Admissions

About Financial Aid at David Geffen School of Drama

LOVE'S LABOR'S LOST. Photo © Leigh R. Busby, 2022.
Love's Labor's Lost. Photo © Leigh R. Busby, 2022.

Choosing to attend a graduate program is a significant life decision with financial consequences that are different for each student. Financial aid at DGSD is handled with care, confidentiality, and individual attention. Admissions at DGSD are “need blind,” which means admission decisions are made without reference to a student’s financial circumstances and/or application for need-based financial aid.

DGSD is committed to supporting all students’ access with full tuition scholarships, thanks to an extremely generous gift from the David Geffen Foundation in 2021. Additionally, all students receive guaranteed work-study employment each year. In the 2024–25 academic year, these jobs are compensated at the rate of $21 per hour.

Applicants are encouraged to apply for need-based scholarship aid to cover major living expenses for the nine-month academic year. The School assesses demonstrated financial need based on students’ own assets and income as well as their parents’ assets and income regardless of their age, marital status, or independence.

Students may also apply for educational loans to support their living expenses: in 2024–25, most first year students borrow $9,500. Many students receiving need-based aid in their second and third years at DGSD do not borrow additional loans.

Informed Decision Making

DGSD also commits to explaining financial aid in terms that enable prospective students to make meaningful decisions. Therefore, financial aid communications consider the total cost of attendance, which is calculated to include: tuition expense (100% covered for all full-time students and interns), books and supplies, and living expenses for the nine-month academic year. Support for covering living expenses comes in the form of work-study employment and/or need-based aid.

For more information regarding financial aid programs and policies, please contact the Financial Aid office at dgsd.finaid@yale.edu.

TEAM

Contact:

Room 101A, 149 York Street
(203) 432-1540
dgsd.finaid@yale.edu

 

 

Information for New Applicants

DGSD requests that only final round-applicants submit financial aid application materials if they would like to be considered for need-based financial aid beyond tuition expense support. The DGSD financial aid process for final-round applicants opens on January 1. The deadline for submitting financial aid materials is no later than three weeks after notification of finalist status.

Note to Playwriting applicants: Thanks to a bequest from Eugene O’Neill and Carlotta Monterey all Playwriting students receive living expense stipends throughout the academic year and summer months, in addition to full tuition scholarships. Therefore, a financial aid application is not necessary.

U.S. Citizens / Permanent Residents

All U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents requesting need-based financial assistance need to complete the following items:

  1. File a 2025–2026 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) online at the Student Aid website.Yale’s federal school code is 001426, which is necessary to complete the FAFSA and to ensure that DGSD receives the processed information electronically.
  2. File a 2025–2026 College Board CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE® application, at collegeboard.orgSchool code is 3809.
  3. Mail signed copies of your (the student’s) and your parents’ 2023 federal income tax returns.Please include copies of all W-2s and any schedules as well as asset information, including bank account balances, retirement accounts, and other assets. These documents may be securely emailed rather than mailed, if desired, to finaid@yale.edu.

International Student Applicants

All international students requesting need-based financial assistance need to complete the following items:

  1. Complete the College Board CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE® application at collegeboard.org.
  2. Mail signed copies of your (the student’s) and your parents’ 2023 tax documents, income and bank statements (U.S. and home country), and asset information. Please note that if any documents are not in English, you must provide a notarized English translation in addition to the original documents. These documents may be securely emailed rather than mailed, if desired, to dgsd.finaid@yale.edu.

Information for Returning Students

All continuing students seeking need-based support must reapply for financial aid every year to receive DGSD scholarships, grants, and loans. To do so, submit the following items by April 15, 2025. 

U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents

  1. Complete the FAFSA.Yale’s federal school code is 001426, which is necessary to complete the FAFSA and to ensure that DGSD receives the processed information electronically.
  2. File a 2025–2026 College Board CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE® application, at collegeboard.orgSchool code is 3809.
  3. Mail signed copies of your (the student’s) and your parents’ 2023 federal income tax returns. Please include copies of all W-2s and any schedules, as well as asset information, including bank account balances, retirement accounts, and other assets. These documents may be securely emailed rather than mailed, if desired, to dgsd.finaid@yale.edu.

International Student Applicants

  1. File a 2025–2026 College Board CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE® application, at collegeboard.orgSchool code is 3809.
  2. Provide signed copies of your (the student’s) and your parents’ 2023 tax documents, income and bank statements (U.S. and home country), and asset information. Please note that if any documents are not in English, you must provide a notarized English translation in addition to the original documents. These documents may be securely emailed rather than mailed, if desired, to dgsd.finaid@yale.edu.

Financial Aid Award Letters will be processed for students with complete applications in June. Detailed information regarding financial aid programs and policies can be found in the School’s publicly available Bulletin:  Funding your DGSD Education: Financial Aid Policy.