Yale

Yale University

Yale
#8 / #6
Global Influence / U.S. Influence
#4
Most Desirable School
Private university in New Haven, Connecticut

Yale University Featured Rankings

About Yale University

By James Barham, PhD

Yale was originally founded under the name of Collegiate School by Connecticut Colony in 1701. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher learning in the US, after Harvard, the College of William & Mary (in Williamsburg, Virginia), and St. John’s College (in Annapolis, Maryland). Called the “Collegiate School,” its original mission was to train future ministers for the Congregational Church.

Yale is known as an all-around powerhouse, not unlike Harvard, with strength in a wide variety of fields. For one thing, five US presidents have passed through Yale, the second-highest number after Harvard. Three of them attended as undergraduates (Howard Taft, George H.W. Bush, and George W. Bush), while two attended Yale Law School (Gerald Ford and Bill Clinton).

Yale Law School is often mentioned as one of the two most influential in the country, along with Harvard Law. In all, nine Supreme Court Justices have been Yale Law graduates, including sitting Justices:

  • Samuel Alito
  • Brett Kavanaugh
  • Sonia Sotomayor
  • Clarence Thomas

More than 60 Nobel Prize – recipients have studied, taught, or conducted research at Yale at some point during their careers. In physics, they include:

  • Ernest Lawrence
  • Murray Gell-Mann
  • Willis Lamb
  • David Thouless

Yale Chemistry Nobelists include:

  • Lars Onsager
  • Brian Kobilka
  • John Goodenough
  • Sidney Altman

Yale Nobelists in physiology or medicine include:

  • John Enders
  • Joshua Lederberg
  • James Rothman
  • Elizabeth Blackburn

Nobelists in economics who attended or taught at Yale include:

  • Thomas Schelling
  • Paul Krugman
  • Joseph Stiglitz
  • James Tobin
  • William Nordhaus
  • George Akerlof
  • Robert Shiller
  • Edmund Phelps

Among literature Nobelists, the American novelist Sinclair Lewis received his BA from Yale, while the poet Derek Walcott, from the Caribbean island-nation of Saint Lucia, the Nigerian playwright Wole Soyinka, and the American novelist Toni Morrison all held visiting lectureships there.

Other prominent persons connected to Yale during its first two centuries include the first great American theologian and philosopher, Jonathan Edwards; the inventor of the cotton gin, Eli Whitney; and the lexicographer Noah Webster.

Regarding distinguished, twentieth-century, Yale-connected individuals, we may mention:

  • Pioneering computer scientist, Grace Hopper
  • Songwriter, Cole Porter
  • Literary critic, Harold Bloom
  • Actor and film director, Oliver Stone
  • Actors Vincent Price, Meryl Streep, Paul Newman, Jodie Foster, Sigourney Weaver, Angela Bassett, Jennifer Connelly, Paul Giamatti, & James Franco
  • Russian democracy activist, Alexei Navalny
  • Brain surgeon and current Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Ben Carson
  • Political scientist, Fareed Zakharia
  • 2020 Democratic Party presidential nomination candidates, Cory Booker & Amy Klobuchar
  • Former First Lady, Senator, Secretary of State, and 2016 Democratic Party presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton
  • Former Vice President of the United States, Dick Cheney

According to Wikipedia, Yale University is a private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Founded in 1701, Yale is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution.

Yale University's Online Degrees

Yale University Admissions, Retention, and Graduation Information

Annual ApplicationsAcceptanceGraduation RateMedian SAT ScoreMedian ACT Score
50,0605%98%154034

How Much Does Yale University Cost To Attend?

Tuition (in-state)
$62,250
Price by Family Income
IncomeAverage Net Cost
0 - 30K$341
30K - 48K$1,751
48K - 75K$5,283
75K - 110K$14,152
110K+$45,628

Source: National Center for Education Statistics

How Much Do Yale University Graduates Make?

If you graduate from Yale University, then you can expect to earn an average of $124,400 per year. You also have a 90% chance of being employed after 10 years.

Yale University's Demographics

Demographic data is for full-time, on-campus students.

Student BodyUnder-GradsGraduates
15,8287,4758,353

Where is Yale University?

Yale University is located at Woodbridge Hall, New Haven CT 06520

How Safe is Yale University?

Yale University has a violent crime rate of less than .01% and a property crime rate of less than .01%. New Haven has a violent crime rate of less than .01% and a property crime rate of less than .01%.

What Is Yale University Known For?

Yale University is known for it's academic work in the following disciplines:

Yale University's Top Areas of Influence With Degrees Offered

Law
#3
World Rank
#3
Historical Rank
#2
USA Rank
Religious Studies
#9
World Rank
#13
Historical Rank
#2
USA Rank
religious-studies-hub Degrees
Nursing
#3
World Rank
#2
Historical Rank
#2
USA Rank
nursing Degrees
Political Science
#4
World Rank
#4
Historical Rank
#3
USA Rank
political-science Degrees
Literature
#5
World Rank
#5
Historical Rank
#3
USA Rank
literature Degrees
History
#5
World Rank
#5
Historical Rank
#3
USA Rank
history Degrees
Medical
#5
World Rank
#6
Historical Rank
#3
USA Rank
medicine Degrees
Biology
#8
World Rank
#13
Historical Rank
#5
USA Rank
biology Degrees
Anthropology
#8
World Rank
#9
Historical Rank
#5
USA Rank
anthropology Degrees
Philosophy
#11
World Rank
#25
Historical Rank
#6
USA Rank
philosophy Degrees
Economics
#9
World Rank
#9
Historical Rank
#7
USA Rank
economics Degrees
Psychology
#8
World Rank
#10
Historical Rank
#7
USA Rank
psychology Degrees
Sociology
#16
World Rank
#16
Historical Rank
#7
USA Rank
sociology Degrees
Earth Sciences
#16
World Rank
#17
Historical Rank
#7
USA Rank
earth-science Degrees
Chemistry
#20
World Rank
#34
Historical Rank
#8
USA Rank
chemistry Degrees
Mathematics
#23
World Rank
#40
Historical Rank
#9
USA Rank
math Degrees
Engineering
#14
World Rank
#15
Historical Rank
#10
USA Rank
engineering Degrees
Physics
#23
World Rank
#33
Historical Rank
#10
USA Rank
physics Degrees
Computer Science
#17
World Rank
#17
Historical Rank
#12
USA Rank
computer-science Degrees

Who Are Yale University's Most Influential Alumni?

Yale University's most influential alumni include professors and professionals in the fields of Nursing, Law, and Political Science. Here are some of Yale University's most famous alumni:

Richard Rorty
Richard Rorty
An American philosopher.
Harold Bloom
Harold Bloom
An American literary critic, scholar, and writer .
Judith Butler
Judith Butler
An American philosopher and gender theorist.
Josiah Willard Gibbs
Josiah Willard Gibbs
An American scientist.
Murray Gell-Mann
Murray Gell-Mann
An American physicist .
Thorstein Veblen
Thorstein Veblen
An American economist and sociologist.
Alvin Plantinga
Alvin Plantinga
An American Christian philosopher.
Fredric Jameson
Fredric Jameson
An American academic and literary critic .
Alan Dershowitz
Alan Dershowitz
An American lawyer, author, (1938 -   ), New York, New York, USA.
Grace Hopper
Grace Hopper
An American computer scientist and United States Navy officer.
Lawrence Lessig
Lawrence Lessig
An American academic, political activist.
W. Edwards Deming
W. Edwards Deming
An American professor, author, and consultant .

Who Are Yale University's Most Influential Faculty?

Yale University's most influential faculty include professors in the fields of Nursing, Law, and Political Science. Here are some of Yale University's most famous alumni:

Samuel Moyn
Samuel Moyn
An American historian.
Dean Karlan
Dean Karlan
An American economist.
Van H. Vu
A Vietnamese mathematician.
Dorothy Otnow Lewis
An American psychiatrist.
Daniel Spielman
An American computer scientist.
Jonathan Safran Foer
Jonathan Safran Foer
An American novelist.
Bruce Kleiner
Bruce Kleiner
An American mathematician and academic.
Nets Katz
A Mathematics professor.
Joshua Knobe
Joshua Knobe
An American philosopher.
James C. Kaufman
James C. Kaufman
An American psychologist.
Nikhil Srivastava
Nikhil Srivastava
An Associate professor of Mathematics at University of California, Berkeley.
Adam Marcus
An American mathematician .