Yale admits 800 early action applicants, matches 81 QuestBridge finalists

Yale College has offered admission to 800 applicants for the class of 2026 through its early action program, the Office of Undergraduate Admissions announced on Dec. 15. According to the office, 31% of students who applied through early action were deferred for reconsideration in the spring, 57% were denied admission, and 1% were withdrawn or incomplete.

The admitted students were selected from among 7,288 applicants, the second-largest group of early applicants in the college’s history, said Jeremiah Quinlan, dean of undergraduate admissions and financial aid.

“We are delighted to offer admission to this first group of students in the Class of 2026,” Quinlan said. “But we also look forward to admitting a much larger group of students through our regular decision process this spring.”

Earlier this month, Yale admitted 81 additional students through the QuestBridge National College Match program. QuestBridge is a national nonprofit organization that connects high-achieving students from lower-income backgrounds with selective colleges and universities. The 81 matches are the second-highest number of “QuestBridge Matches” for Yale in their 15-year partnership.

Quinlan also shared his enthusiasm for the return of Bulldog Days, a special on-campus program for admitted students that will be held in April 2022. “The admissions office staff has been working closely with the university’s COVID response team and leaders across Yale College,” said Quinlan. “We are planning a safe event that will allow admitted students to experience life on campus and connect with the Yale community in person, if public health conditions allow.”

With campus closed to visitors in spring 2020 and 2021, Bulldog Days was reimagined as a series of virtual events called the “Bulldog Days of April.” Many of the virtual events created for those programs will be offered again this spring, said Ashleigh Corvi, director of recruitment in the admissions office. “We learned a lot about virtual programming very quickly,” she said. “We are excited to continue offering options for students to engage with their future classmates and to explore Yale’s resources and programs, even if they can’t travel to New Haven.”

The admissions office also makes a special effort to provide travel funding to students from lower-income families to enable them to visit campus before finalizing their college decision, Corvi said. In 2019, the admissions office offered travel grants to more than 500 admitted students to travel to campus for Bulldog Days.

The newly admitted students will also benefit from recent enhancements to Yale College financial aid policies, which were announced in October. Beginning next academic year, a need-based Yale scholarship and an affordable parent share expectation will cover the full cost of tuition, housing, meals, and travel for all families receiving aid. Yale will expect students to cover only the cost of their own books and personal expenses, such as outings, laundry, and other necessities.

The change represents a new investment of more than $3 million annually that will directly benefit undergraduates, said Scott Wallace-Juedes, director of undergraduate financial aid. “For most students receiving financial aid,” Wallace-Juedes said, “this new policy will reduce costs and increase the amount of Yale Scholarship by $7,500 over four years.”

Newly admitted students will have until May 2 to reply to their offer of admission.