Ah, Yale. Another bastion of… enlightenment. Let's see what dusty archives and self-congratulatory prose we can unearth. Don't expect any effusive praise; I'm here to dissect, not to applaud.

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Yale University

"Yale" is a name that redirects here. For other instances of its use, consult the Yale (disambiguation) page.

The template Infobox university is currently under consideration for merging.

Yale University

Coat of arms of Yale University The Latin inscription reads: Universitas Yalensis.

Former Names:

• Collegiate School (1701–1718)
• Yale College (1718–1887)

Motto: Lux et veritas (Latin) Motto in English: "Light and truth"

Type: Private research university Established: October 9, 1701 (324 years ago) Accreditation: NECHE Religious affiliation: Nonsectarian

Academic affiliations:

• AAU
• COFHE
• IARU
• NAICU
• ORAU
• URA
• Space-grant

Endowment: $44.1 billion (2025) President: Maurie McInnis Provost: Scott Strobel Academic Staff: 5,744 (fall 2024) Students: 15,490 (fall 2024) * Undergraduates: 6,740 (fall 2024) * Postgraduates: 8,750 (fall 2024)

Location:

• New Haven , Connecticut , United States (41°18′59″N 72°55′20″W)

Campus: Midsize city, 1,015 acres (411 ha) Newspaper: Yale Daily News Colors: Yale blue and white Nickname: Bulldogs Sporting affiliations:

• NCAA Division I
• FCS – Ivy League
• ECAC Hockey
• NEISA
• IRA
• EARC
• EAWRC

Mascot: Handsome Dan Website: yale.edu

The official seal of Yale University is depicted.

Yale University stands as a private institution, a member of the prestigious Ivy League, and a formidable research university situated in New Haven, Connecticut, in the United States. Its origins trace back to 1701, establishing it as the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States. Furthermore, it ranks among the nine colonial colleges chartered prior to the American Revolution.

Initially founded as the Collegiate School on October 9, 1701, Yale owes its existence to a group of ten Congregationalist clergy members from the Connecticut Colony. Their intention was to establish an institution dedicated to the education of ministers and civic leaders. The early curriculum, while initially focused on theology and sacred languages, broadened considerably by the time of the American Revolution to encompass the humanities and sciences. The 19th century witnessed a significant expansion, with the introduction of graduate and professional studies. This era saw Yale award the first PhD in the United States in 1861 and formally organize as a university in 1887. The period following 1890 was marked by substantial growth in both faculty and student numbers, fueled by the expansion of its physical campus and its burgeoning scientific research programs.

The university is structured into fifteen distinct schools, including the foundational undergraduate college, the Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and the renowned Yale Law School. The governing body, the Yale Corporation, oversees the university's operations, while each school's faculty retains control over its specific curriculum and degree programs. Beyond its central campus in downtown New Haven, Yale also possesses athletic facilities in western New Haven, an additional campus in West Haven, Connecticut, and extensive forest and nature preserves spread across New England. As of 2025, Yale's endowment was valued at an impressive $44.1 billion, positioning it as the fourth-largest among all educational institutions and the third-largest among private universities. The Yale University Library, a resource for all its constituent schools, houses over 15 million volumes, making it the third-largest academic library in the United States. Student athletes compete under the banner of the Yale Bulldogs, participating in the NCAA Division I and forming a key part of the Ivy League conference.

As of October 2025, Yale University has been affiliated with 72 Nobel laureates, 5 Fields medalists, 4 Abel Prize laureates, and 3 Turing Award winners. Its alumni roster includes 5 U.S. presidents, 10 Founding Fathers, 19 U.S. Supreme Court justices, 31 currently living billionaires, and 54 founders and presidents of other colleges and universities. Furthermore, its graduates have served as heads of state, cabinet members, and governors. The university community also boasts hundreds of members of Congress, U.S. diplomats, 96 MacArthur Fellows, 263 Rhodes Scholars, 123 Marshall Scholars, 81 Gates Cambridge Scholars, 102 Guggenheim Fellows, and 9 Mitchell Scholars. The current faculty includes 73 members of the National Academy of Sciences, 55 members of the National Academy of Medicine, 8 members of the National Academy of Engineering, and 200 members of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Over 170 Yale alumni have participated in the Olympic Games, collectively winning more than 110 medals.

History

Early history of Yale College

Origins

The genesis of Yale can be traced back to October 9, 1701, when the General Court of the Colony of Connecticut enacted "An Act for Liberty to Erect a Collegiate School" in New Haven. The primary objective was to establish an institution for the training of ministers and lay leaders. Shortly thereafter, ten Congregational ministers—Samuel Andrew, Thomas Buckingham, Israel Chauncy, Samuel Mather (a nephew of Increase Mather), Rev. James Noyes II (son of James Noyes), James Pierpont, Abraham Pierson, Noadiah Russell, Joseph Webb, and Timothy Woodbridge—all alumni of Harvard, convened in the study of Reverend Samuel Russell in Branford, Connecticut. It was there that they pledged books to form the nascent school's library. This group, spearheaded by James Pierpont, is now recognized as "The Founders."

The institution, initially known as the "Collegiate School," commenced its operations within the residence of its first rector, Abraham Pierson, who is also considered Yale's inaugural president. Pierson resided in Killingworth, Connecticut. The school relocated to Saybrook, Connecticut in 1703, following a land and building donation from Nathaniel Lynde, Yale's first treasurer. By 1716, the institution had found its permanent home in New Haven.

Concurrently, a schism was developing at Harvard between its sixth president, Increase Mather, and the majority of the Harvard clergy. Mather perceived the clergy as increasingly liberal, ecclesiastically lax, and too broad in their Church polity. This dispute led the Mathers to champion the Collegiate School, hoping it would uphold the Puritan religious orthodoxy with a rigor that Harvard, in their view, had failed to maintain. Reverend Jason Haven, minister at the First Church and Parish in Dedham, Massachusetts, had been a candidate for the presidency due to his orthodox theology and "Neatness dignity and purity of Style [which] surpass those of all that have been mentioned." However, his nomination was ultimately rejected due to his "very Valetudinary and infirm State of Health."

Naming and development

The university was christened "Yale College" in 1718, a change proposed by either Rector Samuel Andrew or Governor Gurdon Saltonstall. Through the advocacy of Jeremiah Dummer, Cotton Mather reached out to the Boston-born businessman Elihu Yale. Yale, who had amassed a considerable fortune in Madras while serving as the first president of Fort St. George for the East India Company, responded to Mather's appeal for funds to construct a new building. He donated nine bales of goods, which were subsequently sold for over £560, a substantial sum at the time. Cotton Mather then suggested the renaming of the school to "Yale College." The surname "Yale" itself is an Anglicized rendering of the Welsh name Iâl, which referred to the family estate at Plas yn Iâl, near Llandegla, Wales.

In a separate but significant contribution, a Harvard graduate working in England managed to persuade 180 prominent intellectuals to donate books to Yale. This 1714 shipment of 500 volumes represented the zenith of contemporary English literature, science, philosophy, and theology. The impact on Yale's intellectuals was profound. Undergraduate Jonathan Edwards, for instance, discovered the works of John Locke and subsequently developed his influential "New divinity". By 1722, the rector and six associates, who had formed a discussion group to explore new intellectual currents, declared their renunciation of Calvinism. They espoused Arminianism and affiliated with the Church of England, subsequently being ordained in England and returning to the colonies as missionaries for the Anglican faith. Despite attempts by President Thomas Clapp to steer the college back towards Calvinist orthodoxy after his tenure began in 1745, the library remained accessible. However, other students discovered Deist texts within its collection.

Curriculum

Connecticut Hall, the oldest surviving building on the Yale campus, was constructed between 1750 and 1753. The first diploma awarded by Yale College was granted to Nathaniel Chauncey in 1702.

Undergraduates at Yale College engage in a liberal arts curriculum, with a system of departmental majors and a unique social structure organized around residential colleges.

Yale found itself profoundly influenced by the era's dominant intellectual movements, the Great Awakening and the Age of Enlightenment, largely due to the theological and scientific inclinations of presidents Thomas Clap and Ezra Stiles. Their contributions were pivotal in shaping the scientific curriculum, even as the college navigated the complexities of wars, student unrest, graffiti, perceived curricular irrelevance, a desperate need for endowments, and disputes with the Connecticut General Assembly.

Among serious American students of theology and divinity, particularly in New England, Hebrew was considered a classical language, on par with Greek and Latin, and deemed essential for the study of the Old Testament in its original form. President Ezra Stiles (1778–1795) brought with him a keen interest in Hebrew as a means to engage with ancient Biblical texts in their original languages. He mandated that all freshmen study Hebrew, a requirement that contrasted with Harvard's policy of restricting this study to upperclassmen. Stiles is also credited with the inclusion of the Hebrew phrase אורים ותמים (Urim and Thummim) on the Yale seal. A Yale graduate himself from 1746, Stiles possessed considerable experience in education, having played a significant role in the establishment of Brown University. Stiles faced his most significant challenge in 1779 when British forces occupied New Haven and threatened to destroy the college. Fortunately, Yale alumnus Edmund Fanning, who served as secretary to the commanding British general, intervened, securing the college's preservation. In recognition of this act, Fanning was awarded an honorary LL.D. in 1803.

Students

As the sole institution of higher learning in Connecticut between 1701 and 1823, Yale exclusively educated the sons of the elite. [27] Punishable offenses encompassed card playing, visiting taverns, damaging college property, and acts of defiance. While Harvard was noted for the stability and maturity of its teaching staff, Yale was characterized by its youthful energy and zeal. [28]

The strong emphasis on classical studies gave rise to private student societies, accessible only by invitation, which served as forums for scholarly, literary, and political discourse. The earliest of these were debating societies: Crotonia established in 1738, Linonia in 1753, and Brothers in Unity in 1768. Linonia and Brothers in Unity continue to exist today, with their legacies commemorated through campus structures bearing their names, such as Brothers in Unity Courtyard within Branford College.

19th century

Old Brick Row as depicted in 1807.

The Yale Report of 1828 served as a staunch defense of the Latin and Greek curriculum against critics advocating for increased course offerings in modern languages, mathematics, and sciences. In contrast to higher education in Europe, the United States lacked a standardized national curriculum for its colleges and universities. Amidst the competition for students and financial support, university leaders felt compelled to remain current with evolving demands for innovation. Simultaneously, they recognized that a significant segment of their student body and prospective applicants valued a classical educational foundation. The report effectively ensured that the classics would not be abandoned. During this period, institutions frequently experimented with curriculum modifications, often resulting in a bifurcated educational track. In the decentralized landscape of U.S. higher education, the challenge of balancing innovation with tradition was a persistent theme. [29] [30] A collective of Yale professors and New Haven Congregationalist ministers formulated a conservative response to the societal shifts brought about by Victorian culture. Their focus was on cultivating individuals possessing robust religious values, capable of resisting internal temptations while remaining adaptable to external influences such as professionalism, materialism, individualism, and consumerism. [31] [ page needed ] William Graham Sumner, a professor from 1872 to 1909, taught in the nascent fields of economics and sociology to overflowing lecture halls. Sumner found himself in opposition to President Noah Porter, who harbored reservations about the social sciences and advocated for Yale to remain steadfastly committed to its classical educational traditions. Porter objected to Sumner's use of a textbook authored by Herbert Spencer that promoted agnostic materialism, fearing its potential detrimental effect on students. [32]

Until 1887, the official designation of the university was "The President and Fellows of Yale College, in New Haven." In that year, pursuant to an act passed by the Connecticut General Assembly, the university's name was officially changed to "Yale University." [33]

Sports and debate

The ideal Yale man of the early 19th century was epitomized by the Revolutionary War soldier Nathan Hale (Yale 1773): a scholarly figure, embodying both manliness and aristocracy, intellectually adept, skilled in sports, and a devoted patriot who famously "regretted that he had but one life to lose" for his country. Frederic Remington (Yale 1900), a renowned Western painter, depicted heroes who reveled in the combat and tests of strength characteristic of the Wild West. The fictional Yale man of the turn of the 20th century, Frank Merriwell, embodied this same heroic archetype, notably without racial prejudice. His fictional successor, Dink Stover, in the novel Stover at Yale (1912), however, began to question the pervasive business-oriented mentality that had taken root at the school. Increasingly, students gravitated towards athletic stars as their role models, particularly as victory in the major games became the paramount objective for the student body, alumni, and the teams themselves. [34]

The Yale four-oared crew team is pictured with the 1876 Centennial Regatta trophy, secured in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

In concert with Harvard and Princeton, Yale students rejected British notions of 'amateurism,' forging athletic programs that were distinctly American. [35] The Harvard–Yale football rivalry commenced in 1875. Between 1892, the year of the first intercollegiate debates between Harvard and Yale, [36] and 1909—the year of the inaugural Triangular Debate involving Harvard, Yale, and Princeton—the rhetoric, symbolism, and metaphors employed in athletics were frequently utilized to frame these intellectual contests. Debates garnered front-page coverage in college newspapers and were prominently featured in yearbooks, with team members receiving accolades equivalent to athletic letters for their jackets. While rallies were organized to support the debate teams, they never achieved the widespread public appeal that athletics commanded. A contributing factor may have been the inherent subjectivity in scoring debates, unlike the clear-cut outcomes of athletic competitions. Amidst late 19th-century concerns regarding the potential impact of modern life on physical well-being, athletics offered a sense of reassurance that neither the individual nor society was in a state of disintegration. [37]

Football faced a significant crisis during the 1909–10 academic year, stemming from the inadequacy of the 1905–06 reforms designed to mitigate serious injuries. A palpable atmosphere of alarm and mistrust permeated the sport. During this period of crisis, the presidents of Harvard, Yale, and Princeton initiated a collaborative effort to reform football and preempt potentially radical changes imposed by governmental authorities. Presidents Arthur Hadley of Yale, A. Lawrence Lowell of Harvard, and Woodrow Wilson of Princeton worked diligently to implement moderate reforms aimed at reducing player injuries. However, their endeavors were somewhat undermined by internal dissent within the rules committee and the subsequent formation of the Intercollegiate Athletic Association. Despite these internal dynamics, the reforms championed by the "big three" did contribute to a reduction in injuries. [38]

Expansion

The gradual expansion of the university began with the establishment of the Yale School of Medicine in 1810. This was followed by the founding of the Yale Divinity School in 1822, the Yale Law School in 1822, the Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences in 1847, the now-defunct Sheffield Scientific School also in 1847, [a] and the Yale School of Fine Arts in 1869. Under the presidency of Timothy Dwight V, Yale College was officially renamed Yale University in 1887, with the original name designated solely for the undergraduate college. The university's expansion continued unabated through the 20th and 21st centuries, incorporating the Yale School of Music in 1894, the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies in 1900, the Yale School of Public Health in 1915, the Yale School of Architecture in 1916, the Yale School of Nursing in 1923, the Yale School of Drama in 1955, the Yale School of Management in 1976, and the Jackson School of Global Affairs in 2022. [39] The Sheffield Scientific School subsequently reorganized its role within the university to focus exclusively on undergraduate instruction.

This period of expansion generated considerable debate regarding Yale's evolving identity and its new societal roles. Noah Porter, a distinguished moral philosopher who served as president from 1871 to 1886, resisted the emerging paradigm of the research university. He argued that an uncritical embrace of its ideals would inevitably corrupt undergraduate education. Historian George Levesque, however, posits that Porter was not merely a reactionary clinging to tradition but a principled and discerning conservative. [40] [ page needed ] Levesque suggests that Porter neither blindly endorsed all traditions nor outright rejected all innovations; rather, he sought to apply time-tested ethical and pedagogical principles to a society undergoing significant cultural shifts. Levesque concludes that while Porter may have misjudged some emerging challenges, he accurately anticipated the enduring tensions inherent in the development of the modern university.

20th century

Medicine

Woolsey Hall circa 1905.

Milton Winternitz presided over the Yale School of Medicine as its dean from 1920 to 1935. A proponent of the new scientific medicine that had gained prominence in Germany, he was equally passionate about "social medicine" and the holistic study of humans within their environmental context. He instituted the "Yale System" of education, characterized by a limited number of lectures and fewer examinations, and strengthened the full-time faculty system. He also established the graduate-level Yale School of Nursing and the psychiatry department, overseeing the construction of new facilities. His ambitious plans for an Institute of Human Relations, envisioned as a collaborative space for social and biological scientists to conduct a comprehensive study of humankind, unfortunately, proved short-lived. Resentment from antisemitic colleagues ultimately led to his resignation. [41]

Faculty

Richard Rummell's 1906 watercolor depicting the Yale campus, facing north.

Prior to World War II, the faculties of most elite universities included few, if any, individuals from Jewish, Black, or other minority backgrounds; Yale was no exception to this trend. By 1980, this demographic had transformed dramatically, with numerous members of these previously underrepresented groups holding faculty positions. [42] Approximately all members of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, along with some faculty from other schools, contribute to undergraduate teaching, offering over 2,000 courses annually. [43]

Women

In 1793, Lucinda Foote successfully passed the entrance examinations for Yale College but was subsequently rejected by the university president solely on the basis of her gender. [44] Women began attending Yale in 1892, enrolling in graduate-level programs within the Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. [45] The first seven women to earn PhDs from Yale received their degrees in 1894: Elizabeth Deering Hanscom, Cornelia H. B. Rogers, Sara Bulkley Rogers, Margaretta Palmer, Mary Augusta Scott, Laura Johnson Wylie, and Charlotte Fitch Roberts. A portrait commemorating these pioneering women hangs in Sterling Memorial Library, painted by Brenda Zlamany. [46]

In 1966, Yale initiated discussions with its sister school, Vassar College, regarding a potential merger to facilitate coeducation at the undergraduate level. Vassar, then an institution exclusively for women and a member of the Seven Sisters—a group of elite higher education institutions that served as counterparts to the Ivy League during a time when most Ivy League institutions remained exclusively male—tentatively agreed to the proposal but ultimately declined. Both institutions subsequently introduced coeducation independently in 1969. [47] Amy Solomon was the first woman to matriculate as a Yale undergraduate; [48] she also holds the distinction of being the first woman at Yale to be admitted to an undergraduate society, St. Anthony Hall. The undergraduate class of 1973 marked the first cohort with women admitted from their freshman year; [49] all undergraduate women were housed in Vanderbilt Hall. [50]

A decade after the implementation of coeducation, issues of student assault and faculty harassment became the catalyst for the landmark lawsuit Alexander v. Yale. In the 1970s, a coalition of students and a faculty member filed suit against Yale, alleging the university's failure to adequately address sexual harassment, particularly instances involving male faculty. The case was significantly informed by a 1977 report authored by plaintiff Ann Olivarius, titled "A report to the Yale Corporation from the Yale Undergraduate Women's Caucus." [51] This lawsuit was instrumental in establishing the precedent for using Title IX to argue and demonstrate that sexual harassment directed at female students could be classified as illegal sex discrimination. The plaintiffs in the case included Olivarius, Ronni Alexander, Margery Reifler, Pamela Price, [52] and Lisa E. Stone. They were joined by Yale classics professor John "Jack" J. Winkler. The lawsuit, partly represented by Catharine MacKinnon, alleged instances of rape, fondling, and the offering of higher grades in exchange for sexual favors by faculty members, including professor of flute and director of bands, Keith Brion, political science professor Raymond Duvall, [53] English professor Michael Cooke, and field hockey coach Richard Kentwell. Although the lawsuit did not prevail in the courts, its legal arguments profoundly influenced the trajectory of sex discrimination law and led to the establishment of Yale's Grievance Board and Women's Center. [54] In 2011, a Title IX complaint was lodged against Yale by students and graduates, including editors of Yale's feminist publication, Broad Recognition, alleging a hostile sexual climate at the university. [55] In response, the university formed a Title IX steering committee to address complaints of sexual misconduct. [56] Following this, universities and colleges across the United States also instituted procedures for addressing sexual harassment grievances.

Social class

In the early 20th century, Yale implemented policies designed to preserve the proportion of White Anglo-Saxon Protestants from prominent families within its student body (refer to numerus clausus). These preferential policies were subsequently abolished, beginning with the class of 1970. [57]

21st century

In 2006, Yale collaborated with Peking University to establish a Joint Undergraduate Program in Beijing. This exchange initiative provided Yale students with the opportunity to spend a semester studying and living alongside honor students from Peking University. [58] However, the Yale University-PKU Program concluded in July 2012 due to insufficient participation. [58]

In 2007, outgoing Yale President Rick Levin articulated the university's institutional priorities, stating: "First, among the nation's finest research universities, Yale is distinctively committed to excellence in undergraduate education. Second, in our graduate and professional schools, as well as in Yale College, we are committed to the education of leaders." [59]

In 2009, former British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, selected Yale as one of the locations—alongside Britain's Durham University and Universiti Teknologi Mara—for the Tony Blair Faith Foundation's United States Faith and Globalization Initiative. [60] As of 2009, former Mexican President Ernesto Zedillo serves as the director of the Yale Center for the Study of Globalization and teaches an undergraduate seminar titled "Debating Globalization." [61] Also in 2009, former presidential candidate and DNC chair Howard Dean led a residential college seminar focused on "Understanding Politics and Politicians." [62] That same year, an alliance was forged between Yale, University College London, and their affiliated hospital complexes with the aim of conducting research focused on the direct improvement of patient care—a field known as translational medicine. President Richard Levin highlighted that while Yale maintained hundreds of global partnerships, "no existing collaboration matches the scale of the new partnership with UCL." [63] In August 2013, a new partnership with the National University of Singapore led to the inauguration of Yale-NUS College in Singapore. This joint venture was established to create a new liberal arts college in Asia, featuring a curriculum that integrates Western and Asian intellectual traditions. [64]

In 2017, following discussions that had been ongoing for decades, [65] Yale University renamed Calhoun College, which had been named in honor of John C. Calhoun, a notorious slave owner, staunch anti-abolitionist, and proponent of white supremacy. The college was subsequently renamed Hopper College, in tribute to Grace Hopper. [66] [67]

In 2020, amidst the George Floyd protests, the social media hashtag #CancelYale gained traction, demanding the removal of Elihu Yale's name from Yale University. This movement was largely fueled by right-wing commentators such as Mike Cernovich and Ann Coulter, who aimed to satirize what they perceived as the excesses of cancel culture. Elihu Yale spent the majority of his professional career employed by the East India Company, notably serving as the governor of the Presidency of Fort St. George in present-day Chennai. The EIC, including Yale himself, was implicated in the Indian Ocean slave trade, although the extent of Yale's personal involvement in slavery remains a subject of historical debate. [69] Critics have argued that Yale's exceptionally large donation led Yale University to rely on funds derived from slavery for its initial scholarships and endowments. [70] [71] [72] [73]

In 2020, the U.S. Department of Justice initiated legal action against Yale, alleging discrimination against Asian and white applicants through its affirmative action admission policies. [74] In 2021, under the new Biden administration, the Justice Department withdrew the lawsuit. Subsequently, the group Students for Fair Admissions achieved a similar victory in a lawsuit against Harvard. [75]

In April 2024, Yale students joined widespread protests on campuses across the United States against the Gaza war. [76] [77] The student demonstrators called for Yale University to divest from military weapons companies with ties to Israel's actions in Gaza. [78] Over 50 individuals were arrested during protests held in and around Beinecke Plaza, and demonstrations persisted through the summer and into the new academic year commencing in September 2024. [79] An overwhelming majority of undergraduate students voted in a December referendum to support divestment. [80]

In July 2025, Russian authorities officially declared Yale University an "undesirable" organization, effectively banning its activities within the country. According to the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office, the institution's operations were deemed to be aimed at "violating the territorial integrity of Russia" and "destabilizing the socio-economic and political situation." [81]

Alumni in politics

In 2002, The Boston Globe noted that "if there's one school that can lay claim to educating the nation's top national leaders over the past three decades, it's Yale." [82] Yale alumni have been represented on either the Democratic or Republican ticket in every U.S. presidential election from 1972 to 2004. [83] Presidents who were Yale alumni since the conclusion of the Vietnam War include Gerald Ford, George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush. Major-party nominees from Yale include Hillary Clinton (2016), John Kerry (2004), Joseph Lieberman (vice president, 2000), and Sargent Shriver (vice president, 1972). Other alumni who have made significant presidential bids are Amy Klobuchar (2020), Tom Steyer (2020), Ben Carson (2016), Howard Dean (2004), Gary Hart (1984 and 1988), Paul Tsongas (1992), Pat Robertson (1988), and Jerry Brown (1976, 1980, 1992).

Several explanations have been proposed for Yale's prominent representation in national politics since the Vietnam War era. Sources point to the spirit of campus activism that has been a notable feature at Yale since the 1960s, and the intellectual influence of Reverend William Sloane Coffin on subsequent political figures. [84] Yale President Levin attributes this sustained success to Yale's deliberate focus on cultivating "a laboratory for future leaders," an institutional priority that originated during the tenures of Yale Presidents Alfred Whitney Griswold and Kingman Brewster. [84] Richard H. Brodhead, former dean of Yale College and later president of Duke University, stated: "We do give very significant attention to orientation to the community in our admissions, and there is a very strong tradition of volunteerism at Yale." [82] Yale historian Gaddis Smith highlights "an ethos of organized activity" prevalent at Yale during the 20th century, which saw figures like Kerry lead the Yale Political Union's Liberal Party, George Pataki lead the Conservative Party, and Lieberman manage the Yale Daily News. [85] Camille Paglia attributes this phenomenon to a deep-rooted history of networking and elitism, suggesting it "has to do with a web of friendships and affiliations built up in school." [86] CNN posits that George W. Bush benefited from preferential admissions policies favoring the "son and grandson of alumni" and members of "politically influential families." [87] Elisabeth Bumiller and James Fallows credit the pervasive culture of community among students, faculty, and administration, which de-emphasizes self-interest and reinforces a commitment to collective well-being. [88]

During the 1988 presidential election, George H. W. Bush (Yale '48) disparaged Michael Dukakis for possessing "foreign-policy views born in Harvard Yard's boutique." When questioned about the distinction between Dukakis's Harvard affiliation and his own Yale background, Bush asserted that, unlike Harvard, Yale's reputation was "so diffuse, there isn't a symbol, I don't think, in the Yale situation, any symbolism in it" and added that Yale did not share Harvard's reputation for "liberalism and elitism." [89] In 2004, Howard Dean commented, "In some ways, I consider myself separate from the other three (Yale) candidates of 2004. Yale changed so much between the class of '68 and the class of '71. My class was the first class to have women in it; it was the first class to have a significant effort to recruit African Americans. It was an extraordinary time, and in that span of time is the change of an entire generation." [88]

Administration and organization

Leadership

School	Year founded
Yale College	1701
Yale School of Medicine	1810
Yale Divinity School	1822
Yale Law School	1824
Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences	1847
Sheffield Scientific School [a]	1847
Yale School of Engineering & Applied Science	1852
Yale School of Fine Arts	1869
Yale School of Music	1894
Yale School of the Environment	1900
Yale School of Public Health	1915
Yale School of Architecture	1916
Yale School of Nursing	1923
David Geffen School of Drama at Yale University	1955
Yale School of Management	1976
Jackson School of Global Affairs	2022 [39]

The President and Fellows of Yale College, also known as the Yale Corporation, functions as the university's governing board. It comprises thirteen standing committees, each with distinct responsibilities outlined in the institution's bylaws. The corporation consists of 19 members: three ex officio members, ten successor trustees, and six elected alumni fellows. [90] The university is organized into three principal academic divisions: Yale College (the undergraduate program), the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and the twelve professional schools. [91]

Yale's former president, Richard C. Levin, was, at the time, one of the highest-paid university presidents in the United States, earning a salary of $1.5 million in 2008. [92] His successor, Peter Salovey, ranked 40th with a 2020 salary of$1.16 million. [93]

The Yale Provost's Office and analogous executive positions have been instrumental in advancing women into prominent university leadership roles. In 1977, Provost Hanna Holborn Gray was appointed interim president of Yale and later assumed the presidency of the University of Chicago, becoming the first woman to hold either position at each respective institution. [94] [95] In 1994, Provost Judith Rodin became the first permanent female president of an Ivy League institution when she was appointed to lead the University of Pennsylvania. [96] In 2002, Provost Alison Richard transitioned to the role of vice-chancellor at the University of Cambridge. [97] In 2003, Rebecca Chopp, dean of the Divinity School, was appointed president of Colgate University, subsequently serving as president of Swarthmore College in 2009, and then as the first female chancellor of the University of Denver in 2014. [98] In 2004, Provost Dr. Susan Hockfield became president of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. [99] That same year, Catherine Gilliss, dean of the School of Nursing, was appointed dean of Duke University's School of Nursing and vice chancellor for nursing affairs. [100] In 2007, Deputy Provost H. Kim Bottomly was named president of Wellesley College. [101]

Similar trajectories have been observed for men holding leadership positions at Yale. In 2004, Richard H. Brodhead, dean of Yale College, was appointed president of Duke University. [102] In 2008, Provost Andrew Hamilton was confirmed as the vice chancellor of the University of Oxford. [103]

Staff and labor unions

• See also: Federation of Hospital and University Employees

Staff members at Yale University are represented by several distinct unions. Clerical and technical employees are represented by Local 34, while service and maintenance workers are represented by Local 35; both are affiliates of the UNITE HERE union. [104] In contrast to similar institutions, Yale has consistently refused to recognize its graduate student union, Local 33 (also affiliated with UNITE HERE), citing concerns about the democratic nature of the union's elections and arguing that graduate students are not employees. [105] [106] This stance has drawn criticism from the American Federation of Teachers. [107] Additionally, officers of the Yale University Police Department are represented by the Yale Police Benevolent Association, which became affiliated with the Connecticut Organization for Public Safety Employees in 2005. [104] [108] Yale security officers joined the International Union of Security, Police and Fire Professionals of America in late 2010, [109] despite the Yale administration's challenge to the election results. [110] In October 2014, following deliberation, [111] Yale security officers opted to form a new union, the Yale University Security Officers Association, which has since represented campus security personnel. [104] [112]

Yale has a history marked by contentious and protracted labor negotiations, frequently culminating in strikes. [113] [ page needed ] There have been at least eight strikes since 1968, and The New York Times has reported that Yale possesses a reputation for experiencing the most significant labor tensions among U.S. universities. [114] Furthermore, Yale has been accused by the AFL–CIO of failing to treat its workers with respect, [115] and of not renewing contracts with professors due to their involvement in campus labor disputes. [116] Yale has countered these claims by highlighting what it characterizes as mediocre union participation and emphasizing the benefits provided by its contracts. [117]

Campus

The Yale Law School, situated within the Sterling Law Building. The interior of Beinecke Library.

Yale's central campus in downtown New Haven spans 260 acres (1.1 km 2 ) and encompasses its primary, historic campus alongside a medical campus adjacent to the Yale–New Haven Hospital. In the western sector of New Haven, the university maintains 500 acres (2.0 km 2 ) dedicated to athletic facilities, including the renowned Yale Golf Course. [118] In 2008, Yale acquired the former Bayer HealthCare complex, a property comprising 17 buildings and spanning 136 acres (0.55 km 2 ), located in West Haven, Connecticut. [119] These facilities are now utilized for laboratory and research purposes. [120] Yale also owns seven forest tracts located in Connecticut, Vermont, and New Hampshire. The largest of these is the 7,840-acre (31.7 km 2 ) [Yale-Myers Forest] in Connecticut's Quiet Corner, alongside nature preserves such as Horse Island. [121]

Yale is widely recognized for its predominantly Collegiate Gothic architectural style across its campus, [122] as well as several iconic modern structures that are frequently featured in architectural history surveys. These include Louis Kahn's Yale Art Gallery [123] and Center for British Art, Eero Saarinen's Ingalls Rink and Ezra Stiles and Morse Colleges, and Paul Rudolph's Art & Architecture Building. Yale also owns and has undertaken the restoration of numerous notable 19th-century mansions situated along Hillhouse Avenue, a street that Charles Dickens famously described as the most beautiful in America during his visit to the United States in the 1840s. [124] In 2011, Travel + Leisure recognized the Yale campus among the most beautiful in the United States. [125]

A significant portion of Yale's buildings were constructed in the Collegiate Gothic architectural style between 1917 and 1931, largely funded by Edward S. Harkness. This includes the buildings of the Yale Drama School. [126] [127] The stone sculptures integrated into the building facades depict contemporary figures from college life, such as a writer, an athlete, a socialite enjoying tea, and a student engrossed in reading. Similarly, the decorative friezes adorning the buildings portray scenes from contemporary life, including a policeman apprehending a robber and arresting a prostitute (on the Law School wall), or a student relaxing with a mug of beer and a cigarette. The architect, James Gamble Rogers, employed techniques to artificially age these structures, including splashing the walls with acid, [128] deliberately damaging their leaded glass windows and subsequently repairing them in the style of the Middle Ages, and creating niches for decorative statuary that were intentionally left empty to simulate the passage of time and loss. In reality, these buildings only mimic medieval architecture; while they present the appearance of being constructed from solid stone blocks in an authentic manner, most are, in fact, supported by steel framing, a common practice in the 1930s. An exception is Harkness Tower, standing 216 feet (66 m) tall, which was originally a freestanding stone structure. It was reinforced in 1964 to accommodate the installation of the Yale Memorial Carillon.

The statue of Nathan Hale in front of Connecticut Hall. Vanderbilt Hall.

Additional examples of Gothic architecture can be found on the Old Campus, designed by architects such as Henry Austin, [Charles C. Haight], and [Russell Sturgis]. Several structures are associated with members of the Vanderbilt family, including Vanderbilt Hall, [129] Phelps Hall, [130] St. Anthony Hall (a commission for member [Frederick William Vanderbilt]), the Mason, Sloane, and Osborn laboratories, which served as dormitories for the Sheffield Scientific School (the engineering and sciences school at Yale until 1956), and elements of Silliman College, the university's largest residential college. [131]

The oldest building on campus, Connecticut Hall, constructed in 1750, exemplifies the Georgian style. Georgian-style buildings erected between 1929 and 1933 include Timothy Dwight College, Pierson College, and Davenport College. The eastern façade of Davenport College, however, facing York Street, was constructed in the Gothic architecture style to harmonize with adjacent structures.

The Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, designed by Gordon Bunshaft of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, stands as one of the world's largest buildings dedicated exclusively to the preservation of rare books and manuscripts. The library features a six-story tower above ground, housing 180,000 volumes, enveloped by large, translucent Vermont marble panels and a steel and granite structure. These panels function as windows, moderating direct sunlight while diffusing a warm glow throughout the interior. [132] Adjacent to the library is a sunken courtyard containing sculptures by Isamu Noguchi, symbolizing time (the pyramid), the sun (the circle), and chance (the cube). [133] The library is strategically located near the university's core in Hewitt Quadrangle, now more commonly referred to as "Beinecke Plaza".

Alumnus Eero Saarinen, a Finnish-American architect renowned for structures such as the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, the Dulles International Airport Main Terminal, the Bell Labs Holmdel Complex, and the CBS Building in Manhattan, designed Ingalls Rink, dedicated in 1959, [134] as well as the residential colleges Ezra Stiles and Morse. [135] These colleges were inspired by the medieval Italian hill town of San Gimignano, a prototype selected for its pedestrian-friendly environment and distinctive fortress-like stone towers. [136] The tower forms at Yale serve as a counterpoint to the numerous Gothic spires and Georgian cupolas present on campus. [137]

The athletic field complex is situated partly in New Haven and partly in West Haven, Connecticut. [138]

Yale's Old Campus at dusk, April 2013.

Notable nonresidential campus buildings

Harkness Tower.

Notable nonresidential campus buildings and landmarks include Battell Chapel, the Beinecke Rare Book Library, Harkness Tower, Humanities Quadrangle, Ingalls Rink, Kline Biology Tower, Osborne Memorial Laboratories, Payne Whitney Gymnasium, Peabody Museum of Natural History, Sterling Hall of Medicine, Sterling Law Buildings, Sterling Memorial Library, Woolsey Hall, Yale Center for British Art, Yale University Art Gallery, the Yale Art & Architecture Building, and the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art in London.

Yale's secret society buildings, often referred to as "tombs," were constructed with the intention of being both private and distinctively recognizable. These structures exhibit a diversity of architectural styles: Berzelius, designed by [Donn Barber] in an austere cube with classical detailing (erected in 1908 or 1910); Book and Snake, designed by Louis R. Metcalfe in a Greek Ionic style (erected in 1901); Elihu, with an unknown architect, built in a Colonial style (constructed on an early 17th-century foundation, though the building itself dates to the 18th century); Mace and Chain, in a late colonial, early Victorian style (built in 1823; interior molding is rumored to have belonged to Benedict Arnold); Manuscript Society, designed by [King-lui Wu] with landscaping by [Dan Kiley] and a brickwork intaglio mural by [Josef Albers], constructed in a mid-century modern style; Scroll and Key, designed by [Richard Morris Hunt] in a Moorish- or Islamic-inspired Beaux-Arts style (erected 1869–70); Skull and Bones, possibly designed by [Alexander Jackson Davis] or [Henry Austin] in an Egypto-Doric style utilizing [Brownstone] (the first wing was completed in 1856, the second wing in 1903, and the Neo-Gothic towers in the rear garden in 1911); St. Elmo (a former tomb), designed by [Kenneth M. Murchison] in 1912, with designs inspired by Elizabethan manor houses; its current location is a brick colonial; and Wolf's Head, designed by [Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue] and erected between 1923–1924 in the Collegiate Gothic style.

Sustainability

Yale's Office of Sustainability is responsible for developing and implementing sustainable practices across the university. [139] Yale has committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 10% below 1990 levels by 2020. As part of this commitment, the university allocates renewable energy credits to offset a portion of the energy consumed by residential colleges. [140] Eleven campus buildings are being considered for LEED design and certification. [141] The Yale Sustainable Food Project initiated the incorporation of locally sourced, organic vegetables, fruits, and beef into the dining halls of all residential colleges. [142] Yale was recognized as a Campus Sustainability Leader in the Sustainable Endowments Institute's College Sustainability Report Card 2008, receiving an overall grade of "B+". [143] Yale is a participant in the Ivy Plus Sustainability Consortium, through which it collaborates with other member institutions to share best practices and exchange campus sustainability solutions. [144]

• Grove Street Cemetery, New Haven
• Marsh Botanical Garden
• Yale Sustainable Food Program Farm

Relationship with New Haven

Yale stands as the largest taxpayer and employer within the City of New Haven, [145] and has frequently contributed to the revitalization of the city's economy and communities. However, Yale has consistently maintained a position against paying taxes on its academic properties. [146] Yale's Art Galleries, along with numerous other university resources, are freely accessible to the public. Furthermore, Yale supports the New Haven Promise program, which covers full tuition for eligible students from New Haven public schools. [147]

Town–gown relations

The relationship between Yale and its host city is complex. While thousands of students engage in volunteer work with community organizations annually, city officials frequently express dissatisfaction with Yale's exemption from local property taxes and urge the university to increase its contributions. Under President Levin's tenure, Yale provided significant financial support for numerous New Haven initiatives aimed at urban revitalization. Evidence suggests that the town and gown relationship is mutually beneficial. Nevertheless, the university's economic influence has grown considerably due to its financial success, occurring concurrently with a decline in the local economy. [148]

Campus safety

Yale has been a pioneer in several campus safety strategies. The first campus police force was established at Yale in 1894, when the university contracted city police officers to provide exclusive coverage for the campus. [149] [150] These officers, later hired directly by the university, were initially tasked with managing unrest between students and city residents and curbing destructive student behavior. [151] [152] In addition to the Yale Police Department, a range of safety services are available, including blue light emergency phones, a safety escort service, and 24-hour shuttle transportation.

During the 1970s and 1980s, New Haven experienced a rise in poverty and violent crime, which negatively impacted Yale's recruitment efforts for students and faculty. [153] Between 1990 and 2006, New Haven's crime rate was halved, a reduction attributed in part to a community policing strategy implemented by the New Haven Police, and Yale's campus emerged as the safest among its peer institutions. [154]

In 2004, the national watchdog organization Security on Campus filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education, accusing Yale of under-reporting instances of rape and sexual assault. [155] [156]

Academics

Admissions

Undergraduate admission to Yale College is classified as "most selective" by U.S. News. [157] [158] In 2022, Yale extended offers of admission to 2,234 students for the Class of 2026, selected from a pool of 50,015 applicants, resulting in an acceptance rate of 4.46%. [159] A remarkable 98% of students complete their degrees within six years. [160] Yale's most competitive graduate programs include the Law School (4%), [161] the School of Medicine (5%), [162] the School of Art (6%), [163] the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (7%), [164] the School of Music (10%), [165] the School of Architecture (15%), [166] and the Divinity School (15%). [167] Yale Divinity School is particularly noted for being the world's most selective institution for the study of religion. [168]

Through its need-based financial aid program, Yale commits to meeting the full demonstrated financial need of all applicants. The university employs a need-blind admissions policy for both domestic and international applicants. [169] The majority of financial aid is provided in the form of grants and scholarships that do not require repayment. The average need-based aid grant awarded to the Class of 2017 amounted to $46,395. [170] It is anticipated that 15$13,000. [160] For the year 2019, Yale ranked second in the enrollment of recipients of the National Merit $2,500 Scholarship, with 140 scholars. [173]

Half of all Yale undergraduates are women. Over 39% are U.S. citizens identifying as ethnic minorities (with 19% belonging to underrepresented minority groups), and 10.5% are international students. [170] Fifty-five percent of students attended public high schools, while 45% attended private, religious, or international schools. Notably, 97% of students ranked within the top 10% of their high school graduating class. [160] Each year, Yale College also admits a small cohort of non-traditional students through the Eli Whitney Students Program. [174]

Collections

Yale University's Sterling Memorial Library, as viewed from Maya Lin's sculpture, "The Women's Table." This sculpture visually represents the number of women enrolled at Yale throughout its history; female undergraduates were not admitted until 1969.

The Yale University Library, which holds in excess of 15 million volumes, constitutes the second-largest university collection in the United States. [12] [175] The main library, Sterling Memorial Library, contains approximately 4 million volumes, with additional holdings distributed across various subject-specific and location-based libraries.

Rare books are housed within several distinct Yale collections. The Beinecke Rare Book Library boasts an extensive collection of rare books and manuscripts. The [Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library] holds significant historical medical texts, including a notable collection of rare books, as well as historical medical instruments. The [Lewis Walpole Library] possesses the most comprehensive collection of 18th-century British literary works. The [Elizabethan Club], technically a private organization, makes its collection of Elizabethan folios and first editions accessible to qualified researchers through Yale.

The Night Café, painted by Vincent van Gogh in 1888, is displayed at the Yale Art Gallery.

Yale's museum collections are also of international repute. The [Yale University Art Gallery], recognized as the nation's first university-affiliated art museum, houses over 200,000 works, encompassing Old Masters paintings and significant collections of modern art, displayed within the Swartwout and Kahn buildings. The latter, Louis Kahn's inaugural large-scale American project (1953), underwent renovation and reopened in December 2006. The [Yale Center for British Art], home to the largest collection of British art outside of the United Kingdom, originated from a generous donation by [Paul Mellon] and is housed in another building designed by Kahn.

The [Peabody Museum of Natural History] in New Haven serves educational purposes for schoolchildren and maintains research collections in the fields of anthropology, archaeology, and the natural environment.

The [Yale University Collection of Musical Instruments], affiliated with the Yale School of Music, is perhaps the least publicly known of Yale's collections due to its restricted hours of operation.

The university museums once housed artifacts brought to the United States from Peru by Yale history professor Hiram Bingham following his Yale-funded expedition to Machu Picchu in 1912—a period when the removal of such artifacts was legally permissible. These artifacts were repatriated to Peru in 2012. [176]

Academics
National Rankings
Forbes [177]	4
U.S. News & World Report [178]	4 (tie)
Washington Monthly [179]	31
WSJ / College Pulse [180]	3
Global Rankings
ARWU [181]	11
QS [182]	21
THE [183]	10
U.S. News & World Report [184]	9

Rankings and reputation

The U.S. News & World Report ranked Yale fifth among U.S. national universities for 2025. [185] Yale University holds accreditation from the New England Commission of Higher Education. [186]

On the international stage, Yale was ranked 11th in the 2025 Academic Ranking of World Universities. [187]

The university secured the 21st position in the QS World University Rankings for 2026. [188]

Faculty, research, and intellectual traditions

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Yale is a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU) and is classified under "R1: Doctoral Universities—Very high research activity" according to the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. [189] In 2021, the National Science Foundation ranked Yale 15th among American universities for research and development expenditures, totaling $1.16 billion. [190] [191]

Currently, Yale's faculty includes 67 members of the [National Academy of Sciences], [192] 55 members of the [National Academy of Medicine], [193] 8 members of the [National Academy of Engineering], [194] and 187 members of the [American Academy of Arts and Sciences]. [195] When normalized for institutional size, Yale stands as the tenth-largest baccalaureate source of doctoral degree recipients in the United States and leads the Ivy League in this metric. [196] It also ranks among the top 10 (specifically seventh) baccalaureate sources, after normalization by the number of graduates, for individuals recognized with prestigious awards such as the Nobel, Fields, or Turing prizes, or membership in the [National Academy of Sciences], [National Academy of Engineering], or [National Academy of Medicine]. [197]

Yale's English and Comparative Literature departments played a significant role in the New Criticism movement. Among the prominent New Critics affiliated with Yale were faculty members Robert Penn Warren, [W.K. Wimsatt], and [Cleanth Brooks]. Later, the Yale Comparative Literature department became a focal point for American [Deconstruction]. [Jacques Derrida], the progenitor of deconstruction, taught in the comparative literature department from the late 1970s to the mid-1980s. Several other Yale faculty members were also associated with deconstruction, forming what became known as the "Yale school" of thought. These included [Paul de Man], who taught in the Departments of Comparative Literature and French; [J. Hillis Miller] and [Geoffrey Hartman] (both affiliated with the Departments of English and Comparative Literature); and [Harold Bloom] (English), whose theoretical stance was always somewhat distinct, ultimately diverging from the rest of the group. Yale's history department has also been a source of significant intellectual trends. Historians [C. Vann Woodward] and [David Brion Davis] are recognized for initiating a notable stream of scholarship on southern history beginning in the 1960s and 1970s. Similarly, [David Montgomery (historian)], a leading labor historian, mentored numerous contemporary labor historians across the country. Yale's School of Music and its music department fostered the growth of Music Theory in the latter half of the 20th century. The Journal of Music Theory was founded there in 1957, with [Allen Forte] and [David Lewin] serving as influential teachers and scholars.

Since the late 1960s, Yale has facilitated social sciences and policy research through its Yale Institution for Social and Policy Studies (ISPS).

In addition to its distinguished faculty, Yale's research endeavors are substantially supported by approximately 1,200 Postdocs from diverse national and international backgrounds, who work in the university's numerous laboratories across the sciences, social sciences, humanities, and professional schools. The university has progressively acknowledged this vital workforce with the recent establishment of the Office for Postdoctoral Affairs and the Yale Postdoctoral Association.

Campus life

Undergraduate demographics as of Fall 2023 [198]
Race and ethnicity
White	32%
Asian	23%
Hispanic	16%
International student	11%
Black	9%
Two or more races	7%
Unknown	2%
Economic diversity
Low-income [b]	19%
Affluent [c]	81%

Yale is fundamentally a research university, with the majority of its student population enrolled in graduate and professional programs. Undergraduates, or students of Yale College, come from a wide array of ethnic, national, socioeconomic, and personal backgrounds. For the 2010–2011 freshman class, 10% were non-U.S. citizens, while 54% had attended public high schools. [199] The median family income of Yale students is $192,600, with 57% of students originating from the top 10% highest-earning families and 16% from the bottom 60%. [200]

Residential colleges

• Main article: Residential colleges of Yale University

Yale's residential college system was established in 1933 through the philanthropy of Edward S. Harkness, who, inspired by the intimate social environment of Oxford and Cambridge, generously donated funds to establish similar colleges at both Yale and Harvard. While Yale's colleges bear organizational and architectural resemblances to their English predecessors, they function as dependent entities of Yale College, possessing limited autonomy. Each college is overseen by a head (formerly "master") and an academic dean, who reside within the college, and the fellowship of each college comprises university faculty and affiliates. The colleges offer their own seminars, social events, and speaking engagements, known as "Master's Teas," but do not host academic programs or departments. All other undergraduate courses are delivered by the Faculty of Arts and Sciences and are accessible to members of any college.

All undergraduates are assigned to a college prior to their freshman year, and 85 percent reside within the college quadrangle or an affiliated dormitory. [201] While the majority of upperclassmen live in their respective colleges, most freshmen residing on campus are housed in the Old Campus, the university's most historic precinct.

Although Harkness's original colleges were designed in the Georgian Revival or Collegiate Gothic styles, two colleges constructed in the 1960s, Morse and Ezra Stiles Colleges, feature modernist designs. All twelve college quadrangles are centered around a courtyard and equipped with a dining hall, library, common rooms, and various student facilities. The twelve colleges are named in honor of significant alumni or pivotal moments in the university's history. In 2017, the university opened two new colleges situated near Science Hill. [202]

• Jonathan Edwards College courtyard
• Branford College courtyard
• Saybrook College's Killingworth Courtyard
• Hopper College courtyard (formerly Calhoun College)
• Berkeley College buildings
• Trumbull College courtyard
• Davenport College courtyard
• Pierson College courtyard
• Silliman College courtyard
• Timothy Dwight College courtyard
• Morse College courtyard
• Ezra Stiles College courtyard
• Benjamin Franklin College courtyard
• Pauli Murray College courtyard

Calhoun College

Since the 1960s, John C. Calhoun's espousal of white supremacist ideologies and his advocacy for slavery [203] [204] [205] [206] had prompted repeated calls for the renaming of the college or the removal of tributes to Calhoun. The racially motivated church shooting in Charleston, South Carolina, in the summer of 2015 reignited demands for the renaming of Calhoun College, which was then one of twelve residential colleges. Students initiated a petition in July 2015 advocating for the name change. [204] They argued in their petition that while Calhoun was recognized in the 19th century as an "extraordinary American statesman," he was also "one of the most prolific defenders of slavery and white supremacy" in U.S. history. [204] [205] In August 2015, Yale President Peter Salovey addressed the incoming Freshman Class of 2019, acknowledging the prevailing racial tensions while explaining the university's decision not to rename the college. [206] He described Calhoun as a "notable political theorist, a vice president to two different U.S. presidents, a secretary of war and of state, and a congressman and senator representing South Carolina." [206] He further acknowledged that Calhoun also "believed that the highest forms of civilization depend on involuntary servitude. Not only that, but he also believed that the races he thought to be inferior, black people in particular, ought to be subjected to it for the sake of their own best interests." [203] Student activism surrounding this issue intensified in the fall of 2015, including further protests sparked by controversy over an administrator's remarks concerning the potential positive and negative implications of students wearing culturally sensitive Halloween costumes. [207] Campus-wide discussions broadened to encompass critical examination of the experiences of women of color on campus and the realities of racism within undergraduate life. [208] The protests garnered significant media attention, leading to the labeling of some students as members of [Generation Snowflake]. [209]

Despite these arguments, Salovey announced in April 2016 that, "despite decades of vigorous alumni and student protests," Calhoun's name would remain associated with the Yale residential college. [210] He reasoned that it was preferable for Yale students to grapple with Calhoun's "shadow" to be "better prepared to rise to the challenges of the present and the future." He contended that removing Calhoun's name would "obscure" his "legacy of slavery rather than addressing it." [210] He further stated, "Yale is part of that history" and "We cannot erase American history, but we can confront it, teach it and learn from it." A significant change implemented concurrently was the renaming of the title "master" for faculty leaders of residential colleges to "head of college," due to the title's association with slavery. [211]

Notwithstanding this seemingly definitive stance, Salovey announced in February 2017 that Calhoun College would be renamed in honor of the pioneering computer scientist [Grace Hopper]. [212] This renaming decision elicited a varied range of reactions from Yale students and alumni. [213] [214] [215] In his 2019 book, Assault on American Excellence, former Dean of Yale Law School [Anthony T. Kronman] criticized the changes in titles and names, as well as the perceived lack of support from Salovey for [the Christakises], who had faced targeted activism from students. Other members of the university community expressed disagreement with Kronman's viewpoints. [216]

Student organizations

As of 2024, Yale hosts 526 registered undergraduate student organizations, in addition to hundreds of organizations catering to graduate students. [217]

The university is home to a diverse array of student journals, magazines, and newspapers. The [Yale Literary Magazine], established in February 1836, holds the distinction of being the oldest student literary magazine in the United States. [218] Founded in 1872, [The Yale Record] ranks as the world's oldest college humor magazine. Among its newspapers are the [Yale Daily News], which commenced publication in 1878, and the weekly [Yale Herald], first published in 1986. The Yale Journal of Medicine & Law is a biannual publication that explores the intersection of law and medicine.

Dwight Hall, an independent, non-profit community service organization, directs the efforts of over 2,000 Yale undergraduates involved in more than 70 community service initiatives across New Haven. The Yale College Council oversees several agencies responsible for campus-wide activities and student services. The [Yale Dramatic Association] and Bulldog Productions cater to the theater and film communities, respectively. Additionally, the Yale Drama Coalition [219] serves to coordinate and provide resources for the various Sudler Fund-sponsored theater productions that take place each weekend. WYBC Yale Radio [220] operates as the campus radio station, managed and run by students. While students previously broadcasted on AM and FM frequencies, they now exclusively stream online.

The [Yale College Council] (YCC) serves as the undergraduate student government on campus. All registered student organizations are regulated and funded by a subsidiary organization of the YCC, known as the Undergraduate Organizations Funding Committee (UOFC). [221] The Graduate and Professional Student Senate (GPSS) functions as Yale's graduate and professional student government.

The [Yale Political Union] (YPU) is a debate society established in 1934 to facilitate student discussions on a broad spectrum of topics. It receives guidance from prominent alumni in politics, including [John Kerry] and [George Pataki].

The [Yale International Relations Association] (YIRA) functions as the umbrella organization for the university's highly ranked Model UN team. YIRA also oversees a European branch, [Yale Model Government Europe], hosts various Model UN conferences such as YMUN, YMUN Korea, YMUN Taiwan, and the Yale Model African Union (YMAU), publishes the [Yale Review of International Studies] (YRIS), and manages educational programs like the Yale International Relations Leadership Institute and Hemispheres.

The campus includes several [fraternities and sororities]. At least 18 [a cappella] groups are active on campus, the most renowned being [The Whiffenpoofs], which, from its inception in 1909 until 2018, was composed exclusively of senior men.

The [Elizabethan Club], a social club, comprises undergraduates, graduate students, faculty, and staff with literary or artistic interests. Membership is by invitation. Members and their guests may access the club's premises for conversation and tea. The club possesses first editions of a Shakespeare Folio, several Shakespeare Quartos, and a first edition of Milton's [Paradise Lost], among other significant literary works.

Secret societies

• Main article: Yale secret societies

Yale's secret societies include: Skull and Bones, Scroll and Key, Wolf's Head, Book and Snake, Elihu, Berzelius, St. Elmo, Manuscript Society, Brothers in Unity, Linonia, St. Anthony Hall, Shabtai, Myth and Sword, Daughters of Sovereign Government (DSG), Mace and Chain, ISO, Spade and Grave, and [Sage and Chalice], among others. The two oldest existing honor societies are the Aurelian (established in 1910) and the Torch Honor Society (established in 1916). [222]

These organizations share similarities with Harvard finals clubs, Princeton eating clubs, and senior societies at the University of Pennsylvania.

Traditions

• See also: Bladderball

At graduation, Yale seniors traditionally smash clay pipes underfoot, symbolizing their transition from their "bright college years". In recent times, however, these have been replaced with "bubble pipes." [223] [224] ("Bright College Years," the university's alma mater, was penned in 1881 by [Henry Durand], Class of 1881, set to the tune of [Die Wacht am Rhein]). Student tour guides at Yale inform visitors that students consider it good luck to rub the toe of the statue of [Theodore Dwight Woolsey] on Old Campus; however, actual students rarely engage in this practice. [225] During the latter half of the 20th century, [Bladderball], a campus-wide game involving a large inflatable ball, became a popular tradition but was subsequently banned by the administration due to safety concerns. Despite administrative opposition, students revived the game in 2009, 2011, and 2014. [226] [227] [228]

Athletics

• Main article: Yale Bulldogs

Yale Bowl, the college football stadium.

Yale supports 35 varsity athletic teams that compete within the Ivy League Conference, the Eastern College Athletic Conference, and the New England Intercollegiate Sailing Association. Yale athletic teams compete at the intercollegiate level in NCAA Division I. Consistent with other Ivy League members, Yale does not offer athletic scholarships.

Yale boasts numerous athletic facilities, including the [Yale Bowl], recognized as the nation's first natural "bowl" stadium and a prototype for structures like the [Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum] and the [Rose Bowl (stadium)], situated at The [Walter Camp] Field athletic complex. Additionally, the [Payne Whitney Gymnasium] is recognized as the second-largest indoor athletic complex globally. [229]

In 1970, the NCAA imposed a two-year ban on Yale's participation in all NCAA sports. This action was a consequence of Yale's decision to play its Jewish center, [Jack Langer], in college games, despite the NCAA's opposition. Langer had previously played for Team USA at the [1969 Maccabiah Games] in Israel with the approval of Yale President [Kingman Brewster]. [230] [231] [232] [233] This ruling impacted approximately 300 Yale students, encompassing every Yale student athlete, over the subsequent two years. [234]

In 2016, the men's basketball team clinched the Ivy League Championship title for the first time in 54 years, securing a berth in the [NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament]. In their first-round matchup, the Bulldogs defeated the [Baylor Bears] 79–75, marking the school's inaugural tournament victory. [235]

The [Walter Camp] Gate at the Yale Athletic Complex.

In May 2018, the men's lacrosse team defeated the [Duke Blue Devils] to claim their first-ever [NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse Championship]. [236] This achievement made them the first Ivy League school to secure this title since the [Princeton Tigers] in 2001. [237]

Yale crew holds the distinction of being America's oldest collegiate athletic team. It achieved Olympic Games [Gold Medal] status for its men's eights in 1924 and 1956. Over 170 Yale alumni have competed in the Olympic Games, accumulating more than 110 medals. [238]

The [Yale Corinthian Yacht Club], founded in 1881, is recognized as the world's oldest collegiate [sailing (sport)] club. October 21, 2000, marked the dedication of Yale's fourth new boathouse in its 157-year history of collegiate rowing. The [Gilder Boathouse] is named in honor of former Olympic rower Virginia Gilder '79 and her father [Richard Gilder] '54, who contributed $4 million towards the$7.5 million project. Yale also maintains the [Gales Ferry] site, where the heavyweight men's team trains for the prestigious [Yale-Harvard Boat Race].

In 1896, Yale and [Johns Hopkins] played what is believed to be the first [ice hockey] game in the United States. Since 2006, the school's ice hockey clubs have participated in a commemorative game. [239]

Students at Yale claim to have invented the [Frisbee] by tossing empty [Frisbie Pie Company] tins. [240] [241]

Yale athletics are supported by the [Yale Precision Marching Band]. The term "Precision" is employed ironically, as the band operates in a scatter-style, moving wildly between formations rather than executing precise marches. [242] The band attends all home football games, many away games, and most hockey and basketball contests throughout the winter season.

Intramural sports at Yale also represent a significant component of student life. Students compete on behalf of their respective residential colleges, fostering a spirit of friendly rivalry. The academic year is divided into fall, winter, and spring seasons, each featuring approximately 10 different sports. Roughly half of these sports are coeducational. At the conclusion of the year, the residential college accumulating the most points (with varying point values for different sports) is awarded the Tyng Cup.

Song

Among the songs frequently performed and sung at events such as [commencement], [convocation], alumni gatherings, and athletic games, the alma mater, "[Bright College Years]," holds notable prominence. Despite its popularity, "[Boola Boola]" is not the official [fight song], though it is the origin of the university's unofficial motto. The official Yale fight song, "Bulldog," was composed by [Cole Porter] during his undergraduate years and is performed after touchdowns during football games. [243] Additionally, two other songs, "Down the Field" by C.W. O'Conner and "Bingo Eli Yale," also by Cole Porter, continue to be sung at football games. According to College Fight Songs: An Annotated Anthology, published in 1998, "Down the Field" is ranked as the fourth-greatest fight song of all time. [244]

Mascot

The university's [mascot] is "[Handsome Dan]," a Yale [bulldog], and the Yale fight song includes the refrain, "Bulldog, bulldog, bow wow wow." The official school color, adopted in 1894, is [Yale Blue]. [245] Yale's Handsome Dan is widely believed to be the first college mascot in America, established in 1889. [246]

Mental health

Yale has faced considerable criticism regarding its handling of student mental health on campus. [247] [248] [249] [250] Students experiencing suicidal ideation or depression have reported that Yale mandates medical withdrawal rather than providing academic accommodations under the [Americans with Disabilities Act]. In 2018, the [Ruderman Family Foundation] ranked Yale as having the most inadequate mental health policies among Ivy League institutions. [251] [252] [249]

Dear Yale, I loved being here. I only wish I could've had some time. I needed time to work things out and to wait for new medication to kick in, but I couldn't do it in school, and I couldn't bear the thought of having to leave for a full year, or of leaving and never being readmitted. Love, Luchang.

- Luchang Wang, posted on Facebook in 2015 shortly before her death [247] [250] [253] [254] [255]

Students at Yale report that the university's policies compel them to conceal their depression and avoid seeking assistance for fear of forced withdrawal. [247] [251] [250] A notable case involved the suicide of Luchang Wang in 2015, who took her own life after posting on Facebook that she required time to manage her mental health issues but could not endure the prospect of a year-long medical withdrawal with an uncertain readmission possibility. [253] [250] [255] Wang had previously withdrawn from the university due to mental health concerns and feared a repeat withdrawal, as a second attempt at readmission would be significantly more challenging. [253] [250] A friend of Wang revealed that she routinely provided false information to her university therapist to avoid expulsion, [253] and another student stated that many at Yale are dishonest with their counselors because "there's no clear standard established that says exactly what students will get involuntarily hospitalized or withdrawn for." [250] In response, the university established a commission to review its policies concerning readmission after a mental health withdrawal, renaming the process "reinstatement," eliminating the $50 reapplication fee, and extending the decision-making period for students regarding mental health withdrawals by five to six days. [247] [256]

For students who do seek support, waitlists for therapy can extend for months, with individual counseling sessions limited to 30 minutes. [247] In 2022, following a Washington Post article detailing its medical withdrawal policies, the university increased the number of mental health clinicians on campus from 51 to 60 and pledged further enhancements. [248] In 2023, after a lawsuit was filed against the university alleging discrimination, Yale revised the terminology from "medical withdrawal" to "medical leave of absence," asserting that the latter term would allow students to maintain their Yale insurance coverage while away from the institution. [257] [258] The revised policy also permitted students on a leave of absence to participate in extracurricular activities and visit campus, [257] [258] actions previously prohibited for students undergoing medical withdrawal. [247] A Yale representative also stated that the criticism leveled against its policies "misrepresents our efforts and unwavering commitment to supporting our students, whose well-being and success are our primary focus" and emphasized that "the mental health of our students is a very, very high priority." [248]

Following the suicide of undergraduate student Rachael Shaw Rosenbaum, the organization Elis for Rachael was formed to advocate for mental health reforms. The group has initiated legal action against Yale, demanding policy changes. [259]

Notable people

Benefactors

Yale has benefited from numerous financial contributors, with some standing out due to the scale or timeliness of their support. Prominent among those whose substantial donations are commemorated at the university are: [Elihu Yale], [Jeremiah Dummer], the [Vanderbilt family], the [Harkness family] ([Edward], [Anna M.], and [William]), the [Beinecke family] (Edwin, [Frederick], and Walter), [John William Sterling], [Payne Whitney], [Joseph Earl Sheffield], [Paul Mellon], [Charles B. G. Murphy], [Joseph Tsai], [William K. Lanman], and [Stephen Schwarzman]. The Yale Class of 1954, led by [Richard Gilder], donated $70 million in commemoration of their 50th reunion. [260] [Charles B. Johnson], a 1954 graduate of Yale College, pledged a$250 million gift in 2013 to support the construction of two new residential colleges, subsequently named in honor of [Pauli Murray] and [Benjamin Franklin]. A $100 million contribution [261] from [Stephen Adams] enabled the [Yale School of Music] to become tuition-free and facilitated the construction of the Adams Center for Musical Arts. Concurrently, a$150 million contribution [262] from [David Geffen] allowed the Yale School of Drama (renamed the [David Geffen School of Drama at Yale University]) to also become tuition-free.

Notable alumni

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• Further information: List of Yale University people, List of Yale Law School alumni, and List of Nobel laureates affiliated with Yale University

Yale has produced a significant number of distinguished alumni across various fields, both in the public and private sectors. According to 2020 data, approximately 71% of undergraduates enter the workforce, while 17% pursue graduate or professional studies. [264] Yale graduates have been recipients of 263 [Rhodes Scholarships], [265] 123 [Marshall Scholarships], [266] 67 [Truman Scholarships], [267] 21 [Churchill Scholarships], [268] and 9 [Mitchell Scholarships]. [269] The university ranks as the second-largest producer of [Fulbright Scholars], with a total of 1,244 in its history, [270] and has produced 89 [MacArthur Fellows]. [271] The U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs recognized Yale as the fifth-leading research institution for producing Fulbright Scholars in the 2020–2021 cycle. [272] Thirty-one living billionaires are counted among its alumni. [273]

Political science is one of the most popular undergraduate majors, with many graduates pursuing careers in government and politics. [274] Former presidents who attended Yale for their undergraduate studies include [William Howard Taft], [George H. W. Bush], and [George W. Bush]. Presidents [Gerald Ford] and [Bill Clinton] attended Yale Law School. [275] Among vice presidents, the influential [antebellum era] politician [John C. Calhoun] was a Yale alumnus, [276] while [JD Vance] graduated from Yale Law School. [277] [278] Notable international alumni include former Italian prime minister [Mario Monti], [279] Turkish prime minister [Tansu Çiller], [280] former South Korean prime minister [Lee Hong-koo], [281] former Mexican president [Ernesto Zedillo], [282] former German president [Karl Carstens], [283] former Philippine president [José Paciano Laurel], [284] former Latvian president [Valdis Zatlers], [285] former Taiwanese premier [Jiang Yi-huah], [286] and former Malawian president [Peter Mutharika], [287] among others. Prominent royals who have graduated from Yale include [Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden] [288] and [Olympia Bonaparte, Princess Napoléon]. [289]

Alumni have made substantial contributions to all three branches of the U.S. government. Nineteen justices have been alumni of the [U.S. Supreme Court], including current [Associate Justices] [Sonia Sotomayor], [290] [Samuel Alito], [291] [Clarence Thomas], [291] and [Brett Kavanaugh]. [292] Alumni have served as [U.S. Senators], including current senators [Michael Bennet], [293] [Richard Blumenthal], [294] [Cory Booker], [295] [Sherrod Brown], [296] [Chris Coons], [297] [Amy Klobuchar], [298] and [Sheldon Whitehouse]. [299] Current and former cabinet members include Secretaries of State [John Kerry], [300] [Hillary Clinton], [301] [Cyrus Vance], [302] and [Dean Acheson]; [303] U.S. Secretaries of the Treasury [Oliver Wolcott], [304] [Robert Rubin], [305] [Nicholas F. Brady], [306] [Steven Mnuchin], [307] [Janet Yellen], [308] and [Scott Bessent]; [309] U.S. Attorneys General [Nicholas Katzenbach], [310] [Edwin Meese], [John Ashcroft], [311] and [Edward H. Levi]; [312] and numerous others. Sargent Shriver, founder of the Peace Corps and American diplomat, [313] and Robert Moses, a prominent public official and urban planner, [314] are also Yale alumni.

Yale has produced a multitude of award-winning authors and influential writers, [315] including [Nobel Prize in Literature] laureate [Sinclair Lewis] [316] and [Pulitzer Prize] winners [Stephen Vincent Benét], [317] [Thornton Wilder], [318] [Doug Wright], [319] and [David McCullough]. [320] Academy Award-winning actors, actresses, and directors include [Jodie Foster], [321] [Paul Newman], [322] [Meryl Streep], [323] [Elia Kazan], [324] [George Roy Hill], [325] [Lupita Nyong'o], [326] [Oliver Stone], [327] and [Frances McDormand]. [328] Alumni have also made significant contributions to music and the arts. Leading 20th-century American composer [Charles Ives], [329] Broadway composer [Cole Porter], [330] Grammy Award winner [David Lang], [331] multi-Tony Award winner Composer and Musicologist [Maury Yeston], [332] and acclaimed jazz pianist and composer [Vijay Iyer] [333] are all Yale alumni. Matthew Barney, winner of the [Hugo Boss Prize], [334] renowned American sculptor [Richard Serra], [335] presidential portrait painter Kehinde Wiley, [336] [MacArthur Fellows] and contemporary artists Tschabalala Self, [337] Titus Kaphar, Richard Whitten, and Sarah Sze, [338] [Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning] winner Garry Trudeau, [339] and National Medal of Arts recipient and photorealist painter Chuck Close [340] are all Yale graduates. Additional alumni include architect and [Presidential Medal of Freedom] winner Maya Lin, [341] [Pritzker Prize] winner [Norman Foster], [342] and Gateway Arch designer Eero Saarinen. [343] Journalists and commentators include Dick Cavett, [344] Chris Cuomo, [345] Anderson Cooper, [346] William F. Buckley Jr., [347] Blake Hounshell, [348] and Fareed Zakaria. [349]

In the business world, numerous Yale alumni and former students have founded influential companies, such as William Boeing [350] (founder of [Boeing] and [United Airlines]), Briton Hadden [351] and Henry Luce [352] (founders of [Time Magazine]), Stephen A. Schwarzman [353] (co-founder of [The Blackstone Group]), Frederick W. Smith [354] (founder of [FedEx]), Juan Trippe [355] (founder of [Pan Am]), Harold Stanley [356] (co-founder of [Morgan Stanley]), Bing Gordon [357] (early investor in [Electronic Arts]), and Ben Silbermann [358] (co-founder of [Pinterest]). Other notable Yale business figures include former chairman and CEO of [Sears Holdings] Edward Lampert, [359] former [Time Warner] president Jeffrey Bewkes, [360] former [PepsiCo] chairperson and CEO Indra Nooyi, [361] sports agent Donald Dell, [362] and investor/philanthropist Sir John Templeton. [363]

Academically distinguished alumni include literary critic and historian Henry Louis Gates, [364] economists Irving Fischer, [365] Mahbub ul Haq, [366] and Nobel Prize laureate Paul Krugman; [367] Nobel Prize in Physics laureates Ernest Lawrence [368] and Murray Gell-Mann; [369] Fields Medalist John G. Thompson; [370] leader of the [Human Genome Project] and former director of the [National Institutes of Health] Francis S. Collins; [371] brain surgery pioneer Harvey Cushing; [372] pioneering computer scientist Grace Hopper; [373] influential mathematician and chemist Josiah Willard Gibbs; [374] inductee into the [National Women's Hall of Fame] and biochemist Florence B. Seibert; [375] [Turing Award] recipient Ron Rivest; [376] inventors Samuel F.B. Morse [377] and Eli Whitney; [378] [Nobel Prize in Chemistry] laureate John B. Goodenough; [379] lexicographer Noah Webster; [380] and theologians Jonathan Edwards [381] and Reinhold Niebuhr. [382]

In the realm of sports, alumni include baseball players Ron Darling [383] and Craig Breslow, who played in Major League Baseball alongside fellow Yale alumnus Ryan Lavarnway [384], and baseball executives Theo Epstein [385] and George Weiss. [386] Basketball players include Chris Dudley, Tony Lavelli, Miye Oni, and Danny Wolf. Football players include Calvin Hill, [387] Gary Fencik, [388] Amos Alonzo Stagg, [389] and Walter Camp, often referred to as "the Father of American Football." [390] Ice hockey players include Chris Higgins [391] and Olympian Helen Resor. [392] Olympic figure skating champions Sarah Hughes [393] and Nathan Chen [394] are also Yale alumni. Julian Illingworth, a nine-time [U.S. Squash] men's champion, [395] Olympic swimmer Don Schollander, [396] Olympic rowers Josh West [397] and Rusty Wailes, [398] Olympic sailor Stuart McNay, [399] and Olympic runner Frank Shorter [400] are among other notable athletes.

• Notable Yale alumni include:
  • William Howard Taft, 27th President of the United States and Chief Justice (BA, 1878)
  • Gerald Ford, 38th President of the United States (LLB, 1941)
  • George H. W. Bush, 41st President of the United States (BA, 1948)
  • George W. Bush, 43rd President of the United States (BA, 1968)
  • Bill Clinton, 42nd President of the United States (JD, 1973)
  • Hillary Clinton, 67th United States Secretary of State and Former U.S. Senator of New York (JD, 1973)
  • Clarence Thomas, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States (JD, 1974)
  • Samuel Alito, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States (JD, 1975)
  • Sonia Sotomayor, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States (JD, 1979)
  • Amy Klobuchar, Senator of Minnesota (BA, 1982)
  • Jodie Foster, Actress and filmmaker (BA, 1985)
  • Brett Kavanaugh, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States (BA, 1987; JD, 1990)
  • Cory Booker, Senator of New Jersey (JD, 1997)
  • Ron DeSantis, Governor of Florida (BA, 2001)
  • Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Playwright, Author and National Book Critics Circle Award winner (MA, 2008)
  • Lupita Nyong'o, Actress (MFA, 2012)

In fiction and popular culture

Yale University serves as a cultural touchstone, representing an institution that produces highly elite members of society. [401] Its grounds, alumni, and students have been prominently depicted in fiction and U.S. popular culture. For instance, Owen Johnson's novel Stover at Yale chronicles the college career of Dink Stover, [402] and Frank Merriwell, the archetype for subsequent juvenile sports fiction, excelled in football, baseball, crew, and track at Yale while simultaneously solving mysteries and rectifying wrongs. [403] [404] Yale University is also referenced in F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel [The Great Gatsby]. The narrator, Nick Carraway, contributed a series of editorials to the Yale News, and Tom Buchanan was described as "one of the most powerful ends that ever played football" for Yale.

Notes

• ^ a b Sheffield was originally named Yale Scientific School; it was renamed in 1861 following a substantial donation from [Joseph E. Sheffield].
• ^ Represents the percentage of students who received an income-based federal [Pell grant], intended for low-income students.
• ^ Represents the percentage of students who are part of the [American middle class] at a minimum level.