Yale University is a large research university with a wide array of programs, departments, schools, centers, museums, and many affiliated organizations.
Yale is overseen by President Peter Salovey and the university’s board of trustees, who comprise the governing and policy-making body known formally as the Yale Corporation. The institution is also led and supported by the University Cabinet, an advisory body convened by the president, which consists of the deans, vice presidents, and other senior academic and administrative leaders.
Yale has grown and evolved for 300-plus years, passing many milestones and forging traditions along the way.
At Yale, we view college as a time for students to explore, exercise curiosity, and discover new interests and abilities.
We provide students with an immersive, collaborative, and inspiring environment where they can develop a broadly informed, highly disciplined intellect that will help them be successful in whatever work they finally choose. Our students graduate with the values and knowledge they need to pursue meaningful work, find passion in life-long learning, and lead successful and purposeful lives.
All undergraduates attend Yale College, an intimate learning environment offering instruction in the liberal arts and sciences. With access to Yale’s extensive collections and resources, our undergraduates have discovered new species, patented products, and co-authored original research. There are a variety of global learning opportunities available, from studying abroad to international internships to directed research. Writing and science programs, directed studies, seminars, and more students can choose from a number of special academic offerings during their time at Yale.
Yale offers advanced degrees through its Graduate School of Arts & Sciences and 12 professional schools. Browse the organizations below for information on programs of study, academic requirements, and faculty research. Yale’s Graduate School of Arts & Sciences offers programs leading to M.A., M.S., M.Phil., and Ph.D. degrees in 73 departments and programs. The Yale School of Architecture’s mandate is for each student to understand architecture as a creative, productive, innovative, and responsible practice. The Yale School of Art has a long and distinguished history of training artists of the highest caliber. Yale Divinity School educates the scholars, ministers, and spiritual leaders of the future. Yale School of Drama graduates have raised the standards of professional practice around the world in every theatrical discipline, creating bold art that engages the mind and delights the senses. The Yale School of Engineering & Applied Science is at the cutting edge of research to develop technologies that address global societal problems. The Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies is dedicated to sustaining and restoring the long-term health of the biosphere and the well-being of its people. Yale Law School hones the world’s finest legal minds in an environment that features world-renowned faculty, small classes, and countless opportunities for clinical training and public service. School of Management students, faculty, and alumni are committed to understanding the complex forces transforming global markets and building organizations that contribute lasting value to society. Yale School of Medicine graduates go on to become leaders in academic medicine and health care, and innovators in clinical practice, biotechnology, and public policy. The Yale School of Music is an international leader in educating the creative musicians and cultural leaders of tomorrow. The Yale School of Nursing community is deeply committed to the idea that access to high quality patient‐centered health care is a social right, not a privilege. The School of Public Health supports research and innovative programs that protect and improve the health of people around the globe.
The university traces its roots to the 1640s when colonial clergymen led an effort to establish a local college to preserve the tradition of European liberal education in the New World. In 1701 the charter was granted for a school “wherein Youth may be instructed in the Arts and Sciences (and) through the blessing of Almighty God may be fitted for Publick employment both in Church and Civil State.”
The school officially became Yale College in 1718, when it was renamed in honor of Welsh merchant Elihu Yale, who had donated the proceeds from the sale of nine bales of goods together with 417 books and a portrait of King George I.Take a stroll through Yale’s three centuries of history, and learn about the traditions that have become part of the fabric of our university.Class Day takes place on Old Campus on the Sunday before Commencement and includes the awarding of academic, artistic, and athletic prizes; the celebration of undergraduates; and an address by a notable speaker. Also, hats. Yale began a new tradition in 2014 of a “Founders Day” event for students, faculty, and staff, to be held annually on a day close to the anniversary of the 1701 founding.
Yale’s residential college system allows students to experience the cohesiveness and intimacy of a small school while still enjoying the cultural and scholarly resources of a large university. Each year, new students in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences sign the register to celebrate the start of their graduate studies at Yale. The Yale School of Medicine welcomes first-year students to a life in medicine during the annual White Coat Ceremony. Yale football games have been a tradition for Yalies since the mid-1800s; we celebrated 150 years of baseball in 2015; and Yale athletes have excelled around the world in the Olympics and other international competitions. Yale’s connections to the military have been long-standing, beginning in 1779 when past-president Naphtali Daggett led more than half of the student body to take on British troops when they attacked New Haven.
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Everyday I wake up amazed at the quality of of the institution that I attend. Yale has provided me with so many opportunities and it never treats you as a number. I also think that the school is the perfect size as you will continue to meet new people, but you will always see familiar faces. The residential college system is phenomenal and is an excellent way to form a smaller community within a bigger one. The spirit that people have for their residential colleges is astounding (Go Davenport College!!!). My classmates are also amazing, and I can't believe how well versed and normal the majority of the people here are. Sometimes I feel like a spoiled brat here, and the feeling of living in a castle (Yale's campus and Residential College setup is similar to Hogwarts). The workload can be very challenging sometimes and you may want to give up, but this is the price of attending a top university. However, for the amount of work that we have, Yalies do know how to have fun, even if it doesn't involve wild drinking and partying (Which does exist here). There is also a lot of support both academically and emotionally. The resources available for you to take advantage of is mind-boggling. If you want an all around great experience (academics, social life, friendships, quality of life) be sure to come to Yale, you won't regret it.
By Ferran James (Apr, 2011) |
Yale is an environment for brilliant minds. You can expect to find plenty of competition in an environment like this, but you will also be surprised by the amount of peer support that you will find here.
By J (Mar, 2011) |
Yale offers everything that I wanted in a school. It has a beautiful campus, wonderful faculty and incredible residential college system. The students here are super motivated and driven, but the atmosphere isn't competitive so even though you are pushing yourself really hard, you don't feel intimidated by what everyone else is doing--everyone is brilliant at something, be it academics, an extracurricular or in the personality and social life.
By MK (Dec, 2010) |
Yale is a fantastic experience, as long as you make it one. There's an incredible support system of professors, advisers, tutors and fellow students available if you're willing to reach out and take advantage of it. I'm a senior now and have had a great 3.5 years. I adore the history department, and have had several close relationships with professors. Yale's a big enough school that professors generally won't come find you -- but if you're willing to reach out to them, more are more than happy to talk to and help you. I'm also very involved in some extracurricular activities, which I found incredibly rewarding. The other students are, by and large, awesome people. Sure, there are some snooty rich kids, but it's easy enough to avoid them...90% of Yale students aren't like that at all. So seek out good people, major in what you love and reach out to professors, and you'll love it here. Plus, New Haven is actually pretty great if you make the effort to go out and explore it.
By Jeremie W. (Dec, 2010) |
It is Yale after all. Everyone here got here because they were academic and extracurricular superstars where they came from. However the competition is not with your peers, but rather with yourself. You strive to one-up yourself rather than that guy who scored higher than you in Chemistry.
By Yalun (Jul, 2009) |
At Yale you'll find students who are intellectually curious and ambitious. It's a challenging school and you'll find yourself learning just as much outside of your classes as inside. It's an enriching, fast-paced, exciting environment and there's no place quite like it!
By Ob from Yale (May, 2008) |
Yale is a first-rate education. Classes are always exceptionally engaging and interesting, and the quality of students you meet, in terms of integrity and passion, is the best you'll ever find. There's definitely a party scene, but also a rich culture of arts, and plenty to do if partying isn't your thing.
By Sarah from New Jersey (Mar, 2008) |
I was a little worried about my choice initially, but after just a week at Yale, I knew there was no place I'd rather be. With a faculty that really cares about students, a great/energetic student body, and academics that are challenging and enlightening, Yale provides possibly the best undergraduate experience in the world. The amount of energy that students put into their extracurricular and especially into life at the residential colleges creates a vibrance that is not matched at peer institutions. People often say that Yale produces so many successful politicians because students learn to get along and work together here, and I think nothing could be more true. Yale educates in a way that leads students to love their work, love each other's talent, and love their school. If you get in, go here. You'll never regret it.
By Raymong Chang (Jan, 2008) |
Among the Ivies, Yale University likely champions the liberal arts, offering scores of rigorous classes and generally being acutely perceptive to the depth of philosophy in the field, though perhaps in an immature way. (But I figure maturing the mind is the duty of an education.) If you mean to attend an Ivy that will prepare you for a career, it's best you look elsewhere: but if you're looking for an Ivy to prepare you for life, look no further.
By Cole from Cornelius, OR (Dec, 2007) |
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At Yale University, the exceptional faculty inspires a passion for learning, and I’ve witnessed remarkable growth in my child during their time in Connecticut.
By Wahab (Sep, 2024) |