Yale University was founded on 9 October 1701 as the Collegiate School, created by a group of Congregationalist clergy of the Connecticut Colony led by James Pierpont, with Abraham Pierson as its first rector. The school moved to New Haven in 1716 and was renamed Yale College in 1718 in honour of Elihu Yale, a benefactor. It adopted the name Yale University in 1887. Yale is a member of the Ivy League and a founding member of the Association of American Universities.
The central campus covers about 260 acres in downtown New Haven, with Gothic and Georgian buildings, while athletic facilities and research sites lie farther out. In the autumn of 2024 Yale enrolled about 15,500 students, among them roughly 6,700 undergraduates and 8,750 graduate and professional students, with 5,744 faculty members. Undergraduates belong to one of fourteen residential colleges, which house students and organise much of their social and academic life.
Yale has fifteen schools, including Yale College, the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, the Law School, the School of Medicine, the School of Drama, the School of Management and the School of the Environment, whose roots in forestry date to 1900. In 1861 Yale awarded the first doctoral degrees in the United States. The Yale University Library holds more than fifteen million volumes, including the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, and the Yale University Art Gallery, founded in 1832, is the oldest university art museum in the Western Hemisphere.
Graduates include Presidents Gerald Ford, George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, and the revolutionary Nathan Hale. Aid is based on need, and the university states that it applies the same policy to international applicants. Check the current tariff for tuition. Teaching is in English.
New Haven lies on Long Island Sound, about two hours from New York by train, and the campus is walkable. The annual football game against Harvard, called The Game, is one of the oldest rivalries in American college sport.
Domains taught:
Chemistry, Data Analytics, Ecology and Sustainability, Engineering, Life Sciences, Mathematics, Physics, Statistics
Diplomas*:
Bachelor, Doctor, Master, MBA
Status:
Private
Partnerships:
Member of the Ivy League and a founding member of the Association of American Universities. Partnerships with the city of New Haven, Yale New Haven Health and research institutions worldwide.
Research:
Broad research programmes in medicine, the sciences, engineering, the humanities, law, forestry and environmental studies, with major libraries and museums that serve as research collections.
Famous Alumnis:
Gerald Ford, George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Nathan Hale
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
5700
Current students***:
15500
Foreign students***:
20%
Cumulative former students***:
N/A
Pros
Residential college system, outstanding libraries and museums, strong law, drama and humanities schools, need-based aid that includes international students, compact walkable campus.
Cons
Very selective admissions, high tuition before aid, New Haven is a smaller city than Boston or New York, harsh winters.
Best For
Students who want a strong humanities, law and arts tradition within a residential college community and a leading research university.
Harvard University sits close to this university on chemistry, statistics and physics; it is also a private institution, and teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba.
Emory University sits close to this institution on chemistry, statistics and mathematics; it teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba, and covers finance and bioinformatics as well.
Brandeis University is the closest domestic counterpart for chemistry, physics and mathematics; it covers finance and microbiology and genetics as well, and is far smaller, with about 4,696 students against roughly 15,500 here.
University of Miami follows much the same lines as this institution, with ecology and sustainability, life sciences and data analytics as common ground, and it covers finance and marine science as well, and is slightly larger, at about 20,104 students against roughly 15,500 here.
Think of University of Chicago when statistics, physics and mathematics is the priority: it covers AI and machine learning and software engineering as well, and is slightly larger, at about 18,000 students against roughly 15,500 here.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
Chinese University of Hong Kong in Hong Kong shares the chemistry, statistics and physics orientation of this university, and it is slightly larger, at about 21,110 students against roughly 15,500 here, and is public, whereas this university is private.
On content, University of Innsbruck in Austria and this university are close, as both teach chemistry, statistics and ecology and sustainability; it is public, whereas this university is private, and does not run the mba programmes found here.
If this university is on your list for chemistry, physics and mathematics, Korea University in South Korea deserves a comparison, because it is larger, enrolling about 31,130 students against roughly 15,500 here, and is also a private institution.
Tel Aviv University in Israel pursues a similar profile in chemistry, statistics and physics, and it is public, whereas this university is private, and runs the same bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba programmes.
In Australia, University of Sydney teaches much the same core subjects, chemistry, physics and mathematics, and it also offers graduate certificate and graduate diploma programmes and covers finance and marine science as well.
*our own picks (our criteria: a mix between domains, diploma delivered, reputation and size), but obviously too many criteria for an apple-to-apple ranking.
FAQ
Where is Yale University?
In New Haven, Connecticut, on Long Island Sound, about two hours from New York by train.
When was it founded?
On 9 October 1701, as the Collegiate School.
Why is it called Yale?
It was renamed Yale College in 1718 in honour of the benefactor Elihu Yale.
When did it become a university?
In 1887.
How large is it?
About 15,500 students, among them roughly 6,700 undergraduates and 8,750 graduate and professional students.
What are the residential colleges?
Fourteen communities that house undergraduates and organise much of their social and academic life.
How many schools does it have?
Fifteen, including Law, Medicine, Drama, Management and the School of the Environment.
What did Yale award in 1861?
The first doctoral degrees in the United States.
What is the Yale University Art Gallery?
Founded in 1832, it is the oldest university art museum in the Western Hemisphere.
How is financial aid decided?
It is based on need, and the university states that it applies the same policy to international applicants. Check the current tariff.
Biology, Environmental Engineering, Innovation, Research and Development, Sustainable Development
*: without any judgment of the quality, readers are strongly encouraged to check the official status of the exact diploma envisioned as many universities have a mix of recognized diplomas, not recognized, “co-delivered,” “equivalent to”, “some pathways” (…), can change over time, and can be named differently from one country to another.
**: international reputation: is based on some criteria that do not mean much in some domains or specialties (number of researchers, of scientific publications, on budget ….). Our approximate 1-4 scale:
known locally
known locally and internationally
is listed in some of the world university’s classifications
is listed among the 20 firsts in some of world university’s classifications
***: estimated numbers, based on online sources and/or feedbacks. The numbers can vary greatly depending on school organisation (ex.: school is part of a group, it employs internal staff or external consultants or has public staff without employing them …). Refer to all the links provided to have accurate and updated numbers.
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