How To Get Into Yale – Guide To Ivy League Admissions [UPDATED]

Each year, thousands of student’s ask how to get into Yale.  Whether it is for the school’s Hogwarts-like residential college system, its Tony Award-winning Repertory Theatre in residence at the David Geffen School of Drama, its countless alumni who lead in politics, the arts, and business, or simply for the fact that it is the fifth highest ranked school in the United States.

Fortunately, starting in 2017, Yale expanded the size of its undergraduate class from 5400 undergraduates to 6200. 

Still…

Getting into Yale University is Still Highly Competitive

Similar to other Ivy League schools, Yale’s overall acceptance rate is less than a mere 4.6%.

• How is a student supposed to stand out to Yale admissions officers in a group of thousands? 
• How do they even begin to ponder what they need for the Yale application process? 

This is that starting point. We will discuss Yale University’s history, the Yale University acceptance rate, Yale University admission requirements, and more.

Yale History

Even Yale’s architecture lives up to its other historic achievements.

Yale’s historic buildings are impressive. For example, Connecticut Hall isthe oldest building in New Haven and a National Historic Landmark.

But even its more modern buildings live up to its legacy. The Yale Bowl, which in its heyday was the largest amphitheater built since the Roman Colosseum, holding 80,000 fans.

Famous Yale Alumni

Yale has many notable alumni, including:

Yale University’s famous alumni also includes 20 Nobel laureates across multiple disciplines, such as:

• Paul Krugman who won the 2008 Nobel prize in Economics
• Sinclair Lewis who on the 1930 Nobel prize in Literature

Additionally, Yale is proud to have 35 Pulitzer Prize winners amongst its alumni including:

• Anne Applebaum
• David McCoullough
• Bob Woodward.

Yale University Fun Facts & Trivia

The Birthplace of Modern American Football

In 1880, Walter Camp developed modern American football while an undergraduate at Yale.  He developed it by modifying rugby and later became known as the father of American football.

Handsome Dan – Yale’s Mascot

In 1889, Yale students adopt Handsome Dan, a bulldog and enthusiastic football fan. The dog would go on to inspire Cole Porter to write Yale’s fight song, Bulldog, Bulldog.

Frisbie Pie Company

In 1920, Yale students invented the Frisbee by tossing pie plates from the Frisbie Pie Company to each other.

Drama School Becomes Tuition-Free

As of 2021, Drama School students will no longer pay tuition thanks to a landmark $150 million gift from David Green.

What Kind Of Student Is Yale Looking For?

Yale places a great deal of focus on academics, more so than other Ivy League Schools. 

Yale looks for students who are taking a challenging and rigorous course load.

They also look for students who engage with academic topics outside the classroom. For example:

• pursuing research opportunities
• being published in journals
• or writing academically minded op-eds for newspapers

Yale also wants students who have made significant achievements in the arts.  However, this is hardly surprising. After all, Yale’s fine art programs have consistently ranked in the top of those in the United States. 

Though not every student who applies needs to be an artistic savant. In fact, the Sciences and Political Science are still the most common majors pursued at Yale. As such, Yale most certainly has a place for students looking to excel in this area.

Inside the Mind of a Yale Admissions Officer

Beyond this, the two key questions that Yale Admission officers ask themselves when assessing potential students are:

1. Who is likely to make the most of Yale’s resources?
2. Who will contribute most significantly to the Yale community?

Such students have intellectual curiosity, energy, relationships with classmates, and an impact on the classroom environment. 

Students who have taken advantage of the resources and opportunities available at their high school demonstrate that they can make the most of Yale’s resources.

Students who excel in a specific field. Especially one which they are passionate about. This will generally give applicants an advantage over students who spread their time and interests too thin or too broadly.

Ultimately, Yale, like most other Ivy League schools, wants to assemble a diverse, well-rounded student body, which need not necessarily be filled with well-rounded students. 

Is Yale The Right School For Me?

Most current students or alumni of Yale would say that students will fit in at Yale if:

• they have energy
• are passionate about their interests
• or are someone who wants to contribute to society

Yale wants students who push their limits academically and extracurricular, so a student who would enjoy that kind of challenge and has that kind of drive would be well suited to Yale.

That said, most Yale students are not all business all the time, so a student who enjoys relaxing or parting just as much as they enjoy expanding their intellect would make a good fit for Yale.

Not Sure If Yale Is The Right School For You?

I encourage you to read our guides on getting into the Ivy League schools as well.

Yale University Acceptance Rates

Yale has a 4.6% admission rate for the Class of 2026.

Yale’s regular decision admissions rate is 3.36%.

Whereas…

Yale’s early action admissions rate is 10.98%

That’s correct, with around 800 students accepted out of a pool of 7,366 applicants, the Yale Early Decision admission rate is 10.98%. This goes to show that a student can gain an advantage by applying early decisions.

Yale Class of 2026 Admissions Demographics

Amongst those students who were accepted:

• 49% were male
• 51% were female
• 49% speak a language other than English at home or as a first language
• 21% received a Pell Grant
• 18% were first generation college students
• and 12% had a legacy affiliation

Keep in mind, the backgrounds of these students were self-reported to Yale and 19% indicated more than one ethnicity when asked.

They are counted twice here:

The vast majority of students who got into Yale–about 96% of the incoming class–ranked in the top 10% of their class. 

• 65% of students attended a public high school
• 20% of students attended an independent institution
• 8% attended a boarding school
• and 7% attended a religious institution

Most students come from northeastern states. Although a decent proportion of the student body comes from western states and southern states. 

International students accepted to Yale University hail from 72 different nations from around the world.

Most Popular Majors at Yale

Though it is not necessary to declare an intended major when applying to Yale, most students do declare one.

Here’s a list of some of the most popular picks:

Yale University Requirements

In the following section we will discuss some requirements students should expect to have if they hope to get into to Yale.

Let’s take a look:

Yale GPA Requirements

While there are no written rules for items such as GPA requirements, our research shows the average GPA’s of students who have been accepted to Yale.

This data is useful for students planning on applying to the university.

The most important things students will need to apply to Yale is an excellent transcript.

Yale University GPA requirements are difficult as you would expect from an Ivy League school.

Most admitted students had or were close to an unweighted 4.0 GPA.

So almost all straight A’s across all four years of high school. 

Yale also wants to see that students have taken the most advanced classes available to them. 

So, a student with straight A’s in all regular, non-honors classes will not be as competitive if their school had offered honors or AP/IB classes.

It should be noted that different high schools have different grading systems. So, while a 4.0 or similar GPA is not a hard-and-fast requirement, excellent grades with a difficult class load is an essential part of a competitive Yale application.

ACT/SAT Test Scores For Yale Admissions

Note: In response to the pandemic, Yale temporarily suspended its requirement that first-year applicants submit results from the ACT or SAT. While this policy is in effect, the admissions office will not report data on the test scores or test-sharing choices of applicants, admitted students, or enrolling students. A decision on testing policy for the 2023-24 admissions cycle will be made in early 2023.

Source: Yale University

Despite Yale not publishing it’s SAT score data, we can look at the average SAT and ACT scores of students accepted into Yale to see that they prefer extremely competitive scores.

Historically, Yale generally looks for:

• an SAT score of around 1500
• an ACT score of around 34

If your ACT scores aren’t quite there yet, don’t worry, you have options:

• Check out our list of recommend ACT study books and materials.
• Sign up for a free, live proctored ACT practice exam that Powerful Prep administers the first Saturday of each month via a Zoom conference.
• Take advantage of one of our elite ACT test prep options including an AI-driven app called Achievable or sign up for Personalized ACT Tutoring with one of our Ivy League graduate instructors.

For more information on how to be successful on the ACT or SAT tests, read the following:

• ACT Test Dates & When To Expect Your ACT Score | ACT FAQ
• SAT Test Dates & When To Expect Your SAT Score | SAT FAQ

Yale Application Basics

Yale applications must be submitted through:

• The Coalition Application
• The Common Application
• or The QuestBridge Application

There is no preference or advantage between different applications. But, regardless of which application they choose, they will also be expected to submit the Yale Supplement with their application. 

An $80 application fee or fee waiver must also be submitted regardless of which application students choose.

Send 3 Recommendation Letters With Your Yale Application

Additionally, students must submit three recommendations:

• two from teachers
• one from a school counselor 

The two teachers who provide recommendations for a student must have taught said student in a core academic subject, such:

• English
• Foreign Language
• Mathematics
• Science
• or Social Studies

As for the recommendation from a school counselor, even if the counselor does not know a particular student well, Yale still wants to see that recommendation. It may still provide helpful contextual information about the student’s school and its academic programs.

Students are also required to submit a secondary school report, which should be submitted by the student’s school or school counselor. Additionally, a Mid-Year report is also due when first semester/term senior grades become available at a student’s school.

To Submit SAT/ACT Scores or Not To Submit Scores…

Students have the option of submitting standardized test results from the SAT or ACT, for fall 2021, 2022, and 2023 admissions cycles, though they are not required, as stated above. 

Normally, such scores would also be required.

Keep in mind, however, that sending test scores is still recommended for most students.

Read Do I Need to Take the SAT or ACT Tests? to determine if you should submit test scores when applying to Yale or other test optional schools.

Showcase Your Story On Your Application

Students should craft an identity which is interesting and unique, and highlight it in their applications.

Especially if:

• they fall into a demographic minority (such as African American, Hispanic Latino, Native American, etc.)
• or if they come from a region that is geographically underrepresented, such as the Mid-Atlantic, Southwest, or states in in the West and South which are not California or Texas (usually the most well represented states in those two regions)

This is not to say that falling into any of these groups can give a student an inherent advantage at getting into Yale, but it certainly cannot hurt to make a student standout.

Additional Requirements for Non-Native English Speakers

Students whose first language is not English or who did not study in an English-medium curriculum for at least two years should also submit results from the TOEFL, IELTS, or PTE to demonstrate their English proficiency.

You should also read How To Get Into the Ivy League as an International Student for additional advice on getting into Yale.

How To Get An Edge When Applying To Yale

If you want to know how to get into Yale University, once of the most effective things you can do is to get on Yale’s radar as early as possible. 

One of the best ways to do this is to participate in Yale run externships and high school programs, especially those which highlight the student or their interests. 

High school seniors could apply for the Yale Summer Sessions, where they would take college courses with Yale students for school credit. Or they can participate in the Yale Young Global Scholars. 

Students should look into what programs Yale offers or participates in which align with their passions and interests. 

If students cannot find such programs, they can participate in similar local programs which highlight their academic enthusiasm.

Alternatively, they could reach out to Yale professors working in their field of interest and see if those professors are interesting in taking on an assistant for their research. 

Each of these possibilities will not only demonstrate that a student is ready for Yale’s level of college work but will also demonstrate that student’s interest in Yale specifically.

Apply To Yale Via Early Action

Applying early action is advisable for obvious reasons: the Yale early decision admissions rate is more than double the regular decision rate. 

As we stated earlier, the early decision acceptance rate is 10.98% for Yale University.

That said, this is not an option for everyone. 

If the extra time between the early action deadline and regular decision deadline are necessary to make an application more competitive, then it would be better to target the regular decision deadline. 

Fortunately, Yale’s early action admissions is non-binding, so students who have competitive applications but may not be able to attend without financial aid can take advantage of the early application cycle and its higher admissions rate.

Secure Great Letters of Recommendation

Choosing the best possible teacher to write recommendations is also crucial. 

The best option is teachers who know the student best, not necessary who teach the class in which that student got the highest grades.  For this reason, Yale recommends that students seek recommendations who taught them in their junior or senior year, since those teachers would have taught the student in question most recently. 

Yale wants to know about a student’s intellectual curiosity and resilience as well as his or her innate ability and work ethic.  However, students should refrain from making topic suggestions to their teachers unless explicitly asked.

Demonstrate Dedication Through Excellence

Be excellent in something specific. 

Yale wants to make a well-rounded class, but that does not mean that every member of that class needs to be well-rounded. 

Far from it.

Yale wants applicants with depth and a deep commitment to the activities they pursue.  It is nearly impossible to demonstrate that if a student is spread thin amongst five or ten different activities.

Participate in extracurriculars that demonstrate engagement with the community beyond the classroom, the drive to take on leadership positions when available, and a deep commitment to and genuine appreciation for the activity being done.  Yale is especially interested in extracurriculars that can demonstrate community engagement.

The Key To Impressive Essays

Write excellent essays, both for personal statements and for the Yale supplements. 

Students should write about something that matters to them, using their own voice.  Impressive vocabulary and overly complex sentence structures are not necessarily the key to an excellent essay.  Also, be sure to proofread!

Take Advantage of Interviews

If an interview is offered, take advantage of it.  While interviews are not recommended for students to be accepted, Yale highly recommends that students who are offered an interview, participate.  During interviews, students should strive to expand upon the questions asked and to avoid giving short, direct answers.

Don’t Go Overboard With Supplemental Material

Avoid going overboard with supplemental material.  If students have a portfolio or have participated in STEM research which is directly relevant to their application and the programs they are applying to, then, of course, they should submit the necessary supplemental material. 

However, all students should avoid submitting extra letters of recommendation.  Doing so may actually dilute the potency of the two required letters of recommendation. 

Appropriate supplemental letters of recommendation provide new information and dimension to a student’s candidacy, such as a letter from a research mentor who has personally overseen the student’s work.  Appropriate letters should not repeat the strengths and qualities found elsewhere in the student’s application.

Utilize “Hooks” When Possible

Separately, there are so-called “hooks” which former Yale Admissions officers have noted as significant drivers of admissions.

Hooks can include being a legacy (one or both of your close relatives went to Yale), placing high in academic competitions (Intel Science competition, Math or Science Olympics), or being a star athlete.

Summary: How To Get Into Yale University

Do you want to know how to get into Yale University but are looking for the TL;DR version?

Here it is (although we highly recommend taking the time to read the full article as the insights we’ve provided above should not be glossed over if you are serious about getting into Yale):