Earning Trust

About the Committee on Trust in Higher Education

For higher education to flourish, it needs the public’s trust. President McInnis has been following the trend of declining public trust in universities for a decade. She knew that earning back that trust would be one of her administration’s priorities. In fact, one of her very first actions upon taking office was to form the Committee on Trust in Higher Education. This faculty-led committee was commissioned to study why public confidence in higher education has declined.

In April 2026, after a year of conversations with students, faculty, alumni, and community members, as well as outside experts, scholars, and members of the public from across the nation, the committee released its full report. This thoughtful, thorough, unflinching document examined the recent erosion of public trust in higher education and offered recommendations for how Yale can do its part to help reverse that decline.

Read the report See the President's response

Trust is never a given. Trust is earned.

—

President Maurie McInnis

Access and affordability

Made Yale College tuition-free for students from families with annual incomes below $200,000
Eliminated all costs of attendance for students from families with annual incomes below $100,000
Committed to making financial aid clearer and more straightforward across Yale’s schools
Continued to make courses and programming available to a global audience via Yale Online, a platform that provides access to a Yale education for both degree and non-degree seekers.

Maurie McInnis speaking at a reception at the Center for Civic Thought

Free expression and open inquiry

Formed a new faculty committee to establish clear principles guiding academic freedom at Yale
Reaffirmed our foundational commitment to academic freedom and free expression, as codified in the landmark Woodward Report
Established the Center for Civic Thought, hosting speakers across the ideological spectrum for civil debate on critical policy issues
Launched the Presidential Senior Fellowship, bringing leaders and thinkers from a wide range of perspectives to campus
Elevated the Center for Academic Freedom and Free Speech to a university-level initiative, reflecting the importance of its work studying and safeguarding these foundational values

Inside the classroom

Directed deans to work with faculty members and students to create and implement policies on the appropriate use of devices in classrooms
Appointed Deans Pericles Lewis and Steven Wilkinson to lead the most ambitious review of Yale College and the Faculty of Arts and Sciences in a generation
Broke ground on the Physical Sciences and Engineering Building, a new space for fundamental and practical science and engineering, including quantum science

View from space of the United States lit up at night

Beyond Yale

Launched a 50-state project mapping Yale’s impact in communities across America
Partnered with QuantumCT to build a quantum technology economy in Connecticut that will attract innovative startups and skilled workers
Increased Yale’s voluntary contribution to New Haven and launched a new fund for local nonprofits
Directed Yale Alumni Association to partner with Yale Clubs nationwide to seek honest perspectives on Yale and higher education