The GRE is not accepted
For the PhD the programme page says the GRE is not accepted.
Doctoral · Yale Computer science
Yale Computer Science PhD: the GRE is not accepted, and candidacy has seven steps
The Yale Computer Science PhD page states that for the PhD the GRE is not accepted, a rule that sets it apart from the Economics, Chemistry and Political Science PhDs. The Bulletin then lists seven steps to candidacy: ten courses with two Honors, six advanced general courses, a research project, a qualifying examination, a thesis adviser, two terms as teaching assistant and a written prospectus.
Official information · no entry-year label on the page
What Yale asks for in Yale Computer Science PhD
Taken from the Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Computer Science PhD programme page and the Yale Bulletin entry for the Ph.D. in Computer Science and read on 2 November 2026. The page carries no entry-year label, so every value below is treated as previous-cycle evidence for a 2028-29 start; Yale's requirements, dates and funding for 2028-29 are awaiting publication, and none is stated here.
Ten courses, two Honors
Candidacy needs ten courses including CPSC 6900 and CPSC 6910, with at least two Honors.
A thesis adviser
Students must be accepted as a thesis student by a regular department faculty member.
Official sources
Read on 2 November 2026 on the Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Computer Science PhD programme page and the Yale Bulletin entry for the Ph.D. in Computer Science, which carries no entry-year label. The department website, the application portal, deadlines, funding and the English-test scores were not used and are not stated. No deadline, fee, funding amount or place number is stated.
The decision
Does your record fit what the programme page asks?
This guide concerns only the Yale research degree. The reading below is Avandy's judgment (heuristic), built from what the programme page says.
It fits if
you want a programme that does not ask for the GRE and are ready for a research project, a qualifying exam and a prospectus.
Think again if
you plan to submit a GRE score. The page says it is not accepted for the PhD.
Check the page
The Graduate School's programme page is the source; deadlines, funding and score thresholds change by cycle and are not stated here.
How the application is read
What the programme page lists
The programme page says the PhD does not accept the GRE (the master's does require it) and asks most applicants whose native language is not English for TOEFL iBT or IELTS Academic, with an exemption for residence at an English-medium institution. The Bulletin gives the post-admission requirements. This guide states no deadline or funding term.
How the programme runs
Focus and working pattern
To be admitted to candidacy a student passes ten courses, takes six advanced general computer science courses, completes a research project with a written report, passes a qualifying examination in a specialization, is accepted by a thesis adviser, serves two terms as a teaching assistant and submits a written prospectus. There is no foreign language requirement. This page carries no entry-year label.
Avandy's judgment
Where an application can go wrong
These points are Avandy's heuristic reading of the page. They are not Yale rules and carry no probability.
Sending a GRE score
The PhD page says the GRE is not accepted.
Confusing PhD and MS
The page states different testing rules for the PhD and the MS.
Leaving the adviser question late
Candidacy requires acceptance by a regular faculty member as a thesis student.
Next steps
A sensible order of work
The order is Avandy's suggestion, built from the page's own steps.
Check your record
Compare your coursework and experience with the stated expectations.
Prepare the written work
Draft the statements and writing sample the page asks for, in the formats it lists.
Plan the tests
Check which tests are required, optional or not accepted.
Read the current page
Read the programme page for the cycle you apply in.
Planning for 2028-29 entry
Planning for 2028-29 entry: what carries over and what awaits publication
Yale's programme page carries no entry-year label. A start in 2028-29 means applying under rules Yale has not yet published. Each item below is either read on the page and treated as previous-cycle wording, which may change, or awaiting publication for 2028-29 entry.
The structure of the programme and the application
The expectations, the written work and the test policy are described on Yale's programme page, which carries no entry-year label. Yale has not published the following cycle.
Deadlines, places, funding and fees
This guide states none of them. Yale publishes them per cycle; read the page again for the cycle you apply in.
What to do now
Check your record against the programme page, prepare the written work it lists and plan any required test.
Support
Independent support with the research statement and fit
Avandy provides independent academic and admissions support. It is not affiliated with Yale University or any of its departments, and it has no relationship with any member of staff. Support sits within the Avandy Trinity Advisory Model: a Strategic Admissions Consultant and a PhD-level Academic Mentor help the applicant test a research idea against the department's published research areas and plan their own statement. Support here is limited to testing a research idea against the department's published research themes and planning the applicant's own statements; it does not extend to contacting staff on the applicant's behalf. Avandy does not write or submit any part of an application, cannot arrange a supervisor and promises no outcome or funding.
Questions
Questions applicants ask
What does the Yale Computer Science PhD ask for?
There is no foreign language requirement.
Is a test required?
For the PhD the GRE is not accepted.
Does this guide state a deadline?
No. The page carries no entry-year label and this guide states no deadline, fee or funding. Check the programme page for the cycle you apply in.
Does the programme include funding?
This guide did not use Yale's funding sections and states no funding.
Students and families
Talk to us about the Yale Computer Science PhD
Tell us about your degrees, your research experience, the research question you want to pursue and the supervisors or groups you have in mind. A senior adviser will review the academic profile before recommending how to develop the research statement.