At schools with acceptance rates below 10%, nearly every applicant has near-perfect grades and test scores. Admissions decisions are driven by essays, extracurriculars, recommendations, and institutional priorities — factors no stats-based model can predict. Our likelihood labels reflect academic competitiveness only.
Yale University is one of the oldest and most selective universities in the United States, known for its residential college system and exceptional programs in the humanities, social sciences, and arts. Its law school, drama school, and art gallery are among the finest in the world.
Mascot: Bulldog
Notable Alumni
Meryl Streep (legendary actress)•Anderson Cooper (CNN news anchor)•Jodie Foster (Academy Award-winning actress)
At a Glance
Cost
Published sticker prices for 2025-2026. Actual cost after aid varies.
Top Programs & National Ranking
Approximate national ranking based on departmental rankings, research output, and program reputation.
Highlights
Campus Experience
Yale's 14 residential colleges are the heartbeat of campus life — you're sorted before arrival, and your college provides dining, common rooms, traditions, and a built-in friend group that makes a 6,000-student university feel intimate. Greek life exists but is genuinely optional; residential college parties and Yale's more than a dozen a cappella groups drive more social energy. Of all the Ivies, Yale arguably has the best balance of academic rigor and genuine fun.
Gothic Revival courtyards, Harkness Tower, the Beinecke Rare Book Library's translucent marble panels, and residential colleges modeled on Oxford create a dramatic, cathedral-like campus woven into downtown New Haven.
Based on Niche reviews, Princeton Review surveys, student forums, and institutional data.
Safety
Yale has a full sworn police department with 90+ officers, over 500 emergency phones, the LiveSafe app, and walking escort services. The campus core is well-patrolled, though robberies and assaults have ticked up in recent years.
New Haven has elevated violent and property crime rates compared to national averages. Areas immediately adjacent to campus are relatively safe, but neighborhoods a few blocks south and west require more caution.
Based on Clery Act data, student surveys, and local crime statistics.
Plan Your Visit
Schedule: Daily Monday-Saturday
Duration: 60 minutes (campus tour); optional 30-min admissions info session; 90-min science/engineering tour also available
Tours start at Yale Visitor Center, 149 Elm Street. Reservations required. Mon-Sat 9am-4pm. Group tours (10+) can be arranged via visitorcenter@yale.edu or (203) 432-2300.
Book a TourSelf-guided audio walking tour available on your phone. Multiple themed tours including campus, science, engineering, athletics, residential colleges, and a 'Slavery and Yale' historical tour.
Tour ResourcesSeptember-November (stunning fall foliage against Gothic architecture) or April-May. The campus is most alive during Bulldog Days (admitted students weekend in April). Avoid winter break and Yale's shopping period (first two weeks of each semester) when students are frantic. The New Haven Green adjacent to campus hosts festivals throughout the warmer months.
Visitor lots at $2/hour via ParkMobile: Lot 26V (near Ingalls Rink), Lot 37 (Trumbull St between Temple and Hillhouse), Lot 16V (Whitney & Humphrey, ~0.5 mi walk). From NYC: Metro-North to New Haven Union Station (~90 min, ~$18), then free CT Transit shuttle to the New Haven Green or a $10 taxi/rideshare to campus. Amtrak also stops at Union Station.
Location
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