Yale Summer programs draw over 10,000 residential visitors to campus, city

Yale Conferences and Events (YC&E) has been hard at work this summer keeping Yale’s campus and the surrounding New Haven area as lively as ever. With a daily average of 3,000 guests occupying 13 of the 14 residential colleges as well as Old Campus in July, YC&E is charged with finding, vetting, and working through the logistics of accommodating and providing services for these visitors between May and August.

The YC&E team works with various internal and external summer programs throughout the year, including Yale Young Global Scholars (YYGS) and Yale Summer Session (YSS) to welcome over 20,000 visitors. YSS offers almost 200 courses for Yale College credit in New Haven, online, and abroad to around 1,500 students each summer coming from more than 70 countries. These programs include the Yale Summer Drama Program offering a for-credit Actors’ Conservatory and non-credit Directing Workshop, and the Yale Writers’ Workshop, a short-term non-credit program for aspiring writers, drawing on the expertise of Yale and visiting instructors.

“It is amazing to see the breadth and depth of all the programs on campus and the wide variety of learning experiences that each group provides. Seeing all the young faces from all over the world living, learning, and dreaming on the Yale campus in summer is amazing,” says Kathryn Vieillard, Deputy Director of YC&E. 

For the university, these programs provide significant revenue for dining, facilities, and internal service providers at Yale and in New Haven. In addition, thousands of high school students, college students and other visitors fill New Haven stores — helping to bridge the seasonal economic gap until the Yale students return.

Additionally, between YC&E, YSS, and YYGS, over 150 young employees are hired to assist with these programs. Some are Yale undergraduate and graduate students, and some come from various colleges and universities that host hospitality and various internship programs.

Yale’s summer programs run from May 26 to Aug. 11. For information on the programming or services available, visit the Conferences & Events website.