What makes Yale so unique?
The prestigious university is ranked No. 5 in the nation by U.S. News and World Report. For the 2022-2023 freshman class, Yale had its lowest acceptance rate yet: 4.46%. It's best known for its strong reputation, exceptional undergraduate teaching, and excellent music and drama programs.
88% of undergraduates graduate within four years; 97% graduate within six years. 93% of undergraduates are from out-of-state (including international students). The average age of an undergraduate is 20.
Yale is well known for its secret societies, the most famous of which are the Skull and Bones Society, which boasts members such as George W. Bush and John Kerry, and the Scroll and Key Society.
Yale University is unique in that, among the Ivy Leagues, it has the median acceptance rate and cost. The school is also known for having 12 residential colleges often compared to Hogwarts Houses. The most popular majors at Yale are Computer Science, Economics, Biology, and Political Science.
Top-Ranked Programs
Both Harvard and Yale are competitive rivals in academic programs in medicine, law and management. Beyond that, Yale is more popular for drama and music, while Harvard is more regarded for its engineering and government studies.
Interviews with 31 students accepted to both Yale and Harvard revealed that those who chose Yale mostly relied on a gut instinct or a sense that Yale paired strong academics with a more laid-back atmosphere.
Yale ranks as one of the hardest colleges to get into with a 4.47% acceptance rate for the class of 2026, down just slightly from its 4.62% acceptance rate for the class of 2025. The university differs slightly from other Ivies regarding the factors it considers during the admissions process.
- Economics (140)
- Political Science (134)
- Biology (105)
- History (103)
- Psychology (90)
As an Ivy League institution of higher learning, Yale offers students of any interest unparalleled academic opportunities. Whether you want to study something more traditional like political science or economics or you're interested in something a little more niche, Yale University is still a great school to attend.
Rank | University | Country |
---|---|---|
Rank | University | Country |
1 | California Institute of Technology (Caltech) | USA |
2 | Harvard University | USA |
3 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) | USA |
What is Yale proud of?
Like its fellow members of the Ivy League, Yale has a reputation for academic excellence and first-class research. Members of the faculty and graduates include winners of every known honor, including 65 Nobel laureates and five Fields Medalists. Many of the best-known names in various fields have graduated from Yale.
The institution is most renowned for its great undergraduate programs in music and drama, solid reputation, and outstanding undergraduate instruction. Yale University was established in 1701 and features a picturesque campus in New Haven, Connecticut, which is 90 minutes from New York City.
Pranks are huge in the Harvard-Yale rivalry and the biggest prank may have come in 2004. Yale students Michael Kai and David Aulicino posed with others as the Harvard Pep Squad, passing out red and white construction paper to Harvard fans under the impression they would spell "Go Harvard" when raised into the air.
Academic Ability
This means academic strength is our first consideration in evaluating any candidate. The single most important document in your application is your high school transcript, which tells us a great deal about your academic drive and performance over time.
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.
You should also have a 4.14 GPA or higher. If your GPA is lower than this, you need to compensate with a higher SAT/ACT score. For a school as selective as Yale, you'll also need to impress them with the rest of your application. We'll cover those details next.
For instance, in the Wall Street Journal rankings, Harvard is ranked the nation's top college overall, which means that it's also the highest-ranked Ivy League school. On the other hand, Yale is ranked fourth nationally, which is second highest among Ivy League schools.
Yale University is ranked #3 out of 443 National Universities. Schools are ranked according to their performance across a set of widely accepted indicators of excellence.
Institution | Location | Full-time enrollment |
---|---|---|
Wellesley College | Wellesley, Massachusetts | 2,300 |
Smith College | Northampton, Massachusetts | 2,750 |
Radcliffe College (originally The Harvard Annex) | Cambridge, Massachusetts | n/a |
Bryn Mawr College | Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania | 1,229 |
What is the #1 party school in the US?
- Physics & Geosciences (2)
- Portuguese (2)
- Judaic Studies (3)
- Russian (5)
- Physics & Philosophy (6)
- East Asian Languages and Literatures (7)
- Astronomy (8)
- German Studies (10)
Princeton University is one of the hardest schools to get into and has one of the lowest acceptance rates of any college in the world. Some might argue it's the hardest Ivy to get into, even though its current acceptance rate is not quite as low as Columbia or Harvard.
- Chemistry. At number one on the list is chemistry.
- Architecture. ...
- Chemical Engineering. ...
- Computer Science. ...
- Aerospace Engineering. ...
- Biomedical Engineering. ...
- Materials Engineering. ...
- Petroleum Engineering. ...
- Finance/Insurance/Real Estate.
- Academia/Education (including University research positions)
- Technology.
- Consulting.
- Healthcare/Pharmaceutical/Biotech/Global Health.
- Community Organizations Advocacy/Social Services.
- Law/Legal Services.
- Engineering.
- #1 Yale Major: Economics.
- #2 Yale Major: History.
- #3 Yale Major: Political Science.
- #4 Yale Major: Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology.
- #5 Yale Major: Computer Science.
- #6 Yale Major: Psychology.
- #7 Yale Major: Global Affairs.
- #8 Yale Major: English.
This prompt asks you to show that you have independent intellectual interests and take the initiative to connect them to your academic goals. Your answer to this question should showcase the curiosity, passion, and drive that you'll contribute to the Yale community!
Overall, Yale seems to be a happier place to be. According to The Daily Beast's latest ranking of the happiest colleges — based on student opinion data and retention rates — Harvard ranked #11 and Yale was #3. This one was almost too close to call. Both offer tons of clubs, ways to socialize, and house systems.
Some stereotypes are that Yale students are very smart, ambitious, and that some are pretentious or snobby. Some call Yale the "gay Ivy," and while there is a glimmer of truth in most stereotypes, this perception is mostly inaccurate.
Mission and Guiding Principles
“Yale is committed to improving the world today and for future generations through outstanding research and scholarship, education, preservation, and practice. Yale educates aspiring leaders worldwide who serve all sectors of society.
Is Yale more prestigious than Harvard?
For instance, in the Wall Street Journal rankings, Harvard is ranked the nation's top college overall, which means that it's also the highest-ranked Ivy League school. On the other hand, Yale is ranked fourth nationally, which is second highest among Ivy League schools.
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.
All Ivy League schools are private and located in the Northeast. They also hold big endowments, boast strong alumni networks, and have extremely low acceptance rates. Ivy League schools are known for their academic excellence, research, and accomplished faculty.
What's the easiest Ivy League school to get into? While all Ivy League schools have a low acceptance rate, Cornell University has the highest acceptance rate among them. Cornell's acceptance rate is 11%, but try not to get too hung up on the numbers.
Those are questions that are as meaningful to one's sexual life as they are to one's intellectual openness.” In the same way that Yale's academic culture allows students to pursue professional success under the guise of intellectual exploration, its hookup culture encourages students to “explore” sex while accompanied ...
If you went to Maryland, you're a Terrapin. If you went to Yale, you're a Bulldog … or are you an Eli? Both, of course. Or simply a Yalie.
The best Ivy League school in 2022 is Harvard, followed by Princeton and Yale based on this ranking method. The most notable changes in rankings compared to last year is Columbia dropping below Princeton, U Penn and Yale.
With a thriving Greek scene and one of the best college towns in the country, Cornellians have access to a great social life and one of the Ivy League's most "gorgeous" campuses — landing in the top three for both Campus and Student Life.
Which is the hardest Ivy League school to get into?
Harvard University — 3.19%
With a record-low admission rate of just 3.19% for the class of 2026, Harvard currently ranks as the most difficult school to get into. This rate reflects admission into Harvard College, the Ivy League university's undergraduate school.
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