What are the general admissions requirements for international students applying to Yale?

Yale’s general admissions requirements for international students are essentially the same as for all first-year applicants. You apply through the Common Application, Coalition Application, or QuestBridge application, submit your secondary school transcript, school report, counselor recommendation, and two teacher recommendations, and complete Yale’s required short answers and essays.

For academics, Yale expects a very strong secondary school record in the context of your country’s curriculum. There is no separate set of required courses for international students, but competitive applicants usually have taken the most rigorous program available in math, science, literature, history or social science, and foreign language. If your school offers national exams, predicted scores, or external leaving exams, those can be important parts of the file.

For English, Yale does not require TOEFL, IELTS, Duolingo, or Cambridge English scores from every international applicant. Yale will also consider evidence like your school’s language of instruction, coursework in English, and teacher recommendations.

Yale also reviews extracurricular involvement, intellectual curiosity, character, and personal fit through essays, recommendations, and the overall application.

International students who apply for financial aid may need to submit additional aid forms, but those are separate from the admissions application itself. There is no separate admission standard just because you are international, though Yale evaluates your achievements within the opportunities and educational system available to you.