Getting in
For Fall 2025, 50,264 first-year students applied to Yale, 2,387 were admitted and 1,633 enrolled: an acceptance rate of 4.7%.
Source: Yale Common Data Set 2025-2026 (opens in a new tab), section C1. Read Sep 30, 2026.
By school or major. Yale's Common Data Set reports one first-year acceptance rate for Yale College, with no rate by major.
Source: Yale Common Data Set 2025-2026 (opens in a new tab). Read Sep 30, 2026.
Single-choice early action. Yale has no early decision plan, and the Common Data Set does not report how many applied or were admitted in early action, so it gives no early acceptance rate.
Source: Yale Common Data Set 2025-2026 (opens in a new tab), sections C21 and C22. Read Sep 30, 2026.
Majors
82 majors across 1 school. Every major in Yale College Programs of Study, Yale's official catalog, with the degree it leads to. Certificates and graduate programs are left out.
Majors in Yale College82
- African Studies (B.A.)
- American Studies (B.A.)
- Anthropology (B.A.)
- Applied Mathematics (B.A. or B.S.)
- Applied Physics (B.S.)
- Archaeological Studies (B.A.)
- Architecture (B.A.)
- Art (B.A.)
- Astronomy (B.A.)
- Astrophysics (B.S.)
- Biomedical Engineering (B.S.)
- Black Studies (B.A.)
- Chemical Engineering (B.S.)
- Chemistry (B.A. or B.S.)
- Classical Civilization (B.A.)
- Classics (B.A.)
- Cognitive Science (B.A. or B.S.)
- Comparative Literature (B.A.)
- Computer Science (B.A. or B.S.)
- Computer Science and Economics (B.S.)
- Computer Science and Mathematics (B.S.)
- Computer Science and Psychology (B.A.)
- Computing and Linguistics (B.A. or B.S.)
- Computing and the Arts (B.A.)
- Earth and Planetary Sciences (B.A. or B.S.)
- East Asian Languages and Literatures (B.A.)
- East Asian Studies (B.A.)
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (B.A. or B.S.)
- Economics (B.A.)
- Economics and Mathematics (B.A.)
- Electrical Engineering (B.S.)
- Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (B.S.)
- Engineering Sciences (Chemical) (B.S.)
- Engineering Sciences (Electrical) (B.A. or B.S.)
- Engineering Sciences (Environmental) (B.A.)
- Engineering Sciences (Mechanical) (B.A. or B.S.)
- English (B.A.)
- Environmental Engineering (B.S.)
- Environmental Studies (B.A. or B.S.)
- Ethics, Politics, and Economics (B.A.)
- Ethnicity, Race, and Migration (B.A.)
- Film and Media Studies (B.A.)
- French (B.A.)
- German Studies (B.A.)
- Global Affairs (B.A.)
- Greek, Ancient and Modern (B.A.)
- History (B.A.)
- History of Art (B.A.)
- History of Science, Medicine, and Public Health (B.A.)
- Humanities (B.A.)
- Italian Studies (B.A.)
- Jewish Studies (B.A.)
- Latin American Studies (B.A.)
- Linguistics (B.A.)
- Mathematics (B.A. or B.S.)
- Mathematics and Philosophy (B.A.)
- Mathematics and Physics (B.S.)
- Mechanical Engineering (B.S.)
- Modern Middle East Studies (B.A.)
- Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry (B.A. or B.S.)
- Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology (B.A. or B.S.)
- Music (B.A.)
- Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations (B.A.)
- Neuroscience (B.A. or B.S.)
- Philosophy (B.A.)
- Physics (B.S.)
- Physics and Geosciences (B.S.)
- Physics and Philosophy (B.A. or B.S.)
- Political Science (B.A.)
- Portuguese (B.A.)
- Psychology (B.A. or B.S.)
- Religious Studies (B.A.)
- Russian (B.A.)
- Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies (B.A.)
- Sociology (B.A.)
- South Asian StudiesTaken only as a second major.
- Spanish (B.A.)
- Special Divisional Major (B.A. or B.S.)
- Statistics and Data Science (B.A. or B.S.)
- Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies (B.A.)
- Urban Studies (B.A.)
- Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (B.A.)
Source: Yale College Programs of Study, Majors in Yale College (opens in a new tab). Read Sep 30, 2026.
Deadlines for Fall 2027
For students applying in fall 2026, entering fall 2027
| Plan | Apply by | Decision | Binding |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single-Choice Early Action | November 1 | Mid-December | No |
| QuestBridge National College Match | November 1 | Early December | Yes |
| Regular Decision | January 2 | Late March | No |
Admitted students reply by May 1. The QuestBridge Match is binding: if you match with Yale, you withdraw your other applications.
Source: Yale Undergraduate Admissions, Timelines (opens in a new tab). Read Sep 30, 2026.
Single-choice early action is not binding, and if admitted you may keep other applications active. While you apply this way, you may not apply early action or early decision to other colleges, except nonbinding rolling programs, nonbinding early programs at public institutions, early programs that notify after January 1, and institutions outside the United States. If you are denied in early action, you cannot apply again in regular decision that year.
Source: Yale Undergraduate Admissions, Timelines (opens in a new tab). Read Sep 30, 2026.
Testing
For students applying in fall 2026, entering fall 2027
Yale requires first-year applicants to include ACT or SAT scores. AP or IB scores may be added but are not required. You self-report scores on the application and send official scores if you enroll.
Source: Yale Undergraduate Admissions, Standardized Testing (opens in a new tab). Read Sep 30, 2026.
The Common Data Set still describes Yale's older test-flexible policy, where you chose among ACT, SAT, AP and IB scores, in its testing section for fall 2025. Yale's admissions site now asks for the ACT or SAT.
Source: Yale Common Data Set 2025-2026 (opens in a new tab), section C8. Read Sep 30, 2026.
Applying next year?
For students applying in fall 2027, entering fall 2028
Not announced yet. When we checked Yale's admission pages on September 30, 2026, we found no announced changes for fall 2028 entry. The deadlines and rules above are for fall 2027 entry.
Source: Yale Undergraduate Admissions, Timelines (opens in a new tab). Read Sep 30, 2026.
Cost, and what families paid after aid
The published cost of a year at Yale, 2026-2027:
| Tuition | $72,500 |
|---|---|
| Food and housing (on campus) | $21,600 |
| Books and supplies | $1,000 |
| Transportation | $1,100 |
| Other expenses | $2,700 |
| Total | $98,900 |
The Common Data Set lists no separate required fees.
Source: Yale Common Data Set 2025-2026 (opens in a new tab), sections G1 and G5. Read Sep 30, 2026.
Average net price per year, by family income, 2023-24:
| Family income | Paid after grants |
|---|---|
| $0 to $30,000 | $17,633 |
| $30,001 to $48,000 | $15,626 |
| $48,001 to $75,000 | $17,943 |
| $75,001 to $110,000 | $12,558 |
| Over $110,000 | $45,951 |
| All incomes | $23,777 |
What first-year, full-time students who received federal aid paid after grants and scholarships, by family income, in 2023-24, the latest year the Department of Education publishes. Your own price comes from Yale's aid offer.
Source: College Scorecard, U.S. Department of Education (opens in a new tab). Read Sep 30, 2026.
Similar schools
Chosen for how close each is to Yale University on acceptance rate, public or private, location and majors offered.
Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridge, MA · Private4.6% admitted$20,111 average net price
Harvard UniversityCambridge, MA · Private4.2% admitted$19,066 average net price
Columbia UniversityNew York, NY · Private4.9% admitted$21,590 average net price
University of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia, PA · Private4.9% admitted$28,699 average net price
Northeastern UniversityBoston, MA · Private5.6% admitted$30,915 average net price
Admitted: each school's latest first-year acceptance rate, so the year can differ from school to school; each school's page names its year and source. Average net price: what federal aid recipients paid per year after grants, 2023-24, and the in-state figure for a public university.