Yale University
Private Research University in New Haven, CT. Six-year graduation rate 96%. Median 10-year earnings $100,533.
A decade after enrolling, the median Yale University student earns $100,533 — comfortably above what the typical bachelor's-granting institution returns. 96% graduate within six years, so most students who start here finish here. Median debt at graduation is $12,975, a light load against those earnings. It also moves people — 2.1% of students climb from the bottom fifth of the income distribution to the top.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ Debt-to-income ratio 0.13 — healthy (below the 0.40 threshold)
- ✓ Graduation rate 96% — well above the national average
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
- ! Admit rate 4% — heavily selective, limited transfer slots
Admissions
Yale University admits just 4% of applicants, placing it among the most selective undergraduate institutions in the country. 57,517 students applied, a pool deep enough to make the acceptance rate meaningful. 70% of admitted students actually enroll, which is a high yield by national standards. The score bands below cover the middle 50% of the enrolled students who submitted a score — not the whole class, and not a cutoff.
Test score bands (middle 50% of submitters)
These bands describe the enrolled first-years who submitted a score, not the entering class. Where most students apply test-optional the submitters are a self-selected, higher-scoring group.
| Test | 25th–75th percentile | Submitted |
|---|---|---|
| SAT Evidence-Based Reading | 730–780 | 950 (61%) |
| SAT Math | 740–790 | |
| ACT Composite | 33–35 | 384 (25%) |
IPEDS Admissions · 2024
Apply at Yale University →Academics
96% of students finish within six years, putting completion well above the national norm. 99% of full-time first-years return for a second year — a healthy figure. The 5:1 student-faculty ratio is small enough that seminar-sized classes are the norm. Judge these figures against other institutions of the same type — sector explains more of the variation in completion than any single campus factor. With 6,818 undergraduates, the school sits in the middle of the size distribution.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 6,811 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Net price lands at $22,408 a year on average, neither cheap nor punishing. The income table below is the number that matters — $17,633 at $0–30k versus $45,951 at $110k+. About 57% get grants averaging $62,254, so plan on the possibility of paying closer to full price. 5% borrow federally — a low rate, though it covers federal loans only.
Entering first-year students
A different, smaller group than the rates above: full-time students in their first year of college anywhere. The grant series here also excludes the "other sources" counted in the all-undergraduate figure, so the two are not comparable.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · 1,641 students
Net price by family income
The same students as the headline above, limited to those who received Title IV federal aid — a narrower group, with a lower overall average. IPEDS publishes no combined figure across these bands, so they should not be averaged into one.
| Family income band | Average net price |
|---|---|
| $0–30k | $17,633 |
| $30–48k | $15,626 |
| $48–75k | $17,943 |
| $75–110k | $12,558 |
| $110k+ | $45,951 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 367 of these 6,811 students, totalling $2,210,189 — an average of $6,022 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (South Central Connecticut Planning Region) — budget these against any cost-of-attendance housing estimate.
HUD Fair Market Rents (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities) · FY2026
Veterans & GI Bill
VA GI Bill Comparison Tool (Veterans Affairs GIDS)