Yale University recognizes the increasing cost of acquiring a medical education and wants students to pursue their medical studies at Yale as free of financial concerns as possible. Therefore, since the amount of funds available to the school is limited, and in order to meet the financial needs of students in a fair and equitable manner, the method for determining the financial aid for individual students is as follows.

In the spring of each year the budgets for students are established. These budgets include all projected expenses, including tuition, books and supplies, health insurance, personal and transportation, technology fee, student activity fee, and living expenses. They do not include the cost of purchasing, maintaining, or insuring an automobile.

The amount of the budget considered the student’s responsibility is determined using the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and/or the CSS Profile, and includes money from the student’s own resources (assets, salaries, etc.) and from the spouse and/or fiancé(e)’s income, when applicable. For M.D. students below age thirty, a parent contribution is also calculated. The difference between the amount for which the family is responsible and the basic budget constitutes the financial support for which each student is eligible.

The availability of financial aid is dependent on a student’s status.

1. Full-Time. An individual who has matriculated at this school and is pursuing a full course of studies as outlined in this bulletin is a full-time student. For the M.D. program, this includes the required pre-clerkship courses and the required clinical clerkships in the first, second, and third years. In addition, during the third and fourth years, the student works on and completes a required thesis and completes an adviser-approved schedule of electives, a subinternship, and the Capstone course. Medical students must be enrolled in and complete 12 or more credits in each of the fall and spring terms and 6 or more credits in the summer terms to be considered a full-time student. First- and final-year medical students do not take classes in the summer terms. The student is charged full tuition, and financial aid is available if the student completes all the necessary forms, need for aid has been determined, and the student is enrolled as a full-time student. PA Program students must maintain twelve credits each term to be considered full-time.
2. Leaves of Absence. No financial aid is available to students not attending classes or working toward the requirements of the degree at Yale or elsewhere. This student is charged a registration fee. If a student is studying at another Yale graduate or professional school, that student is charged tuition by the school the student is attending. Financial aid must be arranged through the other school.
3. Extended Study. A student who is not taking a full course load but doing research toward the thesis requirement is charged a registration fee and is eligible for financial aid only in the form of loans. Students on leaves of absence or extended study programs may have this option for only one year unless there are exceptional circumstances. Students must be back in school full time at the end of one year. Of note, students engaging in extended study have the option of remaining in full-time status if they continue to pay tuition and accrue academic credit per term for clinical and research electives described in full-time status above. This is subject to approval by the YSM M.D. Program registrar. 
4. Satisfactory Academic Progress. In order to be considered eligible for any type of financial assistance, a student must be in good academic standing and making satisfactory progress. For details regarding the definition of satisfactory academic program, please consult each degree program’s policy on satisfactory academic progress for Title IV funds. At appropriate evaluation intervals, the student must be approved for continued enrollment by the progress committee of their program at the School of Medicine. It is this committee’s responsibility to require a student to finish incomplete work and/or complete any required remedial study prior to advancement to the next academic year. If the student fails to finish incomplete work and/or remedial study within one year, the student is not considered in good standing and is ineligible for any type of financial aid. Students are expected to complete the requirements of the M.D. degree within four years. With the approval of the Progress Committee of the M.D. program at the School of Medicine, a student may remain up to six years.

When a student is no longer in residence and has failed to complete required coursework needed to receive the degree, the student’s enrollment status is in absentia to submit. In the M.D. program, failure to complete requirements includes not completing the dissertation, not passing the USMLE Step 1 or Step 2 CK, or not satisfactorily completing a required course, clerkship, or subinternship. The student is not charged a tuition fee and is not eligible for any financial assistance, University services, and/or loan deferments. Once the student has completed all of the requirements for graduation, the student’s name is presented to the Board of Permanent Officers and to the Yale Corporation for the awarding of their respective degree.

Consistent with student status, satisfactory academic progress, and available funds for each program, the need for financial aid is met by: (1) loans, made up of monies from various loan sources, and (2) scholarship, when eligibility for financial aid is determined. This includes scholarship money supplied directly to the student from non-Yale sources. The maximum scholarship offered to a married student never exceeds the amount calculated for a single student with no resources. The total scholarship support for all students is, of course, limited by the availability of funds. Should scholarship need exceed the supply of funds, additional loans are made available.

It is the policy of the School of Medicine to abide by the FAFSA and/or CSS Profile calculation of the student’s and parents’ contribution.

Additional financial support in the form of loans, scholarships, or employment must be made known to the student financial aid office and may result in a proportionate reduction of School support. If a student does not report changes, the student’s financial aid file is subject to review by a Disciplinary Committee and all financial aid may be canceled and the incident reported.

Signed copies of parents’ tax returns, including all schedules and W-2 forms or a statement of earnings for the previous fiscal year are required for all M.D. and PA students under the age of thirty applying for Yale loans and scholarships. Copies of Social Security benefits, unemployment compensation, and retirement benefits of both student and parents are also required. All information is verified in accordance with federal regulations. If the parents are divorced, the student must provide information on the custodial parent. The custodial parent will remain the same for all subsequent years; a student cannot change custodial parents unless the original custodial parent dies. If the custodial parent is remarried, the stepparent’s information is also required. Beginning in the 2024–2025 academic year, parental information is waived for students aged thirty and over.

All information in individual student financial aid applications is strictly confidential and is used only for the purpose of determining and administering the student’s aid.

It is understood that allocations of financial aid are held as binding commitments only insofar as the original data on which these allocations were based are correct.

For 2026–2027 all students who have a calculated loan eligibility need and who are citizens or eligible non-citizens of the United States may borrow through the Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan program. They may also receive a Yale Alumni Loan. The combination of these loans will cover a part of their educational expenses. International students may borrow the Yale Alumni Loan. These loans are normally repaid over a ten-year period beginning six months after borrowers complete their education.

Additional information concerning educational loans available to students of the School of Medicine may be obtained from the Office of Financial Aid, Room 202, Edward S. Harkness Memorial Hall, 367 Cedar Street, or from our website at https://medicine.yale.edu/md-program/financialaid/scholarships/loans.