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A prestigious university, Yale University accepts less than 5.3% of applicants every year. This past application cycle Yale experienced its second largest early application pool ever. With so many students interested in applying, students often wonder what they can do to be a cut above the rest. So what does Yale look for in applicants?
What Yale Looks for: Academic Ability
Like all prestigious colleges, Yale looks for academic ability. This doesn’t necessarily mean you have to have a perfect score on all standardized tests and all Advanced Placement courses that your school offers, but it does mean that in whichever course and test you take, you are excelling. In terms of standardized tests, admitted students have a range of test scores. According to the Yale’s Admissions website, successful applicants have scores between 720 and 770 for SAT-Evidence-Based Reading and Writing, 740-790 on SAT Math, and 33-35 on ACT Composite. Admissions officers
Academic ability also includes intellectual curiosity. Maybe you’ve enrolled in free courses on EdX , taken a Pre-College program at Columbia University, or conducted your own research project. In whatever field you have dipped your toes into, Yale wants to see that you are curious about the world around you and reflecting on your learning. Does this mean we recommend you enroll in every pre-college program and AP course available? No, not necessarily. We recommend you tailor your learning to the fields you are most passionate about and excel in them to the best of your abilities. Every situation is a learning process and a chance to reflect on yourself and your learning.
What Yale Looks for: Letter of Recommendations
To evidence your academic ability and impact on your community, Yale looks towards recommendations to envision how you fit into the larger community. Are you engaging your peers, taking advantage of available resources, or asking questions about the material beyond what you’ve learned in class? Maybe you pioneered a schoolwide initiative to reduce waste or took up a leadership position in a club. Your counselors and teachers help the university understand your impact and potential impact at Yale. We recommend you start your community impact early. This means being intentional, staying committed, and truly making a difference in your community. If you are unsure of how to do that, we encourage you to contact us at SK Education to guide you through high school and prepare for admissions to highly selective colleges.
Yale’s Whole Person Review Process
From the podcast “Inside the Yale Admissions,” admissions officers Hannah and Mark reveal what happens inside the admissions process. Yale separates its applicants into regions with a designated admissions officer for each region. Oftentimes they start with background information, looking into the student transcript and school’s profile to familiarize themselves with the applicant’s demographics. Essentially, they want to understand the community the student comes from. Then, they’ll look into the essays and the letter of recommendations to have a deeper understanding of the student voice and how they carry themselves in the classroom. This helps admissions officers envision the student as a whole and to develop a clear image of how the student would fit into the Yale community.
Students often have this misconception that an admissions officer just reviews an application and definitely states their status of admissions, but that is not the case. In actuality, admissions officers meet with an Admissions Committee where a room full of faculty members, admissions officers, and deans of Yale colleges collaborate to review the files and make comments. According to admissions officers, the most competitive files in “the most competitive files in our process getting multiple opinions– sometimes two, three, four– as many opinions as our Admissions Committee feels is needed to really fully understand the candidacy.”
Yale’s Changes to College Applications Since the Supreme Court’s Ruling on Race in Admissions
Since the ruling last year, Yale has made several changes. According to the Dean of Yale College Pericles Lewis and the Dean of Undergraduate Admissions Jeremiah Quinlan, Yale has changed several things to their application process:
- Updated application questions that invite students of all backgrounds to reflect on the experiences that have shaped their character and their strengths
- New place-based data element incorporating something called Opportunity Atlas (nationwide mapping process that measures economic mobility at the census level) to provide insights about where a student grew up and where they went to school
- Hired 2 full time admission office staff members to increase year round engagement with college access organizations and student-focused outreach initiatives that will incorporate current students and alumni
- Increased the Yale Ambassadors program which connects current students with prospective students
- Produced a suite of early educational outreach material grades 8-10 and expanded school partnerships to prepare students for applications to selective colleges
While these changes have already been implemented, Yale has stressed that the core of their admissions process remains the same and that is to conduct a whole-person review of candidates.
Key Takeaways
- Like other universities, Yale seeks students with high academic ability. This includes academic curiosity and engagement with available resources.
- Yale values the student as a whole so we recommend you do your best in all fields, including community impact.
- Since the Supreme Court’s decision, Yale’s core values have remained the same. Yale has extended their outreach programs to encourage more students to engage with the campus and apply.
- Want more information? At SK Education we can guide you through your college admissions process.
