Gillian Bloomfield
Associate Director of Online Programs, Environmental Leadership & Training Initiative (ELTI)
The application cycle for the 2025-2026 program is now open! Applications are due by March 28, 2025.
The program is designed for learners with a professional or intellectual interest in tropical forest landscapes, committed to biodiversity conservation, integrated land management, climate change mitigation and adaptation, and more. The program is open to individuals from diverse disciplines and backgrounds and does not require an extensive background in ecology or environmental science.
Participants to date represent 280+ organizations from 70+ countries, including:
For the Tropical Forest Landscapes Certificate Program
Online program tuition includes:
* Limited scholarships are available on a competitive basis to offset the cost of online program attendance.
Cost of the optional field course includes:
** Cost is subject to change for future field courses
Scholarship funds are applied to online program tuition only, not to optional field course cost.
Program partial scholarships cover between 25 and 75% of the online tuition fee. Awards include:
The Three Cairns Fellows Program aims to expand access to YSE online certificate programs for individuals working on climate solutions in the Global South. Eligible candidates must possess primary citizenship from a country in the Global South, have professional and/or academic experience relevant to climate solutions, and actively work on climate solution implementation. Three Cairns Fellows award recipients receive full support for online program tuition.
To be considered for a partial tuition scholarship or the Three Cairns Fellows Program, please complete the scholarship section in your main program application. Admission decisions are made independent of funding requests.
We strongly encourage applicants to explore additional options for funding their tuition, including employer tuition support and professional development grants.
All materials must be submitted through our online application system. Please contact us at tropicalcertificate@yale.edu for any questions about the application materials or process.
To apply to this program, you must submit:
The following materials may be uploaded to support your application, but are not required. Individuals who do not have the following materials will not be penalized.
Applicants may choose to submit:
Throughout the capstone course, I have been able to apply all the learnings to a real context in my region, allowing me to reconnect with local people and look at the landscape in a more holistic way.”
The University is committed to basing judgments concerning the admission, education and employment of individuals upon their qualifications and abilities and affirmatively seeks to attract to its faculty, staff and student body qualified persons of diverse backgrounds. In accordance with this policy and as delineated by federal and Connecticut law, Yale does not discriminate in admissions, educational programs or employment against any individual on account of that individual's sex, race, color, religion, age, disability, status as a protected veteran or national or ethnic origin; nor does Yale discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity or expression.
Should you be admitted to the program, reserving your place requires the submission of your Intent to Enroll form.
May 16, 2025, 11:59 p.m. EDT
Due date for enrollment with submission of the intent to enroll form.
May 30, 2025, 11:59 p.m. EDT*
Due date for first installment of tuition payment ($3,750, minus half of any scholarship awarded).
August 3, 2025, 11:59 p.m. EDT
Last day to withdraw from the program and receive a refund of payments to date, minus a $300, non-refundable processing fee.
December 12, 2025, 11:59 p.m. EST
Due date for second installment of tuition payment ($3,750, minus half of any scholarship awarded).
*Participants will have the opportunity to pay in full by May 30 ($7,500, minus any scholarship awarded).
To participate in the program, you will need consistent access to:
Equipment and software are the responsibility of the participant and will not be provided by Yale University.
All participants will receive access to technical support related to the use of the course platform and software.
Contact us by email at tropicalcertificate@yale.edu. Questions? Be sure to check out our FAQ page for answers to commonly asked questions.