Policies

Y-VISP Policies 

Note: A fundamental aim of Y-VISP is to have participants become fully integrated members of the Yale College community. As visitors, however, Y-VISP students are subject to the governance of the Y-VISP  Committee, whose regulations are closely modeled on the Yale College’s Academic Regulations and Undergraduate Regulations.

TOC:

Academic requirements

Y-VISP students are required to meet all of the academic obligations of any course in which they enroll.

Registration and enrollment

Y-VISP students may pursue any course available to Yale College students, though enrollment in any course is at the discretion of the instructor and department. 

Academic Standing

Y-VISP students are expected to maintain a minimum grade of B- in each of their courses; students approved for two semesters of Y-VISP who fail to do so will have their participation in the program reviewed by the Y-VISP steering committee.

Course load

Y-VISP students are expected to successfully complete four credits per term. They may request to enroll in no more than five credits per term. Y-VISP students approved for two semester of Y-VISP who fail to successfully complete more than three course credits in a term will have their participation in the program reviewed by the Y-VISP steering committee, who may choose to remove them from the program.

If a Y-VISP student wishes to take 5.5 credits, they must email Lauren Perrino before the last day of add/drop period with a paragraph justifying why they think they need to take 5.5 credits.

Enrolling in Graduate and Professional Courses or Credit/D/Fail 

Graduate or Professional School Courses

If a course is offered at both the graduate and undergraduate level, students MUST register for the undergraduate level of the course. Y-VISPs are permitted to take up to two graduate or professional level credits per term. GSAS courses can generally be enrolled in directly through Yale Course Search. Y-VISPs cannot take courses at the Law School (on rare occasion, certain courses may be permissible) or Medical School (no exceptions). Y-VISP students can check this page to see if the graduate course they'd like to take was approved for credit in the past. They will find information about completing the Blue Form and SOM Course Enrollment Request on this page.

Credit/D/Fail option

Y-VISP students may take one course under the Credit/D/Fail grading mode each semester. This option is not available to Yale-NUS or Tec students unless pass/fail is the only available grade mode for a course. If you are a student from one of our other partners, make sure you don't need a grade in order for the course to fulfill any requirements at your home university (such as major requirements), if applicable. If unsure, check with your home university before making the change.

Note for Yale-NUS Seniors

For students participating in Y-VISP during their senior year, even if Yale-NUS requires that they take only three credits, Y-VISP requires that you take a minimum of four. The options are as follows:

• Take a fourth course Credit/D/Fail (check in with Ben Van Son first).
• Work with a Yale professor to do your capstone/thesis as an independent study or senior essay course.
  • There is an application process for this which varies by department. Check the departmental page or with the DUS for more information.
  • You will need an adviser at Yale. See if your Yale-NUS adviser can help connect you. Otherwise, you'll need to reach out to professors and explain your situation.
• Audit a fourth course (not advised).

Removal from the program

A student may be removed from the program if any one of the following occurs:

• The student’s record shows a grade of “F” in any one course.
• The student successfully completes three or fewer course credits in a term.
• Yale Health determines that the student should be withdrawn for medical reasons.
• The student jeopardizes or violates the memorandum of understanding between Yale and the sending institution.
• The Y-VISP Steering Committee determines in consultation with the sending institution that the student should be withdrawn.

Transfer to Yale College

Y-VISP students are not permitted to apply as transfer students to Yale College. 

Funding, charges, fines and fees

Yale University financial aid, Yale fellowship funds, and Yale Safety Net funds are not available to Y-VISP students. Y-VISP students are eligible to accept on campus employment as permitted by U.S. immigration regulations.

Y-VISP students are responsible for managing their financial obligations to Yale and paying any fees they accrue at Yale by the deadlines given. They should check their account in SIS regularly, but particularly before the end of the program and before closing their U.S. bank account, if they have one. Failure to meet any financial obligations may result in the Y-VISP steering committee terminating their participation in the program. Students should monitor their account for fees.

Academic Integrity

Freedom of Expression

Among Yale College’s most cherished principles is its commitment to free expression. Freedom of expression is especially important in an academic community, where the search for truth holds a primary value.

Yale’s commitment to freedom of expression means that when a student agrees to matriculate, they join a community where “the provocative, the disturbing, and the unorthodox” must be tolerated. A student may encounter people who think differently than they do, and the student will be expected to honor their free expression, even when what is said seems wrong or offensive to the student.

Academic Integrity

Like freedom of speech, academic honesty holds a special place in a community devoted to the creation, preservation, and dissemination of knowledge. For this reason, it is important for a student to learn how to acknowledge the contributions of others in their own work and to properly document their reliance on others thinking.