How to get into Yale
What 405 admitted applicants actually had: their grades, test scores, activities, awards and intended majors, counted from 1,917 Yale results that students posted for the 2016 to 2027 cycles. Every number below is counted, not estimated.
Applying to Yale? Book a free call with a Specialist to see how your student’s file compares.
Yale admits by the numbers
Median unweighted GPA
4.00
Middle half 3.94 to 4.00
Median SAT
1,550
Middle half 1,510 to 1,570
Median ACT
35
Middle half 34 to 36
Median weighted GPA
4.60
Middle half 4.40 to 4.80
Results posted: 405 admitted, 1,370 rejected, 142 waitlisted. People who post results are a self-selected group, so this is not the Yale acceptance rate; the official rate is in Yale’s Common Data Set.
Admitted vs. rejected: grades are not the difference
| Median | Admitted | Rejected |
|---|---|---|
| Unweighted GPA | 4.00 | 3.97 |
| SAT | 1,550 | 1,540 |
| ACT | 35 | 35 |
When the rejected applicants’ numbers sit this close to the admitted ones, the decision was made somewhere else in the file: the activities, the essays and the letters. That is where the rest of this page looks.
What Yale admits did outside class
Share of admitted applicants listing at least one activity of each type.
- Nonprofit/Service64%
- Research48%
- Tutoring/Teaching43%
- Athletics40%
- STEM club/competition38%
- Internship35%
- Advocacy/Politics31%
- Music31%
Held a leadership role
92%
Founded something
50%
National or intl. award
80%
Did research
48%
Early vs. regular decision at Yale
- Early (261 results)36%
- Regular (723 results)21%
Share of posters in each round who were admitted. Early applicants are a different group (often stronger and more certain), so read this as a description of these posts, not as odds.
Intended majors of Yale admits
- Computer Science16%
- Political Science13%
- Engineering10%
- Math7%
- Economics7%
- Biology5%
Who got in
Of the admitted posters, 23% first-generation, 23% low income, 28% underrepresented minority, 10% legacy, 1% recruited athlete and 8% international. Of those who said where they enrolled, 46% chose Yale.
Three recent Yale admits
2027 cycle · RD · Political Science
Los Angeles applicant whose essay examined the inequality between his commute's two worlds.
GPA 3.98 UW · SAT 1520 · Original post
2026 cycle · Physics
Research-driven computational physics builder who founded a test-prep site and a statewide nonprofit.
GPA 3.91 UW · SAT 1560 · ACT 36 · Original post
2026 cycle · RD · Math
Pure math researcher and debate captain who co-leads a voting-access foundation and founded a chess club.
GPA 4.00 UW · ACT 36 · Original post
Essays that worked for Yale
“The two qualities I most admire in other people are… Spock’s logic & Kirk’s passion”
Published by CollegeEssayGuy
Connected: Homework Without a Home
“There it sits, sullen in the passenger’s seat like a child in time out.”
Published by The New York Times
“Not all sons of doctors raise baby ducks and chickens in their kitchen. But I do. My dad taught me.”
Published by The New York Times
Death, Taxes and the Human Spirit
““Nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” Not only do Benjamin Franklin’s words still resonate today, but, if you are like most, filing income taxes is simply unpleasant.”
Published by The New York Times
How the Yale admissions office reads a file
- What does Yale look for in applicants beyond grades?
- How Yale reads applications: the regional officer's role · members
- What Yale's second reader sees in your application · members
- How Yale's committee chooses between strong applicants · members
- How to write the Yale community essay · members
- How to write a Yale science essay for non-scientists · members
Where else Yale admits got in
Yale admissions questions
- What GPA do you need to get into Yale?
- Among 405 applicants who posted a Yale admission on r/collegeresults, the median unweighted GPA was 4.00 and the middle half reported 3.94 to 4.00 (324 reported a GPA). Yale sets no minimum GPA; these are what admitted posters reported.
- What SAT score do you need for Yale?
- Among 405 applicants who posted a Yale admission on r/collegeresults, the median SAT was 1,550 and the middle half scored 1,510 to 1,570 (278 reported an SAT). The median ACT was 35.
- Does applying early help at Yale?
- In these posts, 36% of early applicants who reported a result were admitted (95 of 261), against 21% in regular decision (151 of 723). Early pools differ in who applies, so this is a description, not a promise.
- What extracurriculars do Yale admits have?
- The most common activity types among admitted posters were nonprofit/service (64%), research (48%), tutoring/teaching (43%), athletics (40%). 92% held at least one leadership role and 80% listed a national or international award.
- What is the Yale acceptance rate?
- The official rate is published by Yale in its Common Data Set. These pages do not compute one: people who post results are a self-selected group, so the share of admits among them is far higher than the real rate.
Applying to Yale?
A Specialist who got into a school like Yale can read your student’s file against these numbers and say where it stands out and where it doesn’t.
Source: self-reported results posts on r/collegeresults, each linked from our Database, counted across the 2016 to 2027 cycles with transfer applicants excluded. Aristo Scholars is not affiliated with Yale. All colleges