This university initiative focuses on maintaining the excellence of Yale’s student body and on fostering a diverse and exceptional educational community. Today, Yale’s students hail from over 120 countries and from every conceivable walk of life. They bring their unique experiences, creativity, and dreams to the campus; they transform Yale and are transformed by it.
Highlighting Progress
Expansion of financial aid for Yale College
Yale’s robust financial aid program supports talented students of all backgrounds. Between 2013 and 2019, Yale increased by 75% those who are first in their families to attend college; families with a total gross income of less than $75,000 are not expected to make any financial contribution toward their child’s Yale undergraduate education; for families earning less than $110,000, Yale is the least expensive four-year school in Connecticut.
Students eligible for the Pell Grant in the entering class have nearly doubled over the last decade. Now, 88% of undergraduates graduate debt free.
Tuition support in the graduate and professional schools
Advanced study at Yale is widely accessible through generous donor giving, including the Hurst Horizon Scholarship program in Yale Law School, which eliminates tuition for students with the greatest financial need, and full tuition and fee coverage for Yale Divinity School students with demonstrated need. The Yale School of Music and the David Geffen School of Drama at Yale are tuition-free for all students.
Greater access to and support for Yale College
The university has expanded its total undergraduate enrollment (with the opening of two new residential colleges) and created greater resources to support non-traditional and first-generation college students, including the Eli Whitney Students Program and First-Generation Low-Income Community Initiative.
Expanded student mental health and wellness programs
The university’s student mental health and wellness efforts include expanded clinical staff, three clinical locations, and embedded clinicians and wellness staff in Yale College (Yale College Community Care, or YC3) and several professional schools, simplifying access to mental health services.
Schwarzman Center
Yale’s first university-wide student center strengthens connections among undergraduate, graduate, and professional school students; faculty members; alumni; and our neighbors in New Haven, with multi-use dining, performance, dance, and exhibition spaces.
Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning
This innovative center for pedagogical excellence provides workshops, consultations, and seminars for thousands of faculty members and students across all schools of Yale, and introduces faculty and students to new teaching methods, course evaluation approaches, and digital tools.
Belonging at Yale action plans
Each school has created a five-year action plan to support and enhance diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging through actions appropriate to the school’s specific cultures and needs.
