How big is Yale University?
Is Yale A Large Campus?
If you wonder how big is Yale University, the 260-acre central campus located in New Haven has 14 schools and students follow a liberal arts curriculum before selecting a departmental major. The curriculum includes humanities and arts, sciences, and social sciences Additionally, students receive instruction in quantitative reasoning, foreign languages, and writing skills.
Yale students live in residential colleges that were inspired by the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, which is unusual for the US. There are 12 historically significant colleges, and work on two more began in 2014. To answer “Is Yale a large campus?”, here is a glimpse of what potential Yale freshmen could expect:
Research and Collections
More than a million square feet of laboratory space, the renowned Yale University Art Gallery, the Yale Center for British Art, and the Peabody Museum of Natural History are all used by undergraduates to learn and conduct research. The number of books—13 million—displayed across 22 libraries provides students with countless opportunities for exploration.
Dining
Every day of the week, the Yale community can find food and friends in fourteen cozy residential college dining halls. “Yalies” in need of food have even more options thanks to the Kosher Kitchen at the Joseph Slifka Center and the grab-and-go fare at Durfee’s Sweet Shoppe on Old Campus.
Housing
The core of the Yale College experience is the residential college housing system. Each student is assigned to one of the fourteen residential colleges prior to their first year, giving undergraduates a built-in community from the moment they arrive on campus.
This might pique your interest, “How big is Yale University’s residential houses?” Each residential college has between 400 and 500 undergraduate students with a tight-knit community and first-class, modern residences. The residential colleges offer students the intimacy of a smaller college experience within a large academic institution, serving as a microcosm of Yale’s diverse student body.
College Life
The top-notch extracurricular facilities at Yale combine cutting-edge resources with a proud tradition. More than twenty on-campus venues host student theater, music, and dance productions.
Handsome Dan might be spotted by athletes or spectators at the iconic Yale Bowl or Ingalls Rink by Eero Saarinen. The 1,500-acre Yale Outdoor Education Center and the Yale Farm are two places where people looking for the great outdoors can connect.
Safety and Transportation
Walking and cycling are encouraged in Yale and New Haven. Students use campus shuttles, Zipcar rentals, and nearby parking options to travel farther than just a few blocks. The universal Live Safe App from Yale provides door-to-door escorts among other one-stop safety resources. More than 500 Blue Phones are available to students, and the Yale Police patrol the campus around the clock.
What Is the Area Around Yale Like?
For almost three centuries, Yale University has considered New Haven as its home. New Haven is regarded as a city of innovation, culture, and prosperity and a hub for business and the arts.
If you’re curious how big is Yale University’s “home”, New Haven is conveniently situated between Boston and New York, is roughly 20 square miles in size, and has close to 130,000 residents. It is “large enough to be interesting, yet small enough to be friendly.”
A great place to live, work, conduct business, and have fun–New Haven.
The convenience of being close to the best aspects of urban living, including dining establishments, nightlife, art galleries, concerts, shopping, and theater, draws people to Downtown, where Yale’s Central Campus is situated. The New Haven Green, a historic 16-acre park in the center of Downtown, continues to serve as a hub for the area’s religious, cultural, and commercial life and is the location of summertime outdoor events like concerts and festivals.
Walking distance from the Green, you can explore more of what is the area around Yale like. Thriving shopping and dining areas like Broadway, Audubon, Chapel, and Ninth Square can be found around the neighborhood. Due to the concentration of the region’s financial and legal services in the office buildings surrounding the Green, many professionals also find Downtown to be a convenient place to work.
The majority of the housing in this area is comprised of apartments, though there are also a few condos available, ranging in style from traditional to contemporary loft conversions.
How Many People Apply to Yale in A Year?
How big is Yale University’s admissions? Out of the 50,015 applicants for the Class of 2026, Yale’s Office of Undergraduate Admissions has finished reviewing first-year applications and has made admission offers to 2,234.
A further 46 students who were admitted during the 2020–21 admissions cycle but chose to delay matriculation for one year will join the newly admitted applicants. This information demonstrated that more people were applying to colleges nationwide, particularly at Ivy League and other prestigious institutions.
The rising trend of how many people apply to Yale in a year is probably due to the fact that more students are applying to schools than ever before and that many don’t require the SAT or ACT. The most applicants ever to Yale submitted 50,015 applications as well.
What Is Yale’s Acceptance Rate?
If you’re planning to apply to Yale, you might want to know the answer to this requestion above anything else, “What is Yale’s acceptance rate?” The average acceptance rate at Yale University over the past ten years (2012-2022) is 6.50 percent, while the rate for the current year is 5.00 percent. Yale University has maintained a very low acceptance rate, making it extremely difficult for applicants to gain admission.
The 2022 yield is 71.00 percent, while the average yield (enrollment rate) for the time period is 67.07 percent. The number of applicants to Yale University increased by 34.13 percent (12,020 applicants) from the previous year.
| Year | Total | |
| 2013-14 | 7.05% | |
| 2014-15 | 6.30% | |
| 2015-16 | 6.73% | |
| 2016-17 | 6.32% | |
| 2017-18 | 6.93% | |
| 2018-19 | 6.35% | |
| 2019-20 | 6.08% | |
| 2020-21 | 6.53% | |
| 2021-22 | 5.00% | |
| Average | 6.50% |
This year, Yale saw a record-breaking number of applications and one of its lowest acceptance rates ever. The admissions data for Yale over the previous three years are displayed in the chart below.
| Class of 2024 | Class of 2025 | Class of 2026 | |
| Total Number of Applicants | 35,220 | 46,905 | 50,015 |
| Total Number of Admitted Applicants | 2,304 | 2,169 | 2,234 |
| Overall Admission Rate | 6.54% | 4.62% | 4.46% |
What Is the Average Class Size At Yale University?
Yale grants degrees in a variety of undergraduate majors as well as in master’s, doctoral, and post-doctoral levels of study. Students have access to cutting-edge research tools, cutting-edge libraries, and a variety of study resources. Yale has a renowned faculty as well as small class sizes. Students have excellent access to teachers and other students because of the low student-to-faculty ratio and small class sizes.
Yale encourages communication between classmates and between students and faculty. The advantages of having a diverse and international student body are maximized by the active exchange of ideas. Then the next question, “What is the average class size at Yale university?”
The outstanding student-to-faculty ratio at Yale is six to one (6:1). The proportion of first-year students who return for their second year is known as the retention rate. This is a crucial sign of student satisfaction, and Yale recently had a 99 percent retention rate.
How Many Majors Does Yale Have?
Yale University is renowned for having some of the most interesting and thought-provoking undergraduate study classes in addition to its academically demanding coursework. The school recently received a lot of attention for a course that was originally titled “Psychology and the Good Life.” It was renamed “Science of Well-being” more recently.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, enrollment in the course increased by more than 3,000 percent, and many students have enrolled in it in order to receive evidence-based guidance on how to improve their wellbeing. The course has contributed to Yale’s academic reputation. But there’s more Yale has to offer. The list below concludes the answer to “How many majors does Yale have?”
African American Studies (B.A.)
African Studies (B.A.)
American Studies (B.A.)
Anthropology (B.A.)
Applied Mathematics (B.A. or B.S.)
Applied Physics (B.S.)
Archaeological Studies (B.A.)
Architecture (B.A.)
Art (B.A.)
Astronomy (B.A.)
Astrophysics (B.S.)
Biomedical Engineering (B.S.)
Chemical Engineering (B.S.)
Chemistry (B.A. or B.S.)
Classical Civilization (B.A.)
Classics (B.A.)
Cognitive Science (B.A. or B.S.)
Comparative Literature (B.A.)
Computer Science (B.A. or B.S.)
Computer Science and Economics (B.S.)
Computer Science and Mathematics (B.S.)
Computer Science and Psychology (B.A.)
Computing and Linguistics (B.A. or B.S.)
Computing and the Arts (B.A.)
Earth and Planetary Sciences (B.A. or B.S.)
East Asian Languages and Literatures (B.A.)
East Asian Studies (B.A.)
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (B.A. or B.S.)
Economics (B.A.)
Economics and Mathematics (B.A.)
Electrical Engineering (B.S.)
Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (B.S.)
Engineering Sciences (Chemical) (B.S.)
Engineering Sciences (Electrical) (B.A. or B.S.)
Engineering Sciences (Environmental) (B.A.)
Engineering Sciences (Mechanical) (B.A. or B.S.)
English (B.A.)
Environmental Engineering (B.S.)
Environmental Studies (B.A. or B.S.)
Ethics, Politics, and Economics (B.A.)
Ethnicity, Race, and Migration (B.A.)
Film and Media Studies (B.A.)
French (B.A.)
German Studies (B.A.)
Global Affairs (B.A.)
Greek, Ancient and Modern (B.A.)
History (B.A.)
History of Art (B.A.)
History of Science, Medicine, and Public Health (B.A.)
Humanities (B.A.)
Italian Studies (B.A.)
Judaic Studies (B.A.)
Latin American Studies (B.A.)
Linguistics (B.A.)
Mathematics (B.A. or B.S.)
Mathematics and Philosophy (B.A.)
Mathematics and Physics (B.S.)
Mechanical Engineering (B.S.)
Modern Middle East Studies (B.A.)
Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry (B.A. or B.S.)
Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology (B.A. or B.S.)
Music (B.A.)
Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations (B.A.)
Neuroscience (B.A. or B.S.)
Philosophy (B.A.)
Physics (B.S.)
Physics and Geosciences (B.S.)
Physics and Philosophy (B.A. or B.S.)
Political Science (B.A.)
Portuguese (B.A.)
Psychology (B.A. or B.S.)
Religious Studies (B.A.)
Russian (B.A.)
Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies (B.A.)
Sociology (B.A.)
South Asian Studies (second major only)
Spanish (B.A.)
Special Divisional Major (B.A. or B.S.)
Statistics and Data Science (B.A. or B.S.)
Theater and Performance Studies (B.A.)
Urban Studies (B.A.)
Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (B.A.)
Which Yale University Majors Are Most Popular, And Why?
Even though “Science of Well-Being” has received a lot of media attention, it is not Yale’s only well-known course. The university is renowned for offering top-notch programs in a variety of subject areas. The most well-liked majors at Yale include:
Economics
Students in Yale’s economics program have the chance to conduct research with some of the field’s top experts while taking courses that explore the factors influencing our economy’s past, present, and future. The Major Requirements include Core Courses, Field Courses, Electives, and two Advanced Courses during a student’s senior year in addition to Introductory Courses like Calculus, Micro, and Macro. A- or better grades are required in at least three-fourths of the courses that make up their major.
History
One of Yale College’s most well-liked and intellectually diverse majors is history, which covers almost all geographical and historical areas and eras — African history, American history, Asian history, colonial history, you name it.
For careers in a variety of fields, such as law, journalism, business and finance, education, politics and public policy, social activism, and the arts, being on the history faculty is excellent preparation. Depending on whether a student chooses the Specialist or Global track, different requirements apply; however, all history majors are required to complete a senior essay, a departmental seminar, and a pre-industrial class.
Political Science
The major in Political Science at Yale aims to teach students how to critically and analytically consider the institutions, incentives, and agents that influence political phenomena in human society.
The undergraduate study major in political science consists of twelve term courses, and students are required to take at least two of each of the department’s five specializations—internal relations, American government, political philosophy, analytical theory, and comparative politics—in any three of the twelve terms.
Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology
Students who major in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology gain a solid but varied liberal arts education, sharpen their critical thinking abilities, and graduate ready for careers in a wide range of professions.
The undergraduate program fosters critical thinking while teaching students the fundamentals of science, as well as research and analysis techniques. Along with track-specific courses, all majors are required to take Chemistry, Physics, and Organic Chemistry.
Computer Science
In collaboration with other departments, the computer science department at Yale University offers four combined majors in electrical engineering and computer science, economics and computer science, mathematics and computer science, and psychology and computer science. Five core classes in computer science are shared by all programs.
Psychology
The psychology major at Yale provides a solid foundation for careers in law, medicine, public health, politics, and business disciplines like marketing, finance, and management. Each student must complete two social science courses and two psychology courses from a natural science perspective.
International Relations
This well-liked major at Yale University gives its students the freedom to design their own curricula based on their goals and interests. Some students have focused their coursework on issues related to national and human security, such as economic development and poverty, global health, global climate policy, international relations, and foreign policy and diplomacy. In addition to the language requirement, the major requires thirteen term courses.
English
English program gives students the opportunity to study literature from all eras and genres, including medieval dream visions, Shakespearean plays, American slave narratives, modernist poetry, digital literature, and contemporary Anglophone novels from around the globe. The Senior Requirement is one of the 14 courses that students are required to take.
Statistics and Data Science
Mathematical and practical foundations are covered in courses for students majoring in statistics and data science. They are also encouraged to enroll in classes in the following academic fields. Calculus and Linear Algebra are prerequisites for many courses in the major, so majors are required to take them, ideally early on in their time at Yale University.
Engineering Sciences
The Engineering Sciences programs at Yale allow for a greater concentration in non-engineering disciplines because they require fewer technical courses. Students often have the option to graduate with a double major in mechanical engineering and economics or electrical engineering and computer science. They can select courses for the depth or breadth of their engineering knowledge.
Since its founding in 1701, Yale University has been renowned for its strict curriculum, Ivy League status, and vast alumni network. It’s not surprising to learn how big is Yale University’s number of admissions and that it also has a very selective process given its reputation. However, do not feel overwhelmed! AdmissionSight has more than 10 years of experience in guiding students through the universities’ tough admissions process.
You may start with setting up an initial consultation with AdmissionSight’s experts. We would love to share our knowledge of colleges in the US and assist you in gaining admission to the best institution for you.
