Financial Assistance

Yale Summer Session is both an academic and financial commitment. With its engaging and rigorous courses and programs, we encourage you to explore the ways you can make this opportunity possible.

Yale College Students

Yale's Office of Undergraduate Financial Aid does not provide scholarship aid for Yale Summer Session courses. However, Yale College students enrolling in these courses may be eligible for Yale Summer Session Financial Assistance, or financial aid from various sources, to help defray tuition costs.

Yale Summer Session Financial Assistance

Yale Summer Session Financial Assistance provides 50% off of course tuition (not other expenses, such as room and board or the technology fee for online courses) for up to a maximum of two credit-bearing courses (not course credits) each summer to Yale College students who receive need-based financial aid from the University during the academic year.

For summer 2026, the maximum amount of YSS Financial Assistance is $5,480 in total per eligible Yale College student; students may not receive more than this maximum amount in a given ten-week summer. Yale College students who have completed their Yale College degree are not eligible for YSS Financial Assistance. For eligibility, Federal student loans, grants, or work study, student employment, private loans, merit-based scholarships, and need-based funding from external sources do not themselves qualify as "need-based financial aid from the University."

Financial Assistance Examples for Summer 2026

Yale College students typically use YSS Financial Assistance for YSS courses for credit in New Haven or online. However, Yale College students may also apply YSS Financial Assistance toward a Yale Summer Session Program Abroad if they already used their International Study Award (ISA) in a previous summer. In that case, YSS Financial Assistance provides 50% off of the YSS Program Abroad course tuition (not other billed or unbilled expenses, such as the program fee) up to the per-summer maximum above: $5,480 in summer 2026. YSS Financial Assistance may not be combined with the ISA.

Yale College students who receive need-based financial aid from the University during the academic year will automatically receive YSS Financial Assistance by answering the relevant question on the YSS application. The Office of Undergraduate Financial Aid will then confirm the information. No separate application is required.

Yale College students may apply for positions on the Yale Summer Session Summer Colleges residential life team. Learn more about Summer Colleges staff positions and benefits.

Summer Pell Grants and Student Loans

The Summer Pell Grant is an extension of the Federal Pell Grant Program, which provides undergraduate students with need-based grants to promote access to postsecondary education.

Students enrolled in Yale Summer Session may be eligible for a variety of student loans. Yale College students may apply for certain types of student loans through the Office of Undergraduate Financial Aid; see the Financial Aid website for loan details.

Please note that financial aid offers will not exceed cost of attendance and that half-time enrollment, a minimum of 1.5-2.0 Yale College credits, is required for some forms of federal aid and for most loan options. Dropping below half-time enrollment may thus result in a recalculation of, or ineligibility for, financial aid or loans. Students must be making Satisfactory Academic Progress to maintain eligibility for federal financial aid. Financial aid in this context is distinct from Yale Summer Session Financial Assistance, as above.

Yale College students may contact yss.funding@yale.edu if they have further questions.

Yale Summer Session Programs Abroad

Yale College students applying to a Yale Summer Session Program Abroad should review carefully the information on Costs and Funding. Yale College students who receive need-based financial aid from the University, and who already used their ISA in a previous summer, should see the section above on Yale Summer Session Financial Assistance.

Application Fee Waiver

Yale College students whose Safety Net or ISA percentage is 80% or above will receive an application fee waiver. The application fee is also waived for students who have already participated in a Yale Summer Session course or program in New Haven, online, or abroad, including the First-Year Scholars at Yale (FSY) Program. The waiver is applied on the application.

Visiting Students

We encourage visiting students to consult closely with the financial aid office at their home institution to explore potential financial assistance options. Your financial aid advisers may be able to guide you toward scholarships, grants, or other funding opportunities to support your education in Yale Summer Session.

Visiting High School Students

We are excited to welcome applications from motivated high school students who meet our eligibility requirements. Please note, however, that Yale Summer Session is unable to offer financial assistance to high school students.

Visiting College Students

For 2026, Yale Summer Session is pleased to offer financial assistance to visiting college students in the two categories below.

Yale Summer Session Scholarships

If admitted to YSS, visiting college students who demonstrate financial need with a Student Aid Index (SAI) of $20,000 or below on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), as submitted to their home institution for need-based financial aid during the 2025-2026 academic year, may be considered for a YSS Scholarship. The number of scholarships and their award amounts may vary; such scholarships are not guaranteed. At the highest level, a YSS Scholarship will provide a $2000 tuition credit per course for up to two credit-bearing courses per eligible student for summer 2026.

YSS Scholarships are available only to visiting college students who are admitted, and who submit their non-refundable deposit, to YSS in the Priority Admissions Round. In 2026, the deadline to apply in the Priority Round is February 20, with decisions released on March 6 and non-refundable deposits due on March 13. YSS Scholarships are not available to students who apply after February 20 or to those who, after admission, do not submit their non-refundable deposit on or before March 13.

Eligible students should add Yale University (School Code 001426) to their 2025-2026 FAFSA by February 20 and answer the relevant questions in the YSS application. Note that you must submit the 2025-2026 FAFSA, not the form from any another academic year.

Yale Summer Session Financial Assistance

Visiting college students who, during the 2025-2026 academic year, received (a) funding through the Yale Child Scholarship Program (for the children of eligible Yale University faculty and staff) and (b) need-based scholarship aid from their home institution are eligible, if admitted to YSS, for the same YSS Financial Assistance available to Yale College students: 50% off of course tuition (not other expenses, such as room and board or the technology fee for online courses) for up to a maximum of two credit-bearing courses (not course credits) for summer 2026.

For summer 2026, the maximum amount of YSS Financial Assistance is $5,480 in total per eligible student; students may not receive more than this maximum amount in a given ten-week summer. Please see the Yale College section above for sample calculations. For eligibility, Federal student loans, grants, or work study, student employment, private or institutional loans, merit-based scholarships, and need-based funding from external sources do not qualify as "need-based financial aid from the home institution."

Eligible students will be asked to submit supporting documentation in the YSS application.

Shortly after admission, visiting college students who have been awarded a YSS Scholarship or YSS Financial Assistance will receive a separate letter with more information, including the award amount.

For eligible visiting college students, YSS Scholarships and YSS Financial Assistance are available only for YSS courses for credit in New Haven and online, not through YSS Programs Abroad. Students who have completed their Bachelor’s degree are not eligible. Yale Summer Session reserves the right to determine a student’s eligibility for a YSS Scholarship or YSS Financial Assistance; such a determination is final. No student may receive both a YSS Scholarship and YSS Financial Assistance.

We are thrilled to offer this new financial support as part of a pilot program for 2026 only. Please note that, as this is a limited pilot program, eligibility requirements cannot be waived, and no additional financial assistance for visiting students is available through Yale Summer Session.

Yale Graduate Students

Ph.D. candidates in the Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences may apply for a Summer Foreign Language Institute Fellowship through the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Master's degree candidates and professional school students should contact their respective financial aid office to explore any options for financial assistance.

Yale University Employees

Permanent full- and part-time Yale University employees (20 or more hours per week) may be eligible to receive reduced course tuition through Yale's Educational Assistance Program. Eligible full-time employees receive up to a 50% reduction in course tuition, and eligible part-time employees receive a prorated reduction. Please note that you must apply and be accepted to Yale Summer Session. Please check the appropriate employee box under the Program Choice section of the application.