Required Components

Required Application Components:

YYGS reviews all applications holistically. Our staff understands that students come from a wide variety of backgrounds and with different educational and extracurricular opportunities. As a result, the essays and short answer responses are important parts of the application.

All students must submit the following application components:

  • Activities list
  • One 400-word essay and one 200-word response
  • Two “fast take” responses (280 characters each)
  • Official school transcript
  • One Recommender (who will complete the YYGS Recommendation Form* ONLY)
  • Application fee** ($75 for Early Action and $90 for Regular Decision)
  • You must click the Submit Application button on the “Review” page for your application to be considered.
  • OPTIONAL: English fluency test scores (TOEFL or DuoLingo)***
  • OPTIONAL: Need-based financial aid****

*We accept completed online YYGS Recommendation Forms ONLY; we do NOT accept written letters of recommendation. The form helps us to compare among applicants coming from vastly different places around the world, and we hope it helps recommenders to save time since it is a very simple, user-friendly form.

**Please note that YYGS application fees are non-refundable.

***Students may submit English fluency test scores if available. You do not need to take an English fluency test to apply for YYGS, and you can instead waive this requirement.

****Students who would like to be reviewed for financial aid must complete the financial aid section of the online application. 

Fee Waiver

YYGS will waive the application fee if it constitutes a significant financial burden for the student’s family. The link to the Fee Waiver Request Form is available on the “Payment Options” page in the YYGS application, but it will only appear there AFTER students have fully completed the “Financial Aid” page in the YYGS application (as it is only available for those who request need-based financial aid). Students who apply for a fee waiver must have a school official finalize the form.

Application Fee:

The application fee must be paid online directly after the application is submitted, and the application fee is non-refundable. Applicants will be immediately routed to the payment page once they submit their online application. Application fees are paid using a payment gateway, since YYGS uses external payment processors to accommodate both domestic and international applicants.

For domestic applicants or anyone wishing to make payment in USD, including eChecks from U.S. bank account, or Visa, MasterCard, Discover, or American Express credit or debit cards, our application will automatically route you to pay through Slate as the payment processor.
For international applicants or anyone wishing to make payment in foreign currency, including bank wire, foreign credit or debit cards, and other native options, like Alipay and UnionPay, our application will automatically route you to pay through Flywire as the payment processor.

To request to switch from one payment processor to the other, please email global.scholars@yale.edu and be sure to include your Application Reference Number in the subject and/or body of the email.

Any/all additional fees charged at the time of payment are charged by the external payment processor, and are collected by that payment processor; YYGS receives exactly $75 USD for Early Action or $90 USD for Regular Decision fee payments. YYGS application fees are non-refundable.

Can I use an alternative payment method?

YYGS does not accept any other method of direct wire or payment; applicants must make payments to YYGS using our approved payment processors Slate (domestic) or FlyWire (international) via the Applicant Status portal. If you attempt to pay YYGS through alternative means, your payment will not be processed and your application will not be submitted nor reviewed until you pay using the approved methods noted above.