Yale College in August welcomed 1,640 new first-year students to New Haven as members of the Class of 2029. They were joined by 34 new transfer students and 28 new adult students matriculating through the Eli Whitney Students Program.
Among the new students are graduates of nearly 1,200 high schools, 16 veterans of the U.S. military, and 35 students who were most recently enrolled at a community college.
The new first-year students are also part of one of the largest classes in Yale's history. In February Provost Scott Strobel and dean of Yale College Pericles Lewis announced an increase in undergraduate enrollment, beginning with the Class of 2029, which is approximately 100 students larger than the previous class.
At the time of the announcement, Jeremiah Quinlan, dean of undergraduate admissions and financial aid, said that the change would allow the admissions committee to admit more students each year. By expanding enrollment, he said, Yale increases its excellence, broadens the reach of Yale graduates, and magnifies their collective impact. Since the opening of the Pauli Murray and Benjamin Franklin residential colleges in 2017, Yale College's total enrollment has grown by more than 23%. Compared with a decade ago, the undergraduate student body is now larger by more than 1,200 students.
Reflecting on the newly arrived class, Quinlan added, "Each of the over 1,700 new students who begin their Yale journey this fall impressed the admissions committee with their academic strength, their impact in countless communities, and their potential to make meaningful contributions to Yale."
The newest students also bring the total number of veterans enrolled in Yale College to 56 - the highest number in many decades - and the total number of enrolled Eli Whitney students to 100, the most in the program's 17-year history.
The Eli Whitney Students Program brings adult learners with an extraordinary range of life experiences into Yale College and fully integrates them into the undergraduate academic environment. Since 2008, the program has welcomed applications from exceptional students with "nontraditional" backgrounds - with a focus on individuals without a bachelor's degree who have been out of high school for at least five years.
"Eli Whitney students come from all walks of life: they are military veterans, artists, athletes, working parents, and entrepreneurs," said Patricia Wei, the program's director of admissions. "Their wide-ranging perspectives make Yale College a richer learning environment."
Exceptional talent, myriad backgrounds
The newest Yalies arrived in New Haven from 53 U.S. states and territories and from 46 countries. More than 380 first-year students (23%) are eligible for a federal Pell Grant for lower-income students, and 18% will be part of the first generation in their families to graduate from a four-year college. A complete profile of the class from the office of undergraduate admissions is available here.
More than 100 of the new students are from a small town or rural area. In 2023 Yale became an inaugural member of the Small-Town and Rural Students (STARS) College Network, a first-of-its-kind consortium of colleges and universities that works to create new pathways to college for students who might not otherwise recognize the full range of educational opportunities available to them.
Maintaining a commitment to affordability
Through the incoming class, Yale again demonstrated its extraordinary commitment to helping students and families afford college, university leaders said. More than 54% of new undergraduates are receiving need-based financial aid from Yale, with an average scholarship of over $75,800 for the 2025-26 academic year - a figure that exceeds the cost of tuition by nearly $6,000.
Students from families with annual incomes below $75,000 and typical assets qualify for a financial aid award with a "zero parent share." These awards cover the full cost of tuition, housing, the meal plan, travel, hospitalization insurance, and a $2,000 startup grant with scholarship funds. Almost 300 new first-year students qualified for one of these awards.
Recently, Yale was recognized as a national leader in increasing the representation of lower-income students. More than one in three Yale College undergraduates are now first-generation college students or are from a lower-income family. Last year, 88% of graduating Yale College students finished college with no loan debt.
Wide-ranging academic interests, exceptional academic strength
As applicants, students in the first-year class were invited to list up to three Yale majors that fit their academic interests. Collectively, they expressed interest in pursuing 83 distinct Yale College majors.
Roughly a quarter (23%) listed an arts and humanities major as their first interest. A similar proportion (27%) chose a social science major. Half of the class listed a STEM major, with 33% opting for physical science or engineering and 17% for one of five life science majors. More than 97% of incoming students listed multiple majors of interest, and 81% selected three majors spanning two or more academic categories, such as philosophy, physics, and political science; or biomedical engineering, anthropology, and neuroscience.
For students whose high schools provided a class rank, 97% graduated in the top 10% of their senior class.
The incoming first-year students were the first class to apply to Yale with a new flexible testing policy that allowed students to submit one or more type of tests from among four options: ACT, SAT, Advanced Placement (AP), and International Baccalaureate (IB). The profile of the Class of 2029 includes data on testing choices and score ranges. More than 10% of new first-year students opted to apply without the ACT or SAT, which previously (before 2020) was required of all applicants.
The new policy helped the admissions committee identify well-prepared applicants from a wide range of contexts, according to Director of the First-Year Selection Process Hannah Mendlowitz. "Applicants took advantage of the flexibility our new policy offered and presented a range of evidence to demonstrate their many academic strengths" she said.
Making a smooth transition
While new first years met their first-year counselors and residential college communities in mid-August, many new students began their transition to Yale earlier still.
Last April, the admission office welcomed a record number of admitted students to Bulldog Days, the office's signature on-campus visit program. More than 500 current Yale undergraduates volunteered to host admitted students in their residential college suites, and more than 100 faculty participated in the popular Bulldog Days academic fair, where admitted students learn about majors, research opportunities, and special academic programs.
After arriving on campus, each new first-year and transfer student participated in one of 10 distinctive Camp Yale Programs (CYPs) designed to cultivate an early sense of community among incoming students. These programs include BUILD, at the CEID (Yale Center for Engineering Innovation & Design); Camp Yale Arts, at the Yale University Art Gallery and Center for Collaborative Arts and Media; Cultural Connections (CC); FOCUS on New Haven; First-Year Outdoor Orientation Trips (FOOT); Harvest; LAUNCH; Orientation for International Students (OIS); Yale Reserved , a program designed for students who enjoy moments of solitude, low-key events, and reflection; and Yale Campus Recreation, a new program that exposes students to programs and services at the Yale Outdoor Education Center, Payne Whitney Gym, and other campus recreation spaces. Since 2022, Yale has covered all costs associated with the programs.
On Aug. 18, President McInnis and Dean Lewis welcomed new students at the Open Assembly Ceremony on Cross Campus. During that event, McInnis encouraged students to build a strong and connected community: "In a world in flux, the skills, and relationships you gain here will help you adapt and thrive. The ability to think critically, engage respectfully, ask questions, and interrogate ideas - that's what stands the tests of both time and technology."
In his remarks, Lewis welcomed new students with an address on character and flourishing. "The ethical dimension of the education you are about to pursue starts with asking what kind of character you want to have," he said. "The hope of a liberal education is that by living and working together with others, you as a student will make the connections between your studies and the kind of person you want to become."
Many new students will see their families again this month for the Yale College Family Weekend scheduled for October 23-25.
