YaleYale College 2011–2012 At its founding in 1701, Yale consisted of a class

of one student, a faculty of two, and a single

wooden building. Today Yale is one of the world’s

great research universities, with a total student

population of more than 11,000—in Yale College

and thirteen graduate and professional schools—and

a faculty numbering more than 2,400. Yale College

alone educates 5,300 young men and women each

year from all 50 states in the U.S. and from more

than 80 other countries. For all its size and scope,

Yale holds firmly to its traditional emphasis on

undergraduate teaching.

2

Academic resources at Yale University run wide and deep: a magnificent library system, whose 12.8 million holdings make it one of the three largest libraries in the United States; superb science facilities, including more than 800 faculty laboratories; and an impressive array of galleries, museum collections, and professional schools.

For undergraduates, Yale College is both physically and philosophically at the heart of Yale University. An extraordinary commitment to undergraduate teaching sets Yale apart from other great research universities. Over 70 departments and programs o≠er roughly 2000 undergradu-ate courses each year—taught by some of the world’s most distinguished historians, literary critics, scientists and engineers, mathematicians, artists and composers,

poets, and social scientists. Many of those faculty members were drawn to Yale in the first place by its stunningly vibrant intellectual atmosphere, one rarely available at undergraduate-only institutions or at research universities that do not assign the same importance Yale does to teaching undergraduates.

Yale’s approach to a liberal arts education is not, and could never be, narrowly defined by a list of course requirements. The College makes two broad demands of its students: that every course of study include diversity of subject matter, particularly in the early years, and that each student ulti-mately pursue an area of concentration. Breadth is achieved in one’s curriculum by choosing from among hundreds of courses in all three study areas

(the humanities and arts, the sciences, and the social sciences) and in three skill areas (writing, quantitative reasoning, and foreign language) and by taking elective courses.

The goal of these requirements is not focused preparation for a specific career, though Yale students do excel in their chosen academic fields. Yale seniors in all of the science and engineering disciplines, for example, are routinely admitted to the very best graduate pro-grams each year, aided by the University’s strong institutional commitment to the sciences and its focus on undergraduate education. But those future scientists and engineers move on from Yale College having also been allowed to develop— through a comprehensive liberal arts curriculum—exceptional analytical,

The Arts and Sciences at Yale

African American Studies

African Studies

American Studies

Anthropology

Applied Mathematics

Applied Physics

Archaeological Studies

Architecture

Art

Astronomy

Astronomy & Physics

Biology

Biomedical Engineering

Chemical Engineering

Chemistry

Chinese

Classical Civilization

Classics: Greek, Latin, or

Greek & Latin

Cognitive Science

Computer Science

Computer Science & Mathematics

Computer Science & Psychology

Computing and the Arts

East Asian Studies:

China or Japan

Economics

Economics & Mathematics

Yale Academic

Departments and

Programs

Electrical Engineering

Electrical Engineering &

Computer Science

Engineering: Biomedical,

Chemical, Electrical,

Environmental, or Mechanical

Engineering Sciences

English

Environmental Engineering

Environmental Studies

Ethics, Politics, & Economics

Ethnicity, Race, & Migration*

Film Studies

French

3

fewer than ten. The student-to-faculty ratio is 6:1. The degree requirements for graduation include the completion of 36 term courses in eight terms, about a third of them in the major. Students typically take four or five courses per term.

Yale is one of the only universities in the country that let you sample any class before you finalize your schedule. During “shopping period,” the first ten days of each semester, students can visit dozens of classes that interest them before making a final decision on which courses they will actually take. Preparing to shop is a much anticipated ritual, featuring “Blue-Booking*” parties to brainstorm course selection for the coming term.

*The “Blue Book” is Yale’s official catalog of

courses and programs of study.

collaborative, and communication skills, and the broad knowledge base, that can help them to pioneer new fields and to assume positions of leadership in society and in their professions.

Geology & Geophysics

Germanic Languages &

Literatures

German Studies

Global Affairs

History

History of Art

History of Science, History of

Medicine

Humanities

International Studies*

Italian

Japanese

Judaic Studies

Latin American Studies

Linguistics

Literature

Mathematics

Mathematics & Philosophy

Mathematics & Physics

Mechanical Engineering

Modern Middle East Studies

Molecular Biophysics &

Biochemistry

Music

Near Eastern Languages &

Civilizations

Philosophy

Physics

Physics & Philosophy

Political Science

Portuguese

Psychology

Religious Studies

Russian

Russian & East European Studies

Sociology

South Asian Studies*

Spanish

Special Divisional Major

Statistics

Theater Studies

Women’s, Gender, &

Sexuality Studies

*May be taken only as a

second major.

(For further information,

consult Yale College Programs

of Study (the Blue Book) available

online at yale.edu/ycps. For

links to Yale’s Departments

and their home pages, go to

admissions.yale.edu/major-

departments-programs.)

Classes at Yale vary in size and approach and include lectures, seminars, discussion groups, and individual tutorials. Each year 79% of courses enroll fewer than 20 students, 32% enroll

4

Science & Engineering

Approximately 40% of Yale’s entering class intends to major in the natural sciences, mathematics, computer science, and/or engineering—the so-called STEM disciplines. Yale’s faculty of outstanding scholars in the sciences, mathematics, and engineering includes more than seventy members of the National Academy of Sciences. These faculty members conduct research in more than forty science and

engineering disciplines. Undergraduates are included in much of it.

1:1 student-faculty ratio in Engineering

3:1 student-faculty ratio in other STEM

disciplines

150 faculty members in the last five years

have published research with undergraduates

70 undergraduates in each of the last five years have coauthored published research

5

Directed Studies

is a selective freshman

interdisciplinary program

focusing on Western civilization

that includes three yearlong

courses—literature, philosophy,

and historical and political

thought—in which students

read the foundational works

of the Western tradition.

Perspectives on Science

and Engineering

is a lecture and discussion course

for about 75 selected freshmen

who have exceptionally strong

backgrounds in science and

mathematics. The yearlong course

explores a broad range of topics,

exposes students to questions

at the frontiers of science, and

connects the first-year students

to Yale’s scientific community.

Science and Engineering

Undergraduate Research

Yale is one of the world’s foremost

research universities. Independent

engineering research and design

projects and scientific research are

an integral part of undergraduate

science education at Yale. Science

students can begin conducting

original research as early as

the freshman year. Ninety-five

percent of undergraduate science

majors engage in research with

faculty mentors. Over the last

five years, 150 faculty members

have published research with

undergraduates, and 70 under-

graduates in each year have

co-authored published research.

Science and Engineering at

Yale >>> admissions.yale.edu/

undergraduate-research

STARS (Science, Technology,

and Research Scholars)

provides undergraduates of

every year with an opportunity

to combine research, course-

based study, and development

of mentorship skills. The program

offers research opportunities and

support to students historically

underrepresented in the fields of

natural science and quantitative

reasoning, such as racial and

ethnic minorities, women, and

the physically challenged. More

than 100 students each year

participate in STARS, during

the academic year or over the

summer months.

Academic Advising

is a collective effort by the

residential colleges, academic

departments, and various offices

connected to the Yale College

Dean’s Office. Students’ primary

academic advisers are their

residential college deans, to

whom they may always turn for

academic and personal advice.

College deans live in residential

colleges and supervise the

advising networks in the college.

Students also have a freshman

adviser who is a Yale faculty

member or administrator

affiliated with their advisees’ resi-

dential college. Each academic

department has a director of

undergraduate studies (DUS) who

can discuss with students the

department’s course offerings

and requirements for majors.

Freshman Seminars

are small classes just for fresh-

men, with some of Yale’s most dis-

tinguished faculty members. Some

seminars provide an introduction to

a particular field of study; others

take an interdisciplinary approach

to a variety of topics. All seminars

provide an intimate context for

developing relationships with

faculty members and peers.

Of Special Interest to Freshmen

Special programs >>>

yalecollege.yale.edu/content/

current-special-programs

6

The World As Your Classroom

Yale students have amazing opportunities for study, research, and internships abroad during their four years. Over and above ordinary financial aid, Yale awards over $6 million for fellowships, internships, and relief from summer earnings obligations in order to guarantee that every student who wishes will be able to work or study abroad. Beyond these hefty resources is the sheer variety of global experiences students can

undertake during the school year and over summers: study at a major university in another country; field-based or laboratory research; interning with Yale alumni in cities around the world; Yale summer session international courses; or study, work, and service projects of one’s own design. Students can (and are encouraged to) begin exploring the globe the summer after freshman year.

Yalies Abroad 2009–2010

Africa: 121

Asia: 377

Australasia: 13

Europe: 677

Latin America: 132

Middle East: 60

Multiple regions: 16

North America: 1

Total: 1,397

65% of the total number above

studied abroad during the semester

or during spring and/or summer

break.

73% of the graduating class of

2010 studied abroad or participated

in international study, research,

and/or internships.

For details on opportunities

to study abroad >>>

yale.edu/yalecollege/international

7

New Haven is often one of the most pleasant surprises for students new to Yale, who, prior to their arrival, prob-ably spent more time dreaming about Yale’s gothic spires than looking into its urban setting. New Haven is a lively city of roughly 123,000, with a large town green adjacent to campus, low buildings, tree-lined streets, and a sophisticated cultural and commercial life easily reached on foot. In fact, downtown New Haven is the quintessential walking city. As Yale President Richard C. Levin, a longtime resident of this city, notes, New Haven is “large enough to be interesting, small enough to be friendly.”

All of Yale University is involved in the city and the cultural, recreational, and political opportunities it o≠ers. Thousands of New Haven children and teens participate in intensive academic enrichment programs at Yale. And more than 2,000 Yale College students participate as volunteers, interns, and work-study employees in New Haven schools, hospitals, community organizations, and businesses.

Bordering the Yale campus are music stores, cafés, booksellers, cloth-ing boutiques, and a major arts cinema. Ethnic eateries are a New Haven specialty: students can walk from campus to sample the cuisines of China, Cuba, Eritrea/ Ethiopia, France, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Malaysia,

Mexico, Spain, Thailand, or Turkey. Pop-ular, folk, and rock artists perform on the New Haven Green and at various jazz and dance clubs. Few communities anywhere

Home in New Haven

in the nation have four symphonic orchestras, two nationally recognized repertory theaters in the Yale Rep and Long Wharf Theatre, and two great art collections (the Yale Art Gallery and the Yale Center for British Art). The Shubert Center for the Performing Arts and Yale’s Peabody Museum of Natural History are main attractions too. Located 70 miles north of New York City and 120 miles south of Boston, New Haven is easily reached by car, plane, or rail.

New Haven >>> admissions.yale.edu/newhaven

8

The residential college system is the most common reason students give for coming to Yale.

Even before freshmen arrive they are assigned to one of twelve residential colleges. The colleges are richly endowed with libraries, gracious dining halls, movie theaters, darkrooms, practice and perfor-mance spaces, climbing walls, ceramics studios, butteries or snack bars, and many other kinds of facilities. Rather than grouping students according to interests, majors, or sports, each college is meant to display the same level of diversity present in the student body as a whole. The residential college becomes very quickly the center of any student’s universe while he or she is at Yale. It enables students to experience the intimacy that only a small school typically a≠ords, while enabling them to enjoy, and to take best advantage of, the cultural and scholarly resources of a complex research university.

What makes a residential college a

college and not simply a place to live is that each has its own dean and master—adults living among students in a microcosm of Yale College. The master is, aside from being a distin-guished senior faculty member at Yale, the head of his or her college, responsible for the physical well-being and safety of students who live there, as well as for fostering and shaping the college’s academic, intellectual, social, athletic, and artistic life. The residential college dean serves as the primary academic and personal adviser to every student in a college. The dean is the principal figure in an advising network that also includes a freshman adviser, who is a faculty member or university administrator a∞liated with the college; the director of undergraduate studies or DUS of each of Yale’s academic departments; a faculty adviser once a student has decided on a major; and the various o∞ces that report directly to the Yale College Dean.

Residential Colleges

9

Who Goes to Yale

1,320 in a typical entering class

Students from all 50 states

80+ countries

50% women

50% men

39% minority students

10% international students

56% from public schools

44% from private or parochial

schools

65% receive some sort of

financial aid

97% of incoming freshmen

ranked in the top tenth of

high school graduating class

99% of freshmen return

sophomore year

96% graduate within five years

88% live on campus

58% have jobs on campus

13% earn double majors

Over 80% participate in

community service

Over 70% participate in

intercollegiate or intramural

athletics

Over 95% of science majors

undertake research with a

faculty mentor

Nearly 200 undergraduate

science students per year

receive summer fellowships

10

Yale’s talented, always busy community supports a remarkable variety of extra-curricular organizations and activities. The Yale Daily News (the oldest college daily in the country) is one of more than thirty-five o∞cial student publications. Over 300 social, political, cultural, and special interest groups—seventy in music, theater, dance, and film alone, at last count—o≠er wonderful performance opportunities and forums in which students can voice their opinions about campus, national, and international issues. Each term more than 2,000 student volunteers, participating in 35 community service organizations, actively address

Pursuits

critical social issues such as hunger, home-lessness, poverty, the needs of the elderly, and the quality of local public schools.

Few college campuses can approach Yale’s abundance of performing and visual arts opportunities. More than 1,000 concerts and over 100 undergraduate theater productions are staged each year, for example—this in addition to the city of New Haven’s own resources in the arts. Four cultural houses on campus provide space for ethnic and minority student organizations to meet informally and to host plays, art exhibits, lectures, and parties. The athletic program at Yale accommodates students of every level

of energy and skill. Thirty-five varsity and over 30 club teams compete at the intercollegiate level, and the intramural program, run through the residential college system, is one of the largest any-where. Payne Whitney Gymnasium (one of the most magnificent indoor athletic facilities in the world), more than 100 acres of playing fields, the Yale Bowl, and facilities for tennis, baseball, track and field, sailing, and equestrian sports are available to all members of the Yale community.

Further pursuits >>>

admissions.yale.edu/

extracurriculars

11

12

Given the large number of extremely able candidates and the limited number of spaces in the class, no simple profile of grades, scores, interests, and activities can assure a student of admission to Yale. Academic strength is the first con-sideration in evaluating any candidate. Evidence of academic strength is indicated by grades, standardized test scores, and evaluations by a counselor and two teachers. The committee then weighs such qualities as motivation, curiosity, energy, leadership ability, and distinctive talents. The ultimate goal is the creation of a well-rounded freshman class, one that includes not only well-rounded individuals but also students whose achievements in one or several areas are extraordinary.

How to apply

• File the Common Application online at commonapp.org—the preferred method

or

Download and print paper application forms

• You will need to submit:

Common Application and the required Yale Supplement (which includes the second of

Yale’s two required essays) plus the application fee or fee waiver request

• You will need to have your school send us:

Common Application School Report (and the International Supplement if needed),

including the counselor’s recommendation and official transcript(s) from every school

attended since grade 9

Common Application Teacher Evaluations (two required)

Common Application Midyear Report (if applicable)

Common Application Final Report (if applicable)

Calendar of due dates

Single-Choice Early Action* Regular Decision

(postmark deadline) (postmark deadline)

Application November 1 December 31

Financial Aid forms November 1 March 1

Admissions

*Under Yale’s Single-Choice Early Action program, students receive an admissions

decision by mid-December. If admitted, they are not obliged to reply to the offer until

May 1, hence the non-binding nature of this early plan. “Single Choice” means that

students who apply early to Yale agree to file only the one early application; they may

apply to other schools under Regular Decision.

13

> Families with less than $65,000 in income pay nothing for an admitted child to attend Yale.

> Families earning $65,000 to $130,000 in income will contribute on average 1% to 10% of annual family income.

> The contribution of aided families with incomes above $130,000 will average 10% to 15% of income, but in certain cases the contribution could be higher depending on family size, the number in college, and the amount of family assets.

Costs for 2011–2012

Tuition $40,500

Room $6,700

Board $5,500

Books and Personal Expenses $3,150

Total $55,850

The average scholarship for 2010–2011

was approximately $35,000.

Yale also provides undergraduates on financial aid with grant support for summer study and unpaid internships abroad based on their level of need.

Financial Aid

The Good News about the cost

of Yale >>> yale.edu/sfas/finaid

If you are considering Yale, please do not hesitate to apply because you fear the cost will exceed your family’s means. Yale College admits students on the basis of academic and personal promise and without regard to their ability to pay. Once a student is admitted, Yale meets 100% of that student’s demonstrated financial need. All aid is need-based. This policy helps to ensure that Yale will always be accessible to talented students from the widest possible range of backgrounds.

The Financial Aid O∞ce is committed to working with families

in determining a fair and reasonable family contribution and will meet the full demonstrated need of every student, including international students, for all four years. Recent changes in Yale’s financial aid policies have increased the number of families who qualify for aid and eliminated the need for students to take out loans. In announcing these changes, Yale President Richard Levin made clear their intent: “We want all of our students to make the most of Yale—academically and beyond—without worrying about excessive work hours or debt. Our new financial aid package makes this aspiration a reality.”

14

Visitor Center Tour Schedule

Throughout the year Monday through Friday at 10.30 a.m. and 2 p.m.

Saturday and Sunday at 1.30 p.m.

Please call the Visitor Center for holiday schedule.

Campus Tours

Tours depart from two locations on campus: the O∞ce of Undergraduate Admissions at 38 Hillhouse Avenue (203 432-9300) and the University’s Visitor Center, located at 149 Elm Street (203 432-2300). All tours are led by Yale undergraduates. Those departing from the O∞ce of Undergraduate Admissions are generally followed or

Visiting Yale

Which standardized tests does

Yale require?

Yale requires one of two forms of standardized testing: either the College Board SAT Reasoning Test (SAT I) and any combination of two Subject Tests, or the ACT. If you plan to take the ACT, know that Yale is one of the schools that require the ACT Writing Test, wherever the Writing Test is available. The middle 50% of SAT scores for the current entering class are: Critical Reading 700–800, Math 700–790, Writing 710–800.

English is not my first language.

Is additional testing required to

certify my competence in English?

Students at Yale must be able to understand rapid, idiomatic English and to express themselves easily in both spoken and written English. As part of

the assessment of a candidate’s competence in English, Yale strongly recommends the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) for any applicant whose first language is not English and who has not received at least two years of his or her secondary educa-tion in an English-medium curriculum. A minimum score of 600 is expected on the paper-based TOEFL; a minimum score of 100 is expected on the Internet-based TOEFL; a minimum score of 7 is expected on the IELTS exam. A PTE (Pearson Test of English) score of 70 or better is also acceptable.

Does Yale award credit based on

Advanced Placement, International

Baccalaureate, or other external

examination results?

Yes. Yale awards “acceleration credit” to students who wish to graduate in fewer than eight terms for scores of 4 or 5 on most, but not all, of the AP exams; for scores of 6 or 7 on the higher-level IB exams; and for A-level results of A or B.

For further details see Chapter II of Yale College Programs of Study >>> yale.edu/ycps.

Are interviews required?

Interviews are recommended but not required. Members of Yale’s Alumni Schools Committees conduct evaluative interviews in most major cities of the world and all across the United States. If an alumni interview is available locally, a student will be contacted by an alumni volunteer only after that student has applied to Yale. Personal interviews at

Frequently Asked Questions

preceded by an information session covering the basics of admission and financial aid, whereas the Visitor Center o≠ers tours only.

It is important to consult the Admissions Web site at admissions.yale.edu/visiting-yale for complete and current schedules. Information about science and engineering tours is available there as well.

15

Admissions Office Information Session

(Tentative)

Throughout the year Monday through Friday at 9 a.m. (and also at 1 p.m. Monday through Friday in February, March, April, June, July, August)

September 3 through November 5

Saturday at 10 a.m.

Admissions Office Tour Schedule

(Tentative)

February, March, April, June, July, August

Monday through Friday at 10.30 a.m. and 2.30 p.m.

September, October, November, May Monday through Friday at 10.30 a.m.

September 3 through November 5 Saturday at 11.30 a.m.

the admissions o∞ce in New Haven are available on a limited basis from July to early November. You may request an on-campus interview, which will be conducted by a Yale College senior, at admissions.yale.edu/interviews.

May I postpone matriculation at Yale?

Anyone admitted to the freshman class has the option of postponing matriculation at Yale for one year, as long as secondary school work has been completed successfully.

To apply >>> admissions.yale.edu

Financial aid >>> yale.edu/sfas/finaid

Full edition of the Yale viewbook >>>

admissions.yale.edu/viewbook

Yale College Programs of Study (Yale’s

course catalog) >>> yale.edu/ycps

Yale departments >>> admissions.yale.edu/

major-departments-programs

Pursuits >>> admissions.yale.edu/

extracurriculars

Athletics >>> yale.edu/athletics

New Haven information >>>

admissions.yale.edu/newhaven

Science and engineering at Yale >>>

yale.edu/science

Undergraduate research >>>

admissions.yale.edu/undergraduate-

research

Study abroad >>> yale.edu/yalecollege/

international

Preparing for medicine and other

professions >>> ucs.yalecollege.yale.edu

Yale and the world (global outreach) >>>

world.yale.edu

Useful Web Links

16

s

old campus

cross campus

P

▼

▼▼

▼▼

▼

PP

P

P

PP

P

P

P

north

▼

to I-95

Park

St

to M

edica

l Cen

ter

York

St

High

St

to I-95

Colle

ge S

t

Tem

ple

St

Chur

ch S

t

visitorcenter(tours)

new haven green

Whitney AveTe

mpl

e StProspect St

Hillhouse Ave

Mansfield St

to Divinity School

grove st cemetery

to Yale Bowl

and Athletic

Fields

George St

Crown St

Chapel St

Elm StWhalley Ave

Broadway

Wall St

Pkwy

Grove St

Trumbull Stentrance to campus from I-91

Prospect Pl

Edwards St

Sachem St

Tower

= Public Parking Lot 18Visitor Parking

admissions

hewittquad

Prospect-SachemGarage

Ashmun St

Yale University O∞ce of Undergraduate Admissions

38 Hillhouse AvenueP.O. Box 208234New Haven, CT 06520-8234

tel 203 432-9300fax 203 432-9392student.questions@yale.edu

admissions.yale.edu

Yale University Central Campus