Yale has announced a new testing policy for first-year and transfer applicants for fall 2025 admission.Read the announcementandreview the policy.

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Application Instructions & Components

There are three ways to apply to Yale for first-year admission. Select the option that is right for you.

All applicants for first-year admission must submit one of the following:

Yale will accept any one of these applications, without preference for one over another. Students should submit one—and only one—application per admissions cycle.

Additional requirements for all first-year applicants:

  • $80 application fee orfee waiver
  • Recommendations from two teachers and one counselor
  • School Report with transcript
  • Standardized test results (ACT, AP, IB or SAT)
  • Mid-Year Report (due when first semester/term senior grades are available at your school)

See additional details about these required application components below.

Additional Information

$80 application fee or fee waiver

Applicants should pay the $80 application fee via the Common Application or Coalition Application website. The QuestBridge Application is free, but only students named QuestBridge Finalists may apply to Yale with the QuestBridge Application.

Applicants using the Common Application or Coalition Application may request that the application fee be waived. If you feel that your college application and financial aid application fees present a severe hardship for your family, please do not hesitate to request a fee waiver. You will not need to submit supporting documentation unless specifically asked to do so.

Learn more on the fee waiver page »

Recommendations from two academic teachers and one counselor

Request recommendations from two teacherswho have taught you incore academic subjects(e.g. English, Foreign Language, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies) who know you well, and who have seen you at your best. It is preferable, but not required, that recommendations come from teachers who have taught you during your junior or senior year of high school. Letters from these teachers are typically the most illuminating. Yale does not encourage supplemental recommendations. Those considering a supplemental recommendation should first readSupplementary Materials-Extra Recommendations.

Also request a recommendation from your school counselor. If your counselor does not know you well, the recommendation may still provide helpful contextual information about your school and its academic programs. If your school does not have someone serving as a college counselor, please request a recommendation from a school administrator.

Watch admissions officers give advice about recommendations »

School Report with transcript

Your counselor or other school official should submit a School Report with an official transcript that includes all your secondary school courses, including any courses completed at a previous secondary school or at a college. If courses taken at other secondary schools or colleges do not appear on your current secondary school’s official transcript, please request official transcripts from those institutions directly.

Recommendations and transcripts should be submitted electronically through the Common Application or Coalition Application website. For QuestBridge Finalists, recommendations and transcripts are automatically forwarded to Yale with the QuestBridge Application. If necessary, teachers and counselors may also submit their recommendations and transcripts viamailordigital upload. Recommendations may be sent before or after you submit your application; materials that arrive before your application will be kept on file. The admissions office will make reasonable allowances for late school documents in situations where it is not possible for teachers and counselors to meet the application deadlines.

Read Yale’s advice on selecting high school courses»

Standardized test results: ACT, AP, IB, or SAT

More information on Yale’s test-flexible policy is available on thestandardized testing page. Applicants choose which scores to include from four options: ACT, Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), or SAT. Applicants choosing to submit AP or IB scores should include results from all subject exams completed prior to applying.

Standardized tests are just one component of a student’s application and are viewed within the context of the student’s entire file. There is no minimum score required for admission, nor is there a score that will guarantee admission.

Learn more about Yale’s test-flexible policy on the standardized testing page »

Mid-Year Report

All applicants for first-year admission who have not already graduated from secondary school should submit a mid-year report with official grades from the first marking period of the current academic year as soon as those grades are available. A school counselor or official should submit the grades directly to Yale, online via the Common Application or Coalition Application, or viamailordigital upload.

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