We are committed to creating and supporting a diverse community on our campus. Given the complexity of the admissions process and concerns that many students and parents have about the cost of college, the support networks in place to guide students academically and socially, and the offerings on campus for students of diverse backgrounds, we have put together some resources to help you advise your students. You may also find helpful information on our page for high school counselors.
Why a Yale liberal arts education?
Yale is committed to providing a liberal arts education to all undergraduates. Students are taught to think and learn across disciplines. A Yale undergraduate majoring in Mechanical Engineering is expected to take courses in the humanities and arts, just as a History major will take classes in math and science. As a result, our students learn to think critically and independently, to express their ideas clearly and logically, and leave Yale well-prepared for any number of professions. At its core, a Yale education instills in its students the values, goals, skills, and knowledge needed to pursue inspiring work, to take joy in lifetime learning, and to lead successful and meaningful lives. While our graduates’ pursuits vary from year to year, approximately 75% pursue employment and 20% pursue post-graduate studies one year after graduation. Yale students and alumni have a 90% medical school admit rate, an 89% law school admit rate, and are well equipped to enter any field of their choice.
Supporting our students
Our responsibility to students does not end once they are admitted. Whether it is support from a Residential College Master or Dean, our need-based financial aid policies, the guidance of faculty advisors, or participation in the cultural houses and student centers on campus, we aid students in fully developing their potential and maximizing all four years at Yale. As a result of our commitment to supporting and advising students:
- 99% of freshmen return for their sophomore year.
- 96% of undergraduates graduate within five years.
Making Yale affordable
Yale is committed to need-blind admissions and need-based financial aid. Need-blind admissions means that admissions officers do not take a student’s finances into account when considering applications. Need-based financial aid means that 100% of a student’s demonstrated financial need is met through the Yale financial aid package. This applies to both US and non-US citizens. Also, our financial aid packages do not include loans and Yale College does not offer merit-based scholarships. Below are more helpful facts regarding financial aid at Yale.
- For families living in the US with a gross income of less than $65,000, the expected family contribution is $0.
- 52% of undergraduates receive need-based aid from Yale.
- The average need-based scholarship for the 2013-2014 school year was $41,250. More
A home away from home
A distinctive feature of the undergraduate experience at Yale is the residential college system. Students are randomly assorted into 1 of 12 residential colleges where they will find an intimate community of 100-150 students per class. Each student is welcomed and advised by a live-in academic Dean, Master, and Residential Fellows. In addition, freshmen are supported by designated seniors known as Freshman Counselors as well as other upperclassmen in the college. Residential colleges provide such a strong community that 88% of students choose to live on-campus for all four years and housing is guaranteed to every student, every year. More
Embracing diversity
A Yale education is strengthened by the diversity of thought, perspectives, experiences, cultures and identities found in our student body. These are not just traits we look for in candidates - they are core qualities we embrace and cultivate on our campus. Whether in seminar discussions, group projects and experiments, or simply over dinner in a dining hall, we seek to support a broad and richly defined diversity as illustrated below:
- 39% of freshmen in the Class of 2017 are US citizens or permanent residents from a minority group
- 50 US states and 88 countries are represented in Yale College
- 80+ different majors to choose from with over 2,000 courses offered each year
- 4 Cultural Houses (Afro-American Cultural Center, Asian American Cultural Center, the Latino Cultural Center, the Native American Cultural Center)
- 10 organizations that comprise the LGBT Student Co-Op
- 1 Women’s Center
- 30+ religions and spiritual traditions represented at Yale