Applying for Financial Aid

Financial aid, defined as work-study, education loans, and need-based scholarship, is designed to assist students in financing their education. In conformity with University policy, financial aid is awarded solely on the basis of financial need and available resources within the Yale School of Art. There are no scholarships based on merit or any criteria other than financial need. The School determines financial need annually in accordance with institutional and federal methodologies.

Students are encouraged to plan their finances with the utmost care so that they are prepared to cover their direct and indirect costs throughout the academic year.

Individuals in default of a federal student loan will not be granted a financial aid award until complete rehabilitation of such is provided to the School. In addition, financial aid in any form is contingent upon the student’s maintaining satisfactory academic progress.

All students are encouraged to seek additional funding beyond what is available from the School of Art. In order to comply with federal regulations as well as University policy, students must advise the Financial Aid Office of any additional awards received (scholarships, grants, loans, VA benefits, teaching assistantships, teaching fellowships, etc.). As a general rule, outside awards up to $10,000 can be received without affecting the student’s scholarship from the School of Art, although it may be necessary to reduce the student’s loan(s). Outside assistance in excess of $10,000 will likely affect a student’s need-based scholarship from the School of Art. Students’ financial aid awards (scholarship, loans, and/or work-study) cannot exceed the School’s established cost of attendance.

All students enrolled in the Yale School of Art must meet Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) standards to remain eligible for financial aid, including Title IV federal aid, institutional funding, and external sources such as private scholarships, grants, and educational loans. SAP applies to all degree-seeking students, regardless of financial aid status, and is evaluated using qualitative and quantitative measures, as well as a maximum timeframe standard. These standards are as strict as or stricter than those applied to students not receiving Title IV aid.

SAP is the measure of a student’s academic progress toward program completion and reflects their ability to meet the institution’s minimum academic standards. The same SAP requirements and evaluation schedule apply to all recipients of school-administered financial aid, including federal student aid, institutional loans, work-study, and scholarships.

SAP evaluations are conducted at the official evaluation point identified in this policy. Students who do not meet the SAP standards at the time of evaluation will lose eligibility for both federal and institutional financial aid for the next payment period unless they successfully appeal and are placed on financial aid probation, or they regain eligibility by meeting all SAP standards. 

The School of Art’s MFA program uses a Pass/Fail grading scale and does not assign a GPA. The qualitative measure for Satisfactory Academic Progress requires that students maintain a cumulative average grade of “Pass” in all attempted coursework. At each SAP evaluation point, a student’s academic record must demonstrate overall performance consistent with the program’s graduation requirements. This means the majority of attempted credits must be successfully completed with a grade of “Pass.” In addition to maintaining a cumulative average of ‘Pass’ in all attempted coursework, students must not be under academic warning or subject to dismissal based on faculty review. Receipt of an academic warning or failure to meet faculty-mandated academic requirements may be considered a failure to meet the qualitative SAP standard. Faculty evaluations used for SAP purposes will be guided by documented academic criteria applied consistently across students and reviewed by the Financial Aid Office to ensure equitable application. This standing is the equivalent of at least a “C” average, as required by federal regulations.

For programs longer than two academic years, students must, by the end of their second academic year, demonstrate academic standing consistent with the school’s graduation requirements.

In addition to the qualitative measure, students must maintain a pace of completion that ensures they can finish their program within the maximum timeframe. Pace is calculated by dividing the cumulative number of credits successfully completed by the cumulative number of credits attempted. At each evaluation students must successfully complete at least 75% of all cumulative attempted credits to meet the quantitative standard.

Traditional time frame is the program and specialty-specific allotted time with which all students enrolled in a specific program and specialty are expected to complete their respective program. Beyond the expected time frame there is a Maximum Time Frame (MTF) within which students must complete their given program of study (barring excused away periods outlined below). Art students have a traditional time frame for program completion of 24 months in the 2-year track MFA program or 36 months in 3-year track MFA program. Their maximum time frame for program completion is 36 months (2-year track) or 54 months (3-year track) or 150% of the traditional time. The School of Art does not offer a part-time or less-than-half-time status.

To complete the 2-year track MFA program within the traditional time frame of 2 years, students enrolled in the program must complete at least 60 credits.

To complete the 3-year track MFA program within the traditional time frame of 3 years, students enrolled in the program must complete at least 90 credits.

Grades of Incomplete (INC) must be resolved before the first day of classes of the next consecutive term. Incomplete grades do not count as earned or attempted credits. Failure to cure an Incomplete (INC) by this deadline will result in a course failure and a grade of Fail will be recorded. 

Withdrawals before the tuition proration period of the term will not be counted as attempted courses. Withdrawals after the tuition proration period takes effect will count as attempted but unearned credit. Please contact the school’s Financial Aid office before withdrawing from any course to see how the withdrawal may impact your SAP status.

Grade changes that occur that negatively impact a student’s SAP status after the start of a new reporting cycle in which aid has been released will not result in a return of funds as the release will be tied to the basis of the last SAP evaluation as that was the most accurate at the time it was performed. The student will maintain Title IV aid eligibility until the next evaluation period and their standing at the point of the next evaluation period will be assessed.

All repeated courses are included in the cumulative attempted credit total for purposes of the quantitative (pace) calculation. Successfully repeated and passed courses are included in the earned credit total once. For the qualitative standard, the most recent grade of “Pass” or “Fail” is used in the cumulative evaluation. Federal financial aid may be awarded for an unlimited number of attempts for courses never passed, and for one additional attempt of a previously passed course, in accordance with federal regulations.

Transfer credits are only accepted from the Yale Summer Session program. Transfer credits accepted toward the MFA program count as both attempted and earned credits for purposes of the quantitative (pace) calculation. For the qualitative measure, only coursework completed in residence at the School of Art is included in the cumulative “Pass” average; accepted transfer credits are not factored into this qualitative review. In the event a student is approved to change their program or major, credits accepted toward the new program count as both attempted and earned credit for the qualitative and quantitative (pace) calculations. 

The Art School does not offer or accept remedial coursework. 

Satisfactory Academic Progress reporting and reviews will be performed by the school’s Financial Aid office with support from the school registrar. The School of Art conducts official Satisfactory Academic Progress evaluations annually at the end of the Spring term, which also marks the end of the Title IV payment period and academic year for all MFA students. The evaluation reviews the student’s cumulative qualitative and quantitative measures to determine continued eligibility for federal student aid. The school’s Financial Aid office will send SAP notices to students who are not meeting Satisfactory Academic Progress standards at each reporting period. Students will be notified via their Yale email. SAP notifications and appeals information will be communicated in a clear and accessible manner. Reasonable accommodations, including language assistance where appropriate, will be provided upon request.

Students in the MFA program must meet with both the Registrar and Financial Aid before any withdrawal or leave of absence to discuss the impact of the student’s Satisfactory Academic Progress. 

Students in the MFA program may appeal a loss of financial aid eligibility due to unsatisfactory academic progress. The appeal should include a plan for meeting SAP that extends no further than the end of the following financial aid term. In conference with the Progress Committee, the program director will approve or deny each appeal. Appeal decisions and supporting documentation will be retained to ensure consistency and equity in decision-making. If the appeal is approved, the student may be placed on financial aid probation for one payment period. During this probationary period, the student remains eligible for Title IV aid. To continue receiving aid beyond that term, the student must either meet the SAP standards by the end of the probationary period or be successfully following an academic plan developed by the institution that will lead to SAP compliance within a specified timeframe. SAP evaluations are conducted before aid is disbursed for the next payment period. Students who fail to meet the standards set in the approved plan and fail to meet SAP goals in the time allotted will lose eligibility for federal aid at the end of the next financial aid term. 

If a student chooses not to appeal, they may regain federal eligibility for future terms once all three SAP measures are back within the required standards.

On the basis of the federal regulations governing the return of federal student aid (Title IV) funds for withdrawn students, the rebate and refund of tuition are subject to the following policy:

1. For purposes of determining the refund of Title IV funds, any student who withdraws from the School of Art for any reason during the first 60 percent of the term will be subject to a pro rata schedule that will be used to determine the amount of Title IV funds a student has earned at the time of withdrawal. A student who withdraws after the 60 percent point has earned 100 percent of the Title IV funds. In 2026–2027, the last days for refunding Title IV funds will be November 14, 2026, in the fall term and April 4, 2027, in the spring term.
    
2. For purposes of determining the refund of institutional aid funds and for students who have not received financial aid:
   1. 100 percent of tuition will be rebated for withdrawals that occur on or before the end of the first 10 percent of the term (September 12, 2026, in the fall term and January 29, 2027, in the spring term).
   2. A rebate of one-half (50 percent) of tuition will be granted for withdrawals that occur after the first 10 percent but on or before the last day of the first quarter of the term (September 27, 2026, in the fall term and February 13, 2027, in the spring term).
   3. A rebate of one-quarter (25 percent) of tuition will be granted for withdrawals that occur after the first quarter of a term but on or before the day of midterm (October 20, 2026, in the fall term and March 5, 2027, in the spring term).
   4. Students who withdraw for any reason after midterm will not receive a rebate of any portion of tuition.
3. The death of a student will cancel charges for tuition as of the date of death, and the bursar will adjust the tuition on a pro rata basis.
4. If the student has received student loans or other forms of financial aid, funds will be returned in the order prescribed by federal regulations; namely, first to Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loans, if any; then to Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loans; next to any other federal, state, private, or institutional scholarships and loans; and, finally, any remaining balance to the student.
5. Recipients of federal and/or institutional loans who withdraw are required to have an exit interview before leaving Yale. Students leaving Yale receive instructions on completing this process from Yale Student Financial Services.