Yale Divinity School

“To foster the knowledge and love of God through rigorous scholarly inquiry, the preparation of students for lives of transformative service, the promotion of broad inclusivity and diversity in our communal life, encounter with the sacred through music and the arts, and the advancement of the sustainability of the earth.”

Description of PhD Program
  • The Graduate Program in the Department of Religious Studies is organized into eleven Fields of Study. Each Field of Study has its own requirements for admission and its own curriculum. Applicants must specify when they submit their online application and the field to which they are applying. Students who believe their areas of research interest fall between two existing Fields of Study should e-mail the relevant faculty in advance of their application to consult about how to submit their application. All specific information about the Field of Study and its admission requirements and curriculum can be obtained by clicking on the appropriate Field of Study. The only common requirement among all of the fields of study is RLST 510, Method, and Theory. This course may be taken at any time during a student’s time at Yale; however, faculty highly recommend that students take it in their first year of coursework. The purpose of the course is to encourage rigorous conversation about religion among students with a diverse set of disciplinary and documentary interests. The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences has prepared a guide to the advising process that we recommend admitted students review. The Graduate Program in the Department of Religious Studies involves faculty from across Yale University, with special ties to the faculty at Yale Divinity School (YDS). However, the Graduate Program application is distinct from the application to YDS. Students interested in YDS should refer to this page.
Tuition & Housing Costs
Tuition* and Fees2021–2022
Full Tuition—per term $23,450
Full-time study in IDE—per term $23,950
Half-time study—per term $11,725
Master’s programs, less than half-time per term One-quarter time study, per term $5,862.50

Division of Special Registration (DSR, non-degree study)

Coursework, per course, per term (including audited courses)

Visiting Students, per term

Visiting Assistants in Research, per month

$5,712.50

$23,450

$425

Continuous Registration Fee (CRF)—per term $765
Yale Health Hospitalization/Specialty Coverage—twelve months§ $2,756

*It is anticipated that tuition will be increased in subsequent years.

†It is anticipated that the Continuous Registration Fee will be increased in subsequent years.
Other fees are subject to change without notice. For fees relating to registration and course enrollment, see Course Enrollment under Academic Regulations.

‡See Registration Status and Leaves of Absence, under Academic Regulations.

§Hospitalization fees are for single students. Rates are higher for students needing dependent coverage. Hospitalization/Specialty Coverage includes prescription coverage.

  • Tuition for full-time study at the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences for the academic year 2022-2023 is $46,900.
  • If you are a Ph.D. student, you receive a fellowship that covers the full cost of tuition through at least your first five years.
  • Halfway between Boston and New York City, New Haven offers great places to live in varied neighborhoods, a wide range of social, cultural, arts, and recreational opportunities: award-winning theaters, world-class museums and galleries, exciting nightlife at clubs and pubs, diverse restaurants, cafes, and markets, wonderful parks and recreational areas, public schools nationally recognized for their reform efforts, and great shopping with national chains and local specialty stores. You and your family and friends can explore and get involved in your city, with many events for free or at graduate student discounts!
  • Yale graduate students have many options for affordable, comfortable, and convenient places to live in greater New Haven while at Yale. You can live on-campus, in Yale-owned off-campus apartments, or in off-campus apartment buildings and homes in several neighborhoods. While most graduate students live on or near campus in New Haven, some live in surrounding towns and commute to campus.
  • https://gsas.yale.edu/resources-students/housing-life-new-haven
Tuition Assistance
  • Ph.D. students at Yale are normally fully funded for a minimum of five years. During that time, our students receive a twelve-month stipend to cover living expenses and a fellowship that covers the full cost of tuition.
  • Your funding will come from different sources during your enrollment. Every student and every program’s financial aid package may be different. It can seem complicated, but your program and the Graduate School will take care of most of the accounting behind the scenes.
  • https://gsas.yale.edu/resources-students/finances-fellowships/funding-phd-students
  • All applicants to Yale University Ph.D. programs are automatically considered for financial assistance and are not required to submit the Yale Applicant’s Financial Statement.
  • The steady trend of financial aid at Yale has been toward full funding for all Ph.D. students, and few schools can rival the breadth of support that Yale provides. For the Ph.D. students entering the Graduate School in the fall of 2017, all were offered a financial aid package consisting of five years of full tuition, at least five years of stipend support, and comprehensive health care coverage, as well as a dissertation year fellowship. The minimum fellowship stipends for doctoral students during the 2017-2018 academic year is about $30,250 for twelve months. The tuition fellowship covers the cost of annual tuition for the five years that tuition is charged. Over the course of graduate study, the typical doctoral student’s financial aid commitment from Yale totals more than $290,000.
  • http://gsas.yale.edu/funding-aid/office-financial-aid
Neighboring Institutions or Programs
Hispanic Centers and Programs
  • Yale Student Salsa Society
    • Yale Student Salsa Society is a non-competitive salsa dance group at Yale University. We want to provide a safe space for whoever is interested in learning more about salsa or wants to have a location where they can practice. We want everyone who joins to have a good time dancing and interacting with other members of the group.
  • La Casa Cultural de Julia de Burgos Latino Cultural Center
    • La Casa Cultural de Julia de Burgos, affectionately known as La Casa, is the Latino Cultural Center at Yale. La Casa offers Yale students and community members a rich variety of social, academic, and cultural resources in a warm and vibrant environment.
    • Mission statement: Building on a strong campus community, the Latino Cultural Center promotes a sense of unity among Latinx people at Yale. We are committed to providing a comfortable space where our diverse cultural heritage, history and traditions can be celebrated and explored by all Yale University and New Haven community members. In partnership with our resident organizations, La Casa provides opportunities that foster a sense of belonging and pride while supporting the intellectual, personal, leadership and social development of our students.
    • https://lacasa.yalecollege.yale.edu/
Hispanic/Latine Faculty
Library Resources-Special Collections

The Yale Divinity Library supports teaching and research in disciplines related to Christianity with particular strength in the Bible, theology, and the history of Christianity.  The Day Missions Collection is the strongest collection of its kind anywhere in the world.

HTI Scholars

Hannah Baz-Garcia 

Katherine Guerrero 

Jon-Paul Lapena 

Contact Information

Office of Graduate Admissions

    • Tel: 203-432-2771
    • Fax: 203-432-6904

https://gsas.yale.edu/admissions/contact