African American Studies GRE Policy

In Spring 2021, the faculty of African American Studies decided not to accept GRE test scores as a requirement to apply to our Ph.D. program.

However, because our degree program is joint—African American Studies issues the Ph.D. degree together with one of our 14 partner units (American Studies, Anthropology, English, Film and Media Studies, French, History, History of Art,  Music, Political Science, Psychology, Religious Studies, Sociology, Spanish and Portuguese, and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies)—applicants must:

1.  verify the GRE requirement of the partner unit to which you’d apply as your joint degree.
2. if you’re interested in a partner unit that requires the GRE, you must submit GRE scores. Our partner units will weigh the GRE scores as they choose.  However, although visible to the African American Studies admissions committee, an applicant’s GRE scores will not impact African American Studies’ admissions decision.
3.  if you’re interested in a partner unit that does not require the GRE, African American Studies would encourage you not to submit GRE scores at all.
4. If you’re interested in a partner unit that lists the GRE as optional, African American Studies strongly recommends applicants to contact the Director of Graduate Studies of that unit to discuss how the GRE scores will be weighed. These partner units will weigh the GRE scores as they choose. However, although visible to the African American Studies admissions committee, an applicant’s GRE scores will not impact African American Studies’ admissions decision.

If you have further questions about the GRE policy, please send an email to: afamgrad.admissions@yale.edu.