Yale University
New Haven, Connecticut · Private · 6,758 undergraduates · yale.edu
Test policy (fall 2027)
Test required
Send an SAT or ACT score
Admit rate
4.8%
of 50,264 applicants
SAT (middle 50%)
1480 to 1560
of enrolled freshmen
Annual cost (2027-28)
$102,850Est.Estimate
before aid
Your chances and merit aid at Yale University
See where you stand for admission, how much merit aid you could get, and what you'd pay after it.
We started you at a typical enrolled freshman here. Move the sliders to match you.
Your admission chances
4.8% of applicants admitted
Reach
It admits only 4.8% of applicants, so it's a reach for everyone.
Estimated merit aid
a year
Your cost after merit aid
$102,850
a year in 2027-28, from a $102,850 sticker price
What to do with your 1540
Send your score
This college requires an SAT or ACT score.
Reach, target and likely are a rough guide from your test score and how selective the college is. Admissions also weigh your courses, grades, essays and activities. Merit aid figures are estimates, before any need-based aid.
Admissions
Test policy for fall 2027
Test required
You must send an SAT or ACT score.
- Superscores: it combines your best section scores from different test dates.
- You can type your scores into the application; official reports come later.
Source: Standardized Testing | Undergraduate Admissions · Checked October 16, 2026
Application deadlines
- Nov1Other deadline · November 1, 2026
- Nov1Restrictive Early Action · November 1, 2026Not binding, but limits other early applications.
- Jan2Regular Decision · January 2, 2027The standard deadline.
Who gets in
4.8%
of applicants were admitted: 2,387 of 50,264 for fall 2025.
Restrictive Early Action
Not binding. Apply by 11/1, hear by 12/15.
Wait list
944 students were offered a spot; 32 were later admitted.
Test scores of enrolled freshmen (fall 2025)
The shaded part shows the middle half of enrolled freshmen who sent scores: a quarter scored below it and a quarter above. 67% of them sent SAT scores and 25% sent ACT scores.
SAT total 1480 to 1560
Reading and Writing 730 to 780
Math 740 to 790
ACT composite 33 to 35
How enrolled freshmen scored on the SAT
- 1400 to 160091%
- 1200 to 13997.4%
- 1000 to 11991.2%
- 800 to 9990%
- 600 to 7990%
- 400 to 5990%
Source: Common Data Set 2025-2026
Cost and financial aid
The sticker price is what a year costs before any aid. Most students pay less after grants and scholarships.
Sticker price for 2027-28Estimate
$102,850
a year
- Tuition$75,400
- Food and housing$22,460
- Books and supplies$1,040
- Transportation and other$3,950
Yale University published $98,900 for 2026-27. Its 2027-28 prices aren't out yet.
Source: Common Data Set 2025-2026
What families actually pay
What a year cost on average after grants and scholarships, for freshmen who got federal aid in 2023-24, by family income.
- $0 to $30,000$1,256
- $30,001 to $48,000$867
- $48,001 to $75,000$854
- $75,001 to $110,000$7,828
- Over $110,000$47,749
Financial aid
100%
of a student's financial need is covered, on average
$73,273
average need-based grant to freshmen, money you don't repay
0%
of freshmen got merit aid without financial need
- FAFSA
- Required for need-based aid. It's the free federal aid form.
- CSS Profile
- Required. It's a second, more detailed aid form some colleges use for their own grants.
Source: Common Data Set 2025-2026
Merit scholarships
Awards for grades and scores, on top of need-based aid. You don't repay them.
Connecticut programs for residents
Roberta B. Willis Scholarship - Need-Based/Merit (Need and Merit-Based) Award
$4,650 to $5,250 a year
State program · In-state students
- 1200+ SAT or 25+ ACT, Need-merit award (rank or test pathway); Financial need: SAI at or below OHE cutoff for the award year; HS counselor submits application on student's behalf and FAFSA filed by Feb 15
Compare awards across colleges with the merit aid calculator.
AP credit
AP exams that earn credit can replace college courses, so you pay for fewer of them and may graduate sooner.
AP exams that earn credit
15 of 15
Earn credit with a score of 3
None
You need a 4 or 5 for credit here.
A 3-credit course is worth
about $7,540Est.Estimate
at 2027-28 tuition
Credit for each AP exam
| Exam | Score needed | Credits | Counts as |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art History | 5 | 1 | |
| Calculus AB | 5 | 1 | MATH 115, MATH 116, or MATH 118 |
| Calculus BC | 4 | 1 | MATH 115, MATH 116, or MATH 118 |
| Calculus BC | 5 | 2 | 120 or higher-numbered courses |
| Chinese Language and Culture | 5 | 2 | |
| English Language and Composition | 5 | 1 | |
| English Literature and Composition | 5 | 1 | |
| French Language and Culture | 5 | 2 | |
| German Language and Culture | 5 | 2 | |
| Italian Language and Culture | 5 | 1 | |
| Japanese Language and Culture | 5 | 2 | |
| Latin | 5 | 2 | |
| Music Theory | 5 | 1 | |
| Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism | 5 | 1 | |
| Physics C: Mechanics | 5 | 1 | |
| Spanish Language and Culture | 5 | 2 |
Source: AP credit policy
After college
Graduate within 6 years
96%
Come back for a second year
99%
Typical earnings
$118,356
a year, 10 years after starting here
- Yale University$131,489
- All colleges$69,240
Median yearly earnings of graduates five years after finishing a bachelor's in this major. 8 majors here have earnings data.
Keep exploring
Figures marked Estimate are our estimates, not numbers the college published. Check each college's own site before you apply. SAT is a trademark of College Board, and ACT is a trademark of ACT, Inc. Sharp is not affiliated with either, or with Yale University. The Yale University logo is a trademark of the college.