Only registered students may attend classes, receive financial aid, or use the facilities of the university. Students must register every term for the duration of their degree program (normally six years for Ph.D. programs and one or two years for students in M.A./M.S. programs). This requirement applies to all students, whether engaged in course work, preparation for qualifying examinations, or dissertation research, and, in the case of students in Ph.D. programs, whether study is in residence or in absentia. Students who do not register for any term for which they have not been granted a leave of absence (see Leaves of Absence, under Registration Status and Leaves of Absence, below) will be considered to have withdrawn from the graduate school. Privileges associated with registered status (i.e., financial aid, library privileges, health care coverage, and email accounts) will likewise be withdrawn.

Students registered in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences may not simultaneously enroll, either full-time or part-time, at any other academic institution, except at other Yale professional schools that permit GSAS students to register for courses, or through participation in an approved exchange program (see Exchange Scholar Program under Programs of Study). Ph.D. students registered in absentia may request to hold a visiting student affiliation at another institution for the purposes of completing research necessary for their dissertation. Otherwise, students who wish to enroll in a degree or nondegree program at another academic institution must be approved for a personal leave of absence.

To register, graduate school students must enroll in the appropriate course(s) using Yale Hub (https://yub.yale.edu) during the established registration period for that term, and no later than the end of the add/drop period. (See Course Enrollment, below, for the definition of full-time enrollment.) The GSAS academic calendar includes all deadlines governing registration and enrollment (see Schedule of Academic Dates and Deadlines). Further information is also available at https://registrar.yale.edu/registration/gsas-registration. Students are responsible for registering each term during their program.

Unless otherwise noted in the letter of admission, students are required to register on a full-time basis. All Ph.D. students and most master’s degree students are admitted only to full-time enrollment.

Registered students are engaged in full-time academic study. Part-time employment may be permitted up to certain limits (see Part-time Employment under Financing Graduate School). Part-time employment should not conflict with the obligations of the degree program or interfere with academic progress. International students must consult OISS regarding their eligibility for employment while in the United States.

No student may register for any term unless the student is making satisfactory progress toward the degree and has been cleared by the Office of Student Financial Services to register. Students who are not compliant with Yale’s vaccination requirements will not be permitted to register; see Required Immunizations under Health Services in the chapter Yale University Resources and Services.

Registration in the graduate school is contingent upon maintaining good academic standing, including completion of all graduate school and program requirements normally expected for each stage of the student’s degree. For Ph.D. students before admission to candidacy and for M.A./M.S. students, this includes the satisfactory completion of courses from the preceding term(s). As indicated in the sections on Course and Honors Requirements and Admission to Candidacy, under Degree Requirements, students in Ph.D. programs must satisfy the Honors requirement before the beginning of the third year of study and must be admitted to candidacy by the end of the third year of study, unless otherwise specified in the individual program description. In addition to satisfying these general graduate school requirements, students must meet any additional requirements specified by their departments. Students who fail to make satisfactory progress may be placed on a probationary status pending satisfactory completion of requirements. (See Academic Standing, Probation, and Dismissal below.) Ph.D. students who have been admitted to candidacy must continue to demonstrate satisfactory progress toward the degree, documented through the submission of the annual Dissertation Progress Report (DPR). Students who fail to submit the annual DPR are not eligible to register in the following term. 

Students must register each term until the dissertation is submitted or until six years (twelve terms) of study have been completed. Registered students who submit dissertations after the close of the add-drop period will remain registered until the end of the term (i.e., through December for those submitting during the fall term, through May for those submitting before the spring degree deadline, and through August for those submitting after the spring degree deadline) and will retain all privileges of registration (e.g., library privileges, health care coverage, and email accounts). They will be charged the continuous registration fee for that term unless a Change of Status Form requesting withdrawal from the program is processed by the appropriate refund date on the GSAS academic calendar (see Schedule of Academic Dates and Deadlines). Students who submit their dissertation before the end of the add/drop period are not eligible to register as students for the remainder of that term. Students who complete all Ph.D. requirements within four continuous years of full-time study in the Ph.D. program will be registered and charged full tuition only through the term in which the dissertation is submitted.

Students who have not submitted the dissertation by the end of the sixth year of study may do so subsequently at the discretion of the department without being registered. Students are encouraged to consult with their departments well in advance if they will end their registration without submitting the dissertation. Programs may choose but are not obligated to accept and review the dissertation of any student who has failed to maintain their registration status.