Fields Application Process

Deadlines

  • The deadline for applications for Fall Semester programs is March 1st at 1:00pm.
  • The deadline for applications for Spring Semester programs is October 1st at 1:00pm.

You must submit an online application form during the semester preceding the one in which you plan to study. A selection committee will evaluate all applications, assessing each applicant’s goals and qualifications (including applications from current students who are replying).

Note: If you are a current Fields student wishing to continue with the language/discipline combination that you are currently studying (or have recently studied in Fields), you must re-apply each semester in order to be considered for acceptance for the next semester. When reapplying, be sure to select “Yes” when asked if you are a continuing student on the online application form. When reapplying, there is no need to submit a new transcript nor take the entrance assessment.

Eligibility

Please review the following eligibility considerations:

  • You must be a currently-enrolled undergraduate, graduate, or professional school student in good academic standing, and not studying abroad during the semester of your Fields study.
  • You must be pursuing language study in the context of an academic discipline or professional area of focus (typically not language and literature, or any other language and discipline combination for which there is advanced coursework available at Yale).
  • You must be at the equivalent of an L5 or beyond in your language ability. For undergraduates, this requires evidence of having taken coursework at the L5 level at Yale (or at the highest level offered in the language to be studied). 
  • You must be highly motivated, self-disciplined, self-directed, and fully committed to the program. 
  • You must be able to demonstrate serious reasons why you wish to study the language and discipline combination for which you are applying, focusing on your academic and professional goals.
  • Recognizing the time commitment required for language study, you should be careful not to undertake Fields in an otherwise heavily loaded semester.

Application Stages

The Fields application process includes the following stages:

  • Application: To apply for Fields, you must submit an online application by the specified deadlines. If you are an undergraduate, you will be prompted during the online application process to upload an unofficial copy of your academic record as well.
  • Assessment: If you are identified as a potential candidate for Fields, you will be asked to take a language proficiency assessment to confirm that you are at an appropriately advanced level.
  • Notification: Once the results of the language assessment is in, you will be notified of the review committee’s final decision (usually within six to eight weeks of the application deadline).

If I’m Accepted, What Happens Next?

If you are accepted, Fields program staff will then begin searching for a language partner appropriate to your discipline-specific language study. Since an appropriate work-eligible language partner cannot always be found, acceptance is not a guarantee that the program will run.

Expectations

As a student in the program, you will be expected to:

  • attend all of your scheduled sessions (two 1-hour sessions per week for 12 weeks) and to notify your language partner ahead of time if you are sick or are leaving town for one of Yale’s scheduled academic breaks; 
  • identify, with the help of your language partner and CLS staff, the language study materials that you will be using (students are responsible for purchasing their own study materials);
  • take responsibility for your own learning through goal setting and session planning with your language partner and through independent study between sessions;
  • engage in daily self-study, introducing yourself to new material using a text or other learning resources; and
  • participate in a language proficiency assessment at the end of your time in the program.

Application

Please apply using the online application form.

More Information

For further information about the Fields program, please contact fields@yale.edu.