the sky and Yale’s buildings reflected in a pool of water

International Students

Yale’s evaluates all applicants through the same whole-person review process.

Yale welcomes high-achieving students from every country in the world. All applicants, regardless of nationality, citizenship, or country of origin, are considered through the same whole-person admissions process. All applicants are evaluated without regard to their ability to pay and all admitted students and are eligible for need-based financial aid.

Students applying from secondary schools outside the U.S. complete the same applications and fulfill the same application requirements as all other applicants.

Application instructions Standardized testing

Need-blind admissions. Need-based aid

Yale is one of only a handful of American universities that considers all applicants for admission without regard to their ability to pay and meets 100% of every family’s demonstrated financial need. 

Applying for financial aid as an international student
Yale Concert Band

Applying to Yale from outside the U.S.

English proficiency testing

Fluency in written and spoken English is essential for all Yale students. Non-native English-speakers who have not taken at least two years of secondary education where English is the medium of instruction are required to submit results from any of the proficiency tests below. Learn more about standardized testing.

  • TOEFL
  • IELTS
  • Cambridge English Qualifications
  • DET
  • InitialView

Documents in a foreign language

All application materials must be in English. If any of your documents, including transcripts and letters of recommendation, are in a language other than English, they must be accompanied by a certified translation. We are not able to accept any documents that you have translated yourself.

Standardized testing for international applicants

International applicants fulfill the same standardized testing requirements as domestic applicants. Applicants may choose between submitting the SAT, ACT, AP, and IB exams. Only final, not predicted test scores will fulfill the testing requirement. Scores from other international leaving exams will not fulfill the testing requirement. Learn more about standardized testing.

Financial aid

International students are eligible for the same need-based financial aid as domestic applicants. Yale’s financial aid offers for international students include allowances for housing, meals, and travel to and from campus twice each year. Financial aid awards take into account the relative difference between the U.S. economy and your home country’s economy. International students who enroll at Yale are not required to reapply for financial aid every year. 

Inside the Yale Admissions Office Podcast

Podcast transcripts