Program offers generous need-based financial aid. To apply for financial aid, review the instructions for Eli Whitney Student Program applicants on the from the Office of Undergraduate Financial Aid. The financial aid application deadline for candidates to the EWSP is April 1.