837 admitted to Class of 2025 from record-high early action pool

The university received a record 7,939 early-action applications — an increase of 38% over last year — thanks in part to new virtual outreach programming.
One of 837 welcome packets ready for delivery to the early applicants who have been accepted to the Yale College Class of 2025.

One of 837 welcome packets ready for delivery to the early applicants who have been accepted to the Yale College Class of 2025.

Yale College has offered admission to 837 applicants for the class of 2025 through its early action program, the Office of Undergraduate Admissions announced on Dec. 16. According to the office, 50% of students who applied through early action were deferred for reconsideration in the spring, 38% were denied admission, and 1% were withdrawn or incomplete.

The admissions office received a record 7,939 applications in the early action round — an increase of 38% over last year, said Jeremiah Quinlan, dean of undergraduate admissions and financial aid.

The Admissions Committee was very impressed with this year’s early applicant pool across every dimension,” Quinlan said. “Although high schoolers have dealt with countless challenges this year, the resilience, intellectual curiosity, and positive community contributions we’ve seen from our applicants has been inspiring.” 

The strength of the early action applicant pool was a sign of success for the admissions office’s new virtual outreach programming, said Mark Dunn, director of outreach and communications for the Office of Undergraduate Admissions.

In a year when very few high school students could visit Yale or meet a representative in person, we didn’t know how our applicant pool would change,” said Dunn. “We worked hard to make sure our many new outreach initiatives were a strong substitute for an in-person visit. It was reassuring to see that many early applicants demonstrated a real appreciation of what makes the Yale experience special after they engaged with online programing.”

Dunn highlighted the office’s virtual Multicultural Open House and active Instagram account as examples of initiatives that have been especially effective in engaging with prospective students. 

Earlier this month, Yale also offered admission to 72 students through the QuestBridge National College Match program. QuestBridge is a national non-profit organization that connects high-achieving students from lower-income backgrounds with selective colleges and universities. The 72 matches are the second-highest number of “QuestBridge Matches” for Yale in their 14-year partnership.  

On Dec. 1, these 72 students learned that they had been admitted to the Class of 2025 and qualified for a financial aid award with a $0 parent share. This is Yale's most generous financial aid award, and includes hospitalization insurance coverage, a $2,000 grant to help with one-time expenses in the first year, and a student share expectation of only $3,700 — an amount equal to Yale's estimate for out-of-pocket costs like books, laundry, and other personal expenses. 

Despite the disruptions associated with the pandemic, Yale has maintained all of its extraordinary need-based aid policies. Parents in families with less than $75,000 in annual income and typical assets qualify for a $0 parent share award and are not required to make any financial contribution towards the cost of their child’s education — including tuition, room and board, books, and personal expenses. This year Yale waived the “student share” portion of financial aid awards for those students enrolling remotely and adjusted the cost of attendance to provide additional aid to account for technology costs for remote learners.

Newly admitted students will have until May 1 to reply. Before then, students will have several opportunities to connect on virtual platforms. Although the Admissions Office will not be able to host an on-campus Bulldog Days program this spring, dozens of faculty, staff, and current students look forward to replicating the success of last year’s 30 Bulldog Days of April — a new collection of virtual welcome events offered exclusively to admitted students.   

We are delighted to offer admission to this first group of students in the Class of 2025,” Quinlan said. “But we also look forward to admitting a much larger group of students through our regular decision process this spring.”

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Media Contact

Mark Dunn: mark.dunn@yale.edu, 203-432-9316