For Parents
Source: https://admissions.yale.edu/parents Parent: https://admissions.yale.edu/estimate-your-cost
Resources for Exploring Yale
View our tour and information session schedule, admissions office closings, and parking information. Please note that we often have very large crowds of visitors during the summer and over school breaks.
Students choose from over 2,000 course offerings and 80+ departments. Most undergraduates choose a major at the end of sophomore year. Students typically register for four to five courses per semester. During “Shopping Period” at the beginning of each semester, students may visit classes before registering.
Yale students receive guidance from several advisors, each with a distinct role. A student’s Residential College Dean serves as his/her primary academic advisor. Each first-year is also assigned a College Adviser and a First-Year Counselor.
All Yale undergraduates are randomly assigned to one of fourteen Residential Colleges and remain affiliated with their College for all four years. This system provides students with a small, built-in, diverse living community within the larger university. Each College has a dining hall, library, laundry facilities and more.
Religious, Cultural, & Identity Organizations
Dozens of campus ministries, cultural centers, and affinity groups encourage students to explore aspects of identity, culture and religion. The Peer Liaisons Program helps connect first-years with these on-campus communities and provides additional support during the transition to college.
Yale takes every student’s health and personal safety very seriously. More than 500 emergency “blue phones” are strategically located around campus. Foot patrols, bike patrols, and shuttle busses are also present and available at all hours. The Yale Health Center is centrally located on campus and provides clinical care and a student infirmary. New Haven is also home to Yale-New Haven Hospital.
Applying and Affording
Yale will meet 100% of a family’s demonstrated financial need with an aid package that will not include loans. Families with a total gross income of less than $65,000 will not be expected to make a contribution towards their child’s Yale education. Families with annual incomes greater than $65,000 will pay a percentage of their income on a sliding scale. Use the Quick Cost Estimator to get a personalized financial aid estimate for your family in three minutes.
Yale applications are due either November 1 for Single Choice Early Action (also referred to as ‘Restrictive Early Action’) or January 2 for Regular Decision.
All of Yale’s application materials may be completed and submitted online. Yale also accepts some forms of supplementary material. Interviews are optional.
Your child will need to request letters of recommendation from two teachers and a guidance/college counselor. At many high schools, a student may invite teachers and their counselor to submit recommendations online. Students should check with their school guidance office for details, and be sure to give recommenders ample time to write and submit these letters.
We have put together some advice for students applying to Yale and other highly selective schools including: What Yale Looks For, Advice on Selecting High School Courses, Advice for First-Generation College Students, Beyond College Rankings, Epilogue: After Colleges Accept You and more.
Find resources to help your students navigate the unique QuestBridge process at Yale. QuestBridge is a program that links bright, motivated, high-achieving low-income students with educational and scholarship opportunities at some of the nation’s best colleges.