yale phd grading

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Admissions: Applying to the MD-PhD Program

We seek applicants who are committed to pursuing a career as a physician-scientists. We value students who are curious, creative, compassionate, and resilient, and bring a diverse range of personal experiences, viewpoints, and academic interests to our collaborative and innovative community.

Candidates must submit their application to the Yale School of Medicine which includes the AMCAS and the Yale Secondary Applications and indicate their interest in being considered for the MD-PhD Program. All applications are holistically reviewed to find candidates whose academic and personal experiences indicate exceptional potential and a commitment to pursue MD and PhD training at Yale. Among the things we look for in a candidate's application are:

• Significant research experience(s) with evidence of increasing independence, responsibility, and depth of contributions
• Outstanding letters of recommendation, including those from research mentors who can reflect upon your potential for success as a physician-scientist
• Personal statements that allow us to understand your reasons for training as a physician-scientist
• Activities that reflect your curiosity, compassion, maturity, leadership, grit
• Broad academic excellence, not reflected solely in MCAT scores or GPA

Admissions Timeline

Invitations for interview will be sent via email from September to January. All interviews are virtual and will be scheduled over a two-day period. Candidates have interviews with members of both the MD and MD-PhD Interviewing subcommittees, non-evaluative meetings with MD-PhD program faculty and students, and informational sessions with the program director and current students. Social events and student buddies will help you learn more about the MD-PhD community at Yale and about living in New Haven. As part of the invitation to interview, we will provide a survey link that allows you to request informal meetings with up to five Yale faculty whose research is of interest to you. These informal discussions are not part of the admissions evaluation but are made available to you so that you can get a more complete picture of what Yale has to offer. Applicants who are not invited to interview for the MD-PhD Program will be offered the option to have their application considered for MD-only admission.

Special Instructions for Applicants Interested in “non-traditional” PhD programs

MD-PhD applicants who plan to pursue their PhD in Anthropology, Economics, History of Science & Medicine, Philosophy, Religious Studies or Sociology must submit applications to both the MD-PhD program and to the PhD program. (A link to the PhD program application will be sent to such students when their complete MD-PhD program application is received.) Interview invitations will be made after both applications have been reviewed. Materials required to support the PhD program application are detailed below. Students interested in these programs are encouraged to contact the MD-PhD program to indicate their interest and to obtain the most up-to-date information about specific PhD program requirements. Please note: the completed MD-PhD application must be received by October 15th and the PhD application completed by November 1st to allow full review and consideration for interview.

Requested additional materials:

• Anthropology
• History of Science and Medicine
• Religious Studies
• Please upload a current resume/CV.
• Applicants to Economics (Only) – GRE Test Scores required

Important information to keep in mind:

• The " personal statement of academic purpose " is carefully evaluated by PhD program faculty; when requested, it should be prepared with this audience in mind. This document should be a succinct statement of 500-1,000 words explaining why you are applying to Yale for graduate study, describing your past research, your preparation for the intended field of study, your academic plans for graduate study at Yale (e.g. your proposed research project), and your subsequent career objectives. Explain how the faculty, research, and resources at Yale would contribute to your future goals.
• You may submit a letter of recommendation from the same individual as part of both the AMCAS and GSAS applications; we encourage you to ask the recommenders most capable of speaking to your preparation for the PhD program of study to submit their letters to both AMCAS and GSAS. Once you identify a recommender in the GSAS Admissions Portal, they will receive an email providing instructions and access information.
• No application fee to GSAS will be required to submit these additional materials.
• The MCAT will be accepted in lieu of the GRE except for candidates to Economics.

Gap years are not necessary for applicants . Nationally, >75% of MD-PhD students have taken at least one gap year after college 1 . Gap years can help applicants gain research or clinical experience necessary for deciding whether dual-degree training is right for them. Or they can provide time to travel, work, or take the MCAT and apply. But gap years per se are not necessary to be admitted to MD-PhD programs! The distribution of gap years taken by Yale MD-PhD applicants, interviewed or accepted candidates, and matriculated students for 2019-2023 shows a median “gap” of 2 years for interviewed, accepted, and matriculated applicants But 18% of our current students joined the program immediately after graduating from college.

Diversity and inclusion are central to our mission; our goal is to train students with a wide range of backgrounds, personal identities, and research interests to become physician-scientists. MD-PhD students who matriculated in the past five years completed their undergraduate degrees at accredited four-year institutions all over the United States and territories, and include students who have attended community colleges, historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and small, non-research-intensive colleges. Demographics of current students, as self-identified in their AMCAS medical school applications, are shown below. We encourage individuals with disabilities or who may be from economically, socially, culturally and/or educationally disadvantaged backgrounds to apply to our Program. Yale is committed to providing an accessible and inclusive environment to individuals with disabilities by ensuring that appropriate academic and technical accommodations are available to students. Please contact the MD-PhD Office and Student Accessibility Services for further information. U.S. citizens, permanent residents, refugees, asylees, DACA recipients and international students are all eligible to apply for admission to the MD-PhD Program.

1 Brass LF, Fitzsimonds RM, Akabas MH. Gaps between college and starting an MD-PhD program are adding years to physician-scientist training time. JCI Insight. 2021;e156168 [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]

Yale's MD-PhD Program grants full consideration to students who plan to pursue a PhD program in departments that are part of the Biological and Biomedical Sciences (BBS) , the School of Public Health (YSPH) , School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) , and some departments of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS ). Please click on the links for more information on specific PhD programs. Current students are pursuing their PhD training in the following programs and departments.

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Grading at yale.

The Yale College  Handbook for Instructors of Undergraduates  provides comprehensive information about grading policies at Yale. Yale University is not immune from grade inflation, but we note that faculty committees and departments periodically review grading practices. While grade inflation creates a uniformity among marks given to students, grading practices vary across departments and disciplines. We recommend that instructors consult with department colleagues and the Director of Undergraduate Studies (DUS) to learn about local norms.

The College does require a small set of grading practices from all Yale instructors. The Handbook for Instructors of Undergraduates in Yale College institutionalizes three basic grading practices for instructors:

• A+ cannot be given at Yale. Instead, exemplary work may be noted with an End-of-Term Report where an instructor explains the student’s exceptional performance. These reports are sent to the student’s residential college dean who may reference the report when they write a letter of recommendation for the student or otherwise recommend the student for a Yale prize or fellowship.
• “There are no midterm grades as such, although midterm is considered a time for the instructor to give students an informal assessment of their work as well as to alert the residential college deans of those students having difficulty in a course.”
• The “ Instructor’s Midterm Report , a form used for reporting information about students doing unsatisfactory work, particularly those who are in danger of failing a course….should be filled out for each student the instructor considers to be at a D or an F level.”
• Graded Assignments - “In addition to a final examination or a paper due at the end of the term, instructors should plan some other graded assignments during the term, such as a midterm test, an oral report, or a short paper.”  

Grading Approaches and Policies

• Letter grades for all assignments - Many classes that assign papers or essay exams to assess students will exclusively use letters for grading. This grading practice is the norm for humanities and social science seminars.  
• Numerical grades on all assignments - Yale’s official letter grades do not correspond with a specific range of numerical grades. Thus, if an instructor elects to use numerical grades for individual assignments, they should create a number-to-letter-grade conversion system and make sure their students understand how their final grades will be calculated. This grading practice is the norm for STEM courses and frequently used for humanities and social science exams.  
• Revision and resubmission policy - Some classes allow students to rework term assignments in order to help students attain mastery regardless of their initial skill/knowledge level. The instructor gives students a chance - or sometimes multiple opportunities - to respond to instructor feedback, re-work their product, and re-submit an assignment. Some instructors allow for students to rework and resubmit until an assignment reaches the grade-level quality (and grade) a student desires.  
• Grading on a curve - Some instructors may choose to assign grades along a certain distribution. Sometimes the curves are structured to benefit students grades, such as adding free points to an exam until a certain number of students achieve 100s. Other curves seek to deflate grades, for example, by adding limits and quotas for how letter grades are distributed in the class. (Note: When the Ad Hoc Committee on Grading in 2013 proposed recommending grade distributions to deflate grades, this particular proposal was met with significant student opposition including organized protests. The faculty ultimately voted against adopting this proposal.)  
• Borderline grades - Some instructors at Yale will mark a paper A-/B+ to let a student know that their paper or project was borderline between two grades. This kind of ambiguity can be especially confusing for underclassmen, and instructors who choose to use in-between grades should clearly communicate their pedagogical purpose.  
• Attendance and grades - There is no University-wide policy on attendance and no minimum number of classes that students are required to attend - instead, students are expected to show up “regularly.”  Lectures typically do not take attendance, and in many if not most courses, attendance has no impact on grades. If an instructor desires to implement an attendance policy, they can establish clear guidelines on their syllabus for how a missed class or section will affect student grades. A common policy for seminars allows three absences before decreasing student letter grades by one half (on their class participation, final project, or even overall letter grade) for each additional absence unless the student has a Dean’s Extension (which vary across residential colleges). However, Yale instructors generally accommodate students with reasonable excuses with or without the Dean’s form.  
• Late submissions and grades - There is no University-wide policy on late submissions, except those governed by the  Academic Regulations  concerning late or postponed work (i.e., “dean’s extensions”, which permit late work under narrow conditions including severe illness). Some departments have strict policies, such as lowering the assignment’s grade by half a letter for every twenty-four hours an assignment is late. In practice, enforcing late-grade deductions is up to the instructor’s discretion. Instructors of upper level seminars in the humanities and social sciences are often very flexible about deadlines. In these spheres, Yale culture tends to prioritize “better work” over rushed submissions. In addition, upper level seminars and lecture sections often practice a “midnight” deadline, implying any time before the next morning (e.g. papers submitted at 4:30 am are hardly ever penalized). Given Yale College’s lax cultural norms regarding deadlines, instructors who desire to implement very strict deadlines and penalties can make this explicitly clear in the syllabus.

Clarity and fairness are the most important aspects of any course’s grading policy from both a pedagogical perspective and Yale culture. Instructors can consider effective syllabus design and assessment strategies in order to provide clear standards to students.

Non-Letter Grades / Special Marks

Sometimes special marks must be reported to the Registrar in place of the usual letter grades. The Registrar provides additional information about these marks along with the end-of-the-term packet:

• Credit/D/Fail - This is essentially the “Pass/Fail” option for undergrads who want to try a course without the pressure of letter grades impacting their GPA, and is a common practice. However, an instructor has no way of knowing if a student is taking the course as Cr/D/Fail. In addition, the instructor is not permitted to ask a student whether they are taking the course Cr/D/Fail, although students may choose to volunteer that information. At the end of term, these students are assigned a letter grade just like any other student, and the registrar changes the letter grade to “Cr” (for grades A through C-) or keeps the given letter grade (for grades D through F).
• Withdrew (W) - Students who decide that their performance in a given course is not desirable may choose to drop the course until 5PM on the last day of classes before reading period in that term. If dropped before midterm, that course will not appear on the transcript. After this date, the transcript will record a “W” (for “withdrew”) for that course, which most students do not desire. Offering high-quality feedback (either through grades or an in-person consultation) to students well before the midterm allows them to decide whether or not to drop a class without the stress of incurring a “W.”  
• Other special marks are less common and include SAT (satisfactory), TI (authorized temporary incomplete), and ABX (authorized absence from final examination). These are issued by deans of residential colleges. 

Additional Resources

Ben-David Y. (November 2013). Grading committee drops numerical system . Yale Daily News.

Grades (Academic Regulations, Yale College Programs of Study)

Letter from Dean Miller regarding Grading in Yale College (May 2014)

Menton JD. (April 2013).  Defining the Yale College ‘A’. Yale Daily News.

Menton JD. (April 2013). Students Decry Grading Changes . Yale Daily News. 

Revised Report of the Ad Hoc Committee on Grading . (April 2013).

Yale College Instructor’s End of Term Report

YOU MAY BE INTERESTED IN

The Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning routinely supports members of the Yale community with individual instructional consultations and classroom observations.

Instructional Enhancement Fund

The Instructional Enhancement Fund (IEF) awards grants of up to $500 to support the timely integration of new learning activities into an existing undergraduate or graduate course. All Yale instructors of record, including tenured and tenure-track faculty, clinical instructional faculty, lecturers, lectors, and part-time acting instructors (PTAIs), are eligible to apply. Award decisions are typically provided within two weeks to help instructors implement ideas for the current semester.

Reserve a Room

The Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning partners with departments and groups on-campus throughout the year to share its space. Please review the reservation form and submit a request.

Computer Science

Yale computer science phd program admissions faq.

Frequently Asked Questions Regarding Admissions to the Computer Science Department

What is the deadline for applying?

Graduate students are admitted starting in the fall term. The deadline for admission in the fall term, 2024, is January 2, 2024 for master’s student applicants. The deadline for applicants to the doctoral program is December 15, 2023.

There is no way to apply during a spring term, although once admitted a student may delay admission for a year or possibly less, with final permission from the Dean of the Graduate School. Admitted students must send a request to the Computer Science Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) for approval first.

Can I get the application fee waived?

In many cases, yes. Membership in a variety of professional organizations qualify you for a fee wavier. For example:

• National Society of Black Engineers ( NSBE)
• American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES)
• Society of Women Engineers ( SWE)
• Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science ( SACNAS)
• The complete list is here

Past attendance at many conferences also qualify you. For example:

• Grace Hopper Celebration (GHC)
• Richard Tapia Celebration of Diversity in Computing Conference (Tapia)

Finally, if you have ever received a US Federal Pell Grant, you qualify for a waiver. More information, including the waiver request form, is available here .

What is the department’s policy on GRE Scores? 

The GRE score is not accepted for doctoral applicants.

What about grades?

It is good to have high grades, but we actually look at transcripts. If a student has a low grade-point average, we check to see if perhaps he or she did badly early in college, possibly through lack of motivation, then did better as intellectual curiosity grew. Or perhaps someone’s grades are low because he or she focused entirely on computer science and received bad grades in everything else. (Is that good? It’s impossible to answer without looking at the students’ entire record.)

How important are TOEFL scores to foreign students?

Very important, but only because we have nothing better. Your goal before admission should be to learn English, not to pass the TOEFL.

Yale University attaches a great deal of importance to the process by which graduate students learn to become teachers. Every student is required to TA two terms, and may TA more terms if desired. Being an instructor or assisting one requires interactions with undergraduate students. Yale administers its own test to students after they get here to be sure they know English well enough to talk to undergraduates. Failure to pass this test causes administrative problems for faculty and graduate students. The test is waived for students with a 4-year degree from an institution where English is the primary language of instruction; and for students who score 26 or higher on the spoken portion of the iBT test.

I didn’t major in Computer Science as an undergraduate. Can I still get in?

Yes. It helps to have a serious, specific interest in some aspect of the science of computing, over and above experience in programming computers. If you are unacquainted with complexity and decidability, or have only cursory knowledge of data structures, or don’t know the difference between an algorithm and a program, then you should consider taking (and doing well in!) undergraduate courses that address these matters before you apply to a graduate program.

Can you tell me in advance what my chances are of being admitted?

No. Many students ask us to do this, and if we acceded to all such requests, we would in essence be rehearsing the admissions process on the group that asked for advance notice. Not only would this be a lot of work, but the results wouldn’t mean anything, since the outcome when we see all the candidates would likely be different.

What financial support is available for me?

The Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences is committed to supporting Ph.D. students for five years, including summers, by combinations of grants, university fellowships, and teaching Assistantships.

Do a student’s research interests affect his or her chance of being admitted?

Yes, a little. We expect every student to be open to many facets of Computer Science when they arrive, and encourage them to feel free to change their area of concentration after they get here. Our main criterion for admission is the applicant’s intelligence, curiosity, and ability to explore without detailed supervision. That said, if a faculty member in a research area is looking for students, the admissions committee tries to accommodate him or her by focusing a bit more than usual on applicants in that area. Of course, the applicants don’t know which areas fall in that category, so they shouldn’t worry about it.

Individual faculty members get many inquiries asking if they will be accepting new students during the next admissions season. As you should be able to infer from the previous paragraph, these inquiries are misguided; students are admitted to the department, not to the research group of a particular faculty member.

Do applicants apply directly to the Ph.D. program, or are they expected to apply to the MS program, and from there be admitted to the Ph.D. program?

Apply directly to the Ph.D. program. The two programs are completely separate, and it is unusual for a Master’s student to go on to the Ph.D. program. If they choose to do so, they must reapply to the Graduate School.

Can I be a part-time student?

Ph.D. students must be full-time students.

Where can I find out how to apply?

Remember that you must apply to the Graduate School of Arts & Science. You do not apply directly to the Department of Computer Science nor do you send any forms to this department. Information on applying for admission to the Yale University Graduate School can be found by going to the web page

http://yale.edu/graduateschool/admissions/

Information regarding how and when to apply is available at that web site.

What if I have a question that is not on this list?

If your question is about the Yale admissions process, check the Graduate School FAQ .

Graduate Study

• Advanced Graduate Leadership Program
• Forms and Guides

Graduate Degrees

Ph.d. degree.

The online publication Qualification Procedure for the Ph.D. Degree in Engineering & Applied Science describes in detail all requirements in Biomedical Engineering, Chemical & Environmental Engineering, Electrical Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science. The student is strongly encouraged to read it carefully; key requirements are briefly summarized below. See Computer Science's departmental entry in this bulletin for special requirements for the Ph.D. in Computer Science.

Students plan their course of study in consultation with faculty advisers (the student's advisory committee). A minimum of ten term courses is required, to be completed in the first two years. Well-prepared students may petition for course waivers based on courses taken in a previous graduate degree program. Similarly, students may place out of certain ENAS courses via an examination prepared by the course instructor. Placing out of the course will not reduce the total number of required courses. Core courses, as identified by each department/program, should be taken in the first year unless otherwise noted by the department. With the permission of the departmental director of graduate studies (DGS), students may substitute more advanced courses that cover the same topics. No more than two courses can be Special Investigations, and at least two must be outside the area of the dissertation. All students must complete a one-term course, Responsible Conduct of Research, in the first year of study. Information on graduate courses offered in ENAS can be found at https://courses.yale.edu/ .

Each term, the faculty review the overall performance of the student and report their findings to the DGS who, in consultation with the associate dean, determines whether the student may continue toward the Ph.D. degree. By the end of the second term, it is expected that a faculty member has agreed to accept the student as a research assistant. By December 5 of the third year, an area examination must be passed and a written prospectus submitted before dissertation research is begun. These events result in the student's admission to candidacy. Subsequently, the student will report orally each year to the full advisory committee on progress. When the research is nearing completion, but before the thesis writing has commenced, the full advisory committee will advise the student on the thesis plan. A final oral presentation of the dissertation research is required to be given during term time. There is no foreign language requirement.

Teaching experience is regarded as an integral part of the graduate training program at Yale University, and all Engineering graduate students are required to serve as a Teaching Fellow for up to two terms, typically during year two. Teaching duties normally involve assisting in laboratories or discussion sections and grading papers and are not expected to require more than ten hours per week. Students are not permitted to teach during the first year of study.

If a student was admitted to the program having earned a score of less than 26 on the Speaking Section of the Internet-based TOEFL, the student will be required to take an English as a Second Language (ESL) course each term at Yale until the Graduate School's Oral English Proficiency standard has been met. This must be achieved by the end of the third year in order for the student to remain in good standing.

Doctoral students who are accepted to our program usually receive financial support (tuition and stipend) for their entire period of study, provided their performance is satisfactory.

A unique feature of our doctoral program is support during the first year from University Fellowships; this financial independence gives beginning graduate students the freedom to explore various topics with different faculty members. For the 2020-2021 academic year, the tuition plus stipend amounts to $82,450 (tuition: $45,700, stipend: $36,750). Exceptional students receive financial supplements from the School of Engineering & Applied Science in addition to their University Fellowship.

After their first year, students are usually appointed Assistants in Research, and their tuition support and stipend come from the grants and contracts of their faculty research advisors.

M.D./Ph.D. Degree

M.D./Ph.D. students affiliate with the Department of Biomedical Engineering via the Medical School. M.D./Ph.D. students officially affiliate with Biomedical Engineering after selecting a thesis adviser and consulting with the director of graduate studies (DGS).

The academic requirements for M.D./Ph.D. students entering Biomedical Engineering are modified from the normal requirements for Ph.D. students. Other than the modifications listed here, M.D./Ph.D. students in Biomedical Engineering are subject to all of the same requirements as the other graduate students in the department.

Courses: Seven graduate-level courses taken for a grade must be completed during the first two years of the Ph.D. program. (One Yale graduate-level course taken for a grade during medical school may be counted toward this requirement at the discretion of the DGS.) There are three required courses: ENAS 510 and two semesters of ENAS 990. All students are expected to present their Special Investigation work at a department symposium held on the last day of the reading period. In addition, there is a math requirement, which may be met by taking any one of the following courses: ENAS 500, ENAS 505, ENAS 549. Among the three electives, one must be in engineering or a closely related field. Students must obtain a grade of Honors in any two of these courses, excluding ENAS 990, and maintain an average of at least High Pass.

Teaching: Students are required to serve as a teaching fellow for up to two terms but are not permitted to teach during their first year of graduate study.

Prospectus and Qualifying exam: M.D./Ph.D. students must complete and submit their thesis prospectus by the end of the fifth semester as an affiliated graduate student. If the student affiliates at the customary point of year three, they must submit the approved prospectus before the end of the fall semester of the fifth year (at the beginning of year three as an affiliated Ph.D. student). After submitting the prospectus, students present their results to date and their proposed research to their thesis committee in an Area Examination. Students are given two opportunities to pass this exam.

Candidacy: M.D./Ph.D. students will be admitted to candidacy once they have completed their course requirements, passed their qualifying exam, and had their dissertation prospectus approved by their advisory committee.

Further requirements: M.D./Ph.D. students who are admitted to candidacy are required to have an annual Thesis Committee meeting. In the first year after admission to candidacy, students are expected to present their research work at a departmental seminar. Attendance at weekly Biomedical Engineering Seminars is mandatory. A final oral presentation of the dissertation research is required before students may submit to the Dissertation Office.

Master's Degrees

M.Phil. The Master of Philosophy is awarded en route to the Ph.D. in SEAS. The minimum general requirements for this degree are that a student shall have completed all requirements for the Ph.D. except required teaching, the prospectus, and dissertation. Students will not generally have satisfied the requirements for the Master of Philosophy until after two years of study, except where graduate work done before admission to Yale has reduced the student's graduate course work at Yale. In no case will the degree be awarded for less than one year of residence in the Yale Graduate School.

M.S. (en route to the Ph.D.): To qualify for the M.S., the student must pass eight term courses; no more than two may be Special Investigations. An average grade of at least High Pass is required, with at least one grade of Honors.

Terminal Master's Degree Program: Students may also be admitted directly to a terminal master's degree program in Engineering & Applied Science. The requirements are the same as for the M.S. en route to the Ph.D., although there are no core course requirements for students in this program. This program is normally completed in one year, but a part-time program may be spread over as many as four years. Some courses are available in the evening, to suit the needs of students from local industry.

The Master’s of Science in Personalized Medicine & Applied Engineering is a program directed and taught jointly by faculty in the School of Engineering & Applied Science and the School of Medicine. The program is intended to prepare biomedical, mechanical, and electrical engineers, as well as computer science majors and medical students, with the tools to develop innovative 3D solutions for personalized medicine.  The advancement of our understanding of complex medical conditions--together with the advent of high-resolution medical imaging, 3D printing, robotics, computer navigation, extended, virtual and augmented reality--offers an opportunity to develop custom treatments, patient-specific instruments for surgery and personalized medical devices. This degree program will train graduate students to develop and apply 3D technology to address surgical and medical conditions, with the goal of personalizing healthcare treatments to improve patient clinical outcomes. Additional societal benefits include lower healthcare costs (increased efficiency, lower complications, increased collaboration, improved sustainability) and improved patient quality of life. Prospective students should apply through the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and more information about the degree can be found here .

The program is one full year: summer through spring.  Students are required to participate in an eight-week, summer clinical immersion session prior to registration in fall semester sequence courses. Although course credit is not awarded for the clinical program, completion of the requirement will be noted on the transcript.

Course Requirements:   Given that the program will attract students from many different backgrounds, students will have flexibility in selecting the focus of their special investigation projects as well as an optional biomedical engineering industry collaboration project (“internal internship”). For example, students with a strong engineering background may want to focus on medical school-focused classes, while medical students may want to focus on engineering-related courses. In order to graduate, students will need to take a total of eight courses, of which six courses are required and two may be chosen from Yale-wide graduate-level technical electives, which must be approved by the program’s DGS. An average grade of at least High Pass is required, with at least one grade of Honors.

The following six courses are required of all students in the program: ENAS 526, ENAS 527, ENAS 528, ENAS 529, and two semesters of ENAS 990.

Joint Master's Degree Program (School of Engineering & Applied Science and School of the Environment): The joint master's degree program offered by the School of the Environment (YSE) and the School of Engineering & Applied Science (SEAS) provides environmental engineers and environmental managers with the opportunity to develop knowledge and tools to address the complex relationship between technology and the environment. This joint-degree program will train graduate students to design and manage engineered and natural systems that address critical societal challenges, while considering the complex technical, economic, and sociopolitical systems relationships. Each joint program leads to the simultaneous award of two graduate professional degrees: either the Master of Environmental Management (M.E.M.) or the Master of Environmental Science (M.E.Sc.) from YSE, and a Master of Science (M.S.) from SEAS. Students can earn the two degrees concurrently in 2.5 years, less time than if they were pursued sequentially. Candidates spend the first year at YSE, the second year at SEAS, and their final term at YSE. Joint-degree students are guided in this process by advisers in both YSE and SEAS. Candidates must submit formal applications to both YSE and SEAS and be admitted separately to each School, i.e., each School makes its decision independently. It is highly recommended that students apply to and enter a joint-degree program from the outset, although it is possible to apply to the second program once matriculated at Yale. Prospective students to the joint-degree program apply to the YSE master's degree through YSE and to the SEAS master's degree in Chemical & Environmental Engineering through the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences .

The following six courses are required of all joint-degree YSE/SEAS master's students completing their M.S. in Environmental Engineering: ENAS 641, ENAS 642, ENAS 660, ENV 773, ENV 838, and either ENV 712 or ENV 724. Two additional Yale-wide technical electives approved by the DGS (or faculty in an equivalent role in Environmental Engineering) are required. These courses may be cross-listed with or administered by YSE with prior approval from the DGS. For the joint-degree requirements for completion of the M.E.M. or M.E.Sc. in YSE, see the bulletin of the Yale School of the Environment at https://bulletin.yale.edu .

Yale Daily News

Faculty report reveals average Yale College GPA, grade distributions by subject

Seventy-nine percent of Yale College grades were in the A range for 2022-23 — nearly identical to figures released by Harvard College in October.

Staff Reporter

Yale College’s mean GPA was 3.70 for the 2022-23 academic year, and 78.97 percent of grades given to students were A’s or A-’s.

The data, which show a sharp hike in grades coinciding with the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, come from a document presented at a November faculty meeting. According to economics professor Ray Fair, who authored the report, Yale College Dean Pericles Lewis distributed the document to faculty members who attended the meeting. 

Even before the pandemic, the percentage of A-range grades was climbing — it reached 72.95 percent in the 2018-19 academic year, up from 68.97 percent five years prior. But in 2020-21, that share jumped to 81.97 percent. Fair dubbed the grading upturn “the COVID effect.”

“Some thought [the COVID effect] would be temporary, but it has more or less persisted. [It’s] probably the faculty going easier on students because COVID was a pain,” Fair told the News. “The report simply documents the history of grading at Yale … It gives the ‘current state of grading’ and I think the numbers are straightforward to interpret.”

Fair sent the document to the News after the News reached out to ask his thoughts on grade inflation. Earlier this semester, the University Registrar’s Office denied the News’ request to access Yale College grading data, and the University has not published similar data in over a decade .

Fair later said that he sent the report with Lewis’ permission and would not have done so otherwise. Lewis told the News that he gave permission “in order to promote transparency.”

“As you can see, a large majority of grades in Yale College are in the A range (A or A-),” Lewis wrote in an email to the News. “This results in compression, making it difficult for instructors to use grades for their intended purpose of helping students understand areas of strength and others that need attention.”

Lewis added that, at the November faculty meeting, he encouraged faculty “to make use of the full range of grades where appropriate.”

Fair’s three-page grading report — compiled using data from the Registrar’s Office — has two tables. Table 1 provides data on Yale College grades since 2010, including letter-grade percentages and mean GPAs. The table does not include data from the 2019-20 academic year because spring-semester classes were graded under a “universal pass/fail” policy .

Table 2 breaks down grading data by academic subject. In general, STEM subjects seem to have lower percentages of A-range grades, and humanities subjects seem to have higher percentages.

There is significant variation in the frequency of A-range grades across “large-enrollment subjects,” ranging from 52.39 percent for Economics to 92.37 percent for History of Science, Medicine and Public Health. Lower-enrollment subjects display similar variation, ranging from 57.36 percent for Engineering and Applied Science to 92.06 percent for Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies. 

Table 2 does not include languages, art and music, which, per the report, “may differ from the other subjects regarding grading issues.” The report also notes that Philosophy and Psychology have higher percentages of Credit — “CR” — grades than other subjects, which may distort their percentages in the table.

The Harvard Office of Undergraduate Education presented a similar report on grade inflation to the university’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences in October. The report found that 79 percent of grades given to Harvard College students for 2020-21 were in the A range — virtually identical to Yale’s percentage for 2022-23.

Harvard’s report also registered a discrepancy in A-range grades between STEM and the humanities.

In 2001, when a Boston Globe report found that 91 percent of Harvard seniors graduated with Latin honors that year, the Globe called Harvard honors “the laughingstock of the Ivy League.” Harvard’s faculty, in turn, called grade inflation “ a serious problem .” At the time, Yale went on the record saying that it would not release grading data because doing so could cause professors to grade more leniently when they learned how others were grading.

But the University changed its tune in 2013, when then-Yale College Dean Mary Miller created an “Ad Hoc Committee on Grading” to curb grade inflation and ever-climbing GPA cutoffs for Latin honors. The Committee, chaired by Fair, issued a preliminary report that included grading data showing that 62 percent of grades awarded to Yale College students in spring 2012 fell in the A range.

On the basis of the Committee’s final report in 2014, Yale’s faculty voted to have summaries of departments’ grades distributed to other departments every year. The Committee also recommended that the University implement non-mandatory grading guidelines, but the faculty rejected the proposal.

Fair said that the faculty has not attempted to address grade inflation in the years since. Although most Yale faculty members agreed that there was grade inflation in 2017 — when the percentage of A-range grades was approximately six points lower than it is now — fewer said that they viewed it as a problem.

Yale College does not use the A+ letter grade.

Tables from “Grade Report Update: 2022-2023,” November 2023, courtesy of Ray Fair.

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School of Public Health 2023–2024

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Grading System

The YSPH grading system is designed to foster an atmosphere of cooperative learning. Consequently, YSPH does not compute the grade point average (GPA) or class rank of its students. Students are graded only to provide them with a formal evaluation of their understanding of the concepts presented in their courses.

All YSPH courses are graded Honors (H), High Pass (HP), Pass (P), or Fail (F). The Internship, seminars, and colloquia receive a grade of Satisfactory (S) upon successful completion. The grade of “Q” indicates courses for which a student has received a course exemption.

• A grade of Honors should be assigned for performance that is distinguished. This reflects contributions that go beyond the requirements for the course, either in terms of the creativity of their application, the complexity of the settings in which the ideas are applied, or their ability to build on the methods and ideas taught in the class.
• A grade of High Pass should be assigned for students who have demonstrated a proficiency in the use of class material. Students earning this grade not only understand the material that was taught but can also deploy it in constructive ways for new problems.
• A grade of Pass should be assigned for students who have demonstrated an understanding of the class material. They must be able to accurately describe ideas and methods and identify contexts in which they are appropriately used. Passing grades indicate that students are capable of performing competently in this domain as public health professionals.
• A grade of Fail should be assigned to students who cannot demonstrate an acceptable understanding of the core ideas, methods, or other class material and thus lack competence in this domain of public health.

The instructor for each course will determine the specific performance criteria that correspond to each of these tiers of academic achievement. Consequently, quantitative thresholds for particular grades may vary from one course to the next and in some courses may depend on factors (e.g., class participation) that are not readily quantified.

A failure in any course remains on the student’s transcript. If the course is retaken, it is listed again on the transcript with the new grade.

It is expected that instructors will require all course assignments, including term papers and exams, to be submitted by the last day of the term. In very rare cases, students may receive a grade of Incomplete (I). The instructor and the associate dean for student affairs will jointly review each case to approve permission for a student to submit work after the end of the term. Permission may be granted because of an incapacitating illness, a serious family emergency, or another matter of comparable import. If the instructor and the associate dean cannot reach a consensus, the matter will be referred to the Committee on Academic Progress for resolution. The instructor and the associate dean will stipulate the date on which the student’s late work will be due (this date cannot exceed three months from the last day of the term) and will determine the date on which the instructor is expected to submit a course grade to the registrar. If the student’s work has not been completed by the stipulated date, the grade of Incomplete (I) will be converted to a failing grade (F).

Students with a grade of Incomplete will not be allowed to participate in YSPH Commencement activities.

The transcript is a permanent record. Grade changes may only be made if the instructor reports to the registrar that a clerical or computational error has resulted in an inaccurate grade. The University considers an instructor’s evaluation of the quality of a student’s work to be final. Disputes about a course grade that are alleged to result from discrimination based on race, sex, religion, national or ethnic origin, or handicap are resolved through the University’s student grievance procedures.

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Grading System and Definitions of Honors, High Pass, Pass, Fail

The grading system consists of Honors (H), High Pass (HP), Pass (P), and Fail (F). The School employs a standard set of definition for each grade. 

Criteria for each grade are the prerogative of individual faculty; however, the School uses  a standard numerical system for converting scored tests and assignments to the grading system, as follows:

H - Honors (92–100) 

HP -  High Pass (83–91.9) 

P -  Pass (74–82.9)

F - Fail (73.9 and below)

YSN does not round grades.

The standard numerical system is not used for Pass/Fail courses. Furthermore, Pass/Fail courses are not included in the calculation of cumulative GPA on a student’s transcript.

Final grades for Pass/Fail courses are assigned as follows:

•   Pass (P/F)

•   Fail (F/F)

Four additional indicators may appear on a student’s transcript:

•   Incomplete (INC)

•   Credit Waiver (CRW)

•   Audit (AUD)

•   Full-Year Course (YR). A “grade” of YR is assigned for the first term of a full-year course and the final standard grade will be awarded to the subsequent term once the course is completed. A grade of YR will remain for the first term on the transcript. 

Superior graduate-level performance. Superior performance is maintained with new or complex material. Consistently demonstrates complete and accurate understanding and application of knowledge and skills. Synthesizes and integrates data from relevant disciplines and evidence-based sources to make decisions. Independently and appropriately initiates and follows through with learning opportunities.

High Pass (HP)

Above-average graduate-level performance. Deals with new or complex material when periodic consultation is given. Demonstrates conceptual and accurate understanding and application of theoretical knowledge and skills. Uses information from relevant disciplines and evidence-based sources when developing a database or making decisions, but does not always achieve synthesis and true integration. Follows suggestions about opportunities that will enhance learning.

Meets requirements as derived from course objectives. Demonstrates adequate understanding and application of theoretical knowledge and skill.

Does not meet requirements as derived from course objectives. No credit is given for the course.

Pass/FaiL (P/F)

The Pass/Fail course has been completed satisfactorily without identifying level of performance.

Fail/Fail (F/F)

The Pass/Fail course has not been completed satisfactorily. No credit is given for the course.

Incomplete (INC)

All students are encouraged to complete all course work by the end of the term. However, a student and instructor may agree to an extension on completing course work. A grade of Incomplete (INC) on a transcript refers to such unfinished course work. For additional information, see the Request for a Grade of Incomplete policy at  https://nursing.yale.edu/students/ysn-student-resources-guidelines .

Credit Waiver (CRW)

Ungraded credit for work completed at another school that is applied toward a course requirement at YSN. Receiving a course credit toward the requirements for the degree requires demonstration of competence or mastery of the particular subject matter. More information is available a t https://nursing.yale.edu/students/registrar/challenge-policy .

AUDIT (AUD)

A student who wishes to audit a course outside of Yale School of Nursing must receive permission from the instructor (not all faculty allow auditors) and YSN adviser and must officially enroll in the course as an auditor by contacting the Office of the Registrar at YSN. Typically, the minimum general requirement for auditing is attendance in two-thirds of the class sessions; instructors may set additional requirements for auditing their classes. Audited courses appear on the student’s transcript with a grade of AUD.

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Department of Physics

You are here, apply to the yale physics phd program.

The Yale Department of Physics welcomes applications to our matriculating graduate class of 2024 beginning around August 15th, 2024. The General GRE and Physics GRE scores are Optional for applications received by the December 15, 2023, submission deadline.

We recognize the continuing disruption caused by COVID-19 and that the hardship of taking GREs falls unequally on individual students. We are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment for all; therefore, we do not require these standardized tests for admission to our program. All applications are reviewed holistically, and preference will not be given to students who do or do not submit GRE scores.

Frequently Asked Physics Questions General Application Questions Application Fees and Fee Waivers* Accommodations for Applicants Facing Extenuating Circumstances

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I reviewed my Yale admissions file to see what the Ivy League school really thought about my application. What I learned surprised me.

• I reviewed my Yale admissions file to see what the Ivy League school thought about my application. 
• Most of my scores weren't that impressive, but they really liked my genuine attitude and excitement.
• Reviewing my application reminded me how far I have come as a student. 

"Brian spoke so fast it was electrifying."

This was the first quote from my Yale interviewer. She wrote those words in my admissions file, a document I finally got my hands on three years after being accepted into Yale University .

I remember that interview like it was yesterday. It was a Zoom call — my application cycle happened at the crux of pandemic remote learning — and I was wearing my father's old, oversize dress shirt. The interviewer was lovely. Some of my answers to her questions probably didn't make sense, and she was right. I definitely forgot to breathe in between my sentences.

But viewing my admissions file years later gave me a peek into what my interviewer was actually thinking that day, and I learned what really got me into Yale.

I reviewed my application as a junior with the registrar

Every student in the US can review their college admissions file under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. I emailed my university registrar, and within 45 days, a member of their support staff reached back out to schedule a virtual meeting. Picture-taking and recording were not allowed, so I jotted notes by hand.

There was very little verbal interaction between me and the staff member. She screen-shared my admissions file and let me read in silence. Something told me she understood the emotional weight of this moment for students, and I appreciated that. It is intimidating for any teenager to package their identity into a 650-word common application essay and a questionnaire — but it is arguably even more so to witness retrospectively how everything was judged.

I got a behind-the-scenes look into Yale admissions when they read my application

Each aspect of my application was rated out of nine points. My readers gave me a six for my extracurriculars and for my first teacher recommendation. They gave me a seven for my second teacher recommendation and my counselor's recommendation. I received an "outstanding" for my interview and a 2++ for my overall rating. The overall rating is given on a scale from 1 to 4, with 1 being the highest, and pluses were a good sign.

Related stories

In all, my ratings weren't exactly bad, but they weren't extraordinary either. The numbers on the pages stared back at me — cold, formulaic, and transactional. It felt strange to be reduced to a system of numbers, knowing that something as qualitative as extracurricular activities could still be broken down and scored.

Beyond the ratings, however, what truly stood out were the comments left by the admissions officers . Many of the comments were on my character, my essays, and the possible contributions I would make as a student.

"I teared up reading Essay 1," one reader wrote of my common application essay. Another said of the same essay: "His Chinese New Years are untraditional in that they remind him of his family's financial struggles."

I got emotional. All the memories of writing that essay came flooding back. I remembered how difficult it was to start it. I knew there was no easy way for someone to understand me without first knowing my background. I wanted to prove that I deserved a seat at the table where legacy students and the wealthy continue to outnumber their first-generation, low-income peers like myself.

I kept reading and found more comments from admissions officers that moved me: "He treats his mom well;" "He seems to have a truly good heart;" "One of the most intelligent, sincere, jovial students ever met;" "I have no doubt that Brian would push his peers at Yale to stand up for what's right;" and "I come away with compelling impressions that the student would contribute significantly to the undergrad community."

I searched for a negative comment. There were none.

I didn't deserve this, I muttered under my breath. Here I was, a junior in college, no longer a 4.0 student , my post-grad plans murky, balancing two part-time jobs and hoping to make it out of midterms alive. It felt good knowing that someone had rooted for me to be here.

The process reminded me how far I have come

Coming from an underserved household where no one had gone to college, I had always looked at the Ivy League application process skeptically.

Without the resources to enroll in SAT test prep and the financial safety net to pursue unpaid leadership positions and resume-boosting activities at school, I had doubted the "holistic" admissions process many colleges boast. My critiques about Yale remain numerous.

But at least in their comments, the admissions committee gave me grace in that they reviewed my application in light of my circumstances. I might never know exactly what happened in that reading room. Still, a couple of lessons ring true, based on my own viewing experience and my conversations with others who had done the same: Good character and potential are the key; I didn't need to be perfect.

And finally, I — not anyone else — needed to give me the fighting chance of applying in the first place.

"GPA is outstanding, especially in context," an admissions officer said. "This is a home run."

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Office of the President

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Announcement - Reappointment of Dean Lynn Cooley

Dear Members of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Community,

I am delighted to announce that the Yale Corporation has approved the reappointment of Lynn Cooley, C. N. H. Long Professor of Genetics and Professor of Cell Biology and of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, as dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences for a third term of five years, effective July 1, 2024. This renewal recognizes Dean Cooley’s success over the past decade in leading the oldest graduate school in the country into a new era of distinction.

Throughout the past decade, Dean Cooley has worked tirelessly to enhance the school’s academic environment for faculty, staff, and students. The Graduate Program Review initiative, which began in the 2015-16 academic year, is a testament to her dedication to fostering strong relationships between the graduate school and individual programs. This pioneering endeavor has facilitated communication and collaboration and empowered programs to excel in admissions, career outcomes, and curricular innovation.

Under Dean Cooley’s visionary leadership, the graduate school has seen remarkable expansions, including a Ph.D. program in translational biomedicine; a Ph.D. program in women’s, gender, and sexuality studies; and a master’s degree program in personalized medicine and applied engineering. She has also fostered partnerships to advance multidisciplinary study in collaboration with the Wu Tsai Institute; Whitney Humanities Center; and Yale Center for the Study of Race, Indigeneity, and Transnational Migration.

In the face of great challenges posed by the global pandemic, Dean Cooley took proactive measures that focused on the safety and well-being of our graduate student community while simultaneously facilitating the continuation of learning, teaching, and research endeavors. Most notably, she extended additional financial support to students whose research was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dean Cooley’s unwavering commitment to students’ well-being also has led to the implementation of medical leave hardship awards to lessen the financial burden resulting from such leaves of absence, hiring the graduate school’s inaugural embedded mental health clinician, consistently increasing stipend support for Ph.D. students, expanding family support for students with children, and introducing relocation awards to incoming students to offset the cost of moving to New Haven. These initiatives underscore her dedication to fostering an inclusive and supportive academic environment, which she also has advanced by expanding key pipeline programs such as the Post-baccalaureate Research Education Program and the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship.

Finally, I salute Dean Cooley for playing a pivotal role as part of the team that collaboratively navigated the graduate student unionization process and continues to spearhead many of the implementation efforts following the ratification of a contract. Throughout her tenure, Dean Cooley has acknowledged the important contributions of graduate students to our campus and upheld the academic and research commitments of the university.

I am grateful to all those who informed the reappointment process with their thoughtful comments about the graduate school and Dean Cooley’s achievements. In noting their admiration for her leadership, colleagues from across the university remarked that the graduate school has been strengthened immeasurably by Dean Cooley’s collaborative spirit and innovative approach. I also received several messages praising her steadfast advocacy for the evolving needs of students and faculty members.

I would like to thank Dean Cooley for her contributions to the excellence of the graduate school and for her willingness to continue serving in this important role. Please join me in congratulating her on her reappointment and in wishing her every success in the years ahead.

Peter Salovey President Chris Argyris Professor of Psychology

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The Death of the Pure Elective

Remember taking classes for fun my students don’t..

“Why would you ever take an entire course on trauma?”

That was the question I asked my students last year at the beginning of a semester-long, waitlisted class on the most distressing type of psychic pain. Were they aspiring psychologists or social workers? Had they themselves been traumatized? Were they searching for tools to deal with catastrophe? Or had they just been intrigued by the topic?

I braced myself for their answers and was shocked that, to a person, they all responded the exact same way:

The course fulfilled a graduation requirement.

Accordingly, I was less surprised this year when I heard the same reply from participants in a very different (also full) course I taught on the philosophy of charity: They needed it for their degree.

I’m seeing this attitude more and more at the college where I teach, Boston University: Electives as you might remember them are out. Matthew Bae, a director of academic advising at BU, says he sees not more than one or two students a semester sign up for a course merely because they’re interested. “Students taking pure electives are the exception, not the rule,” Bae said, “and I always remember them because they’re so rare they stand out.”

If students can’t figure out what the immediate use value of a course is, they won’t take it. And so far as I can tell, this utilitarian approach is directly related to the rising costs of college.

Or perhaps I should say skyrocketing costs. Because, as the Boston Globe reported  last week, four top New England universities—Tufts, Wellesley, Yale, and BU—will cost an unconscionable $90,000 a year next fall. Northeastern and MIT aren’t far behind. That means that the price tag for an undergraduate education at these institutions is about to push past a third of a million dollars .

These universities will say that such numbers are “sticker prices”—and that financial aid packages ease the burden. (Asked for comment on the price increase, a BU spokesperson made that argument to a local news outlet, adding that the average aid package at the school was $67,000 in 2023–24.) But a 2023  survey by Sallie Mae indicates that students across the country still shoulder, on average, 71 percent of costs through family contributions and loans.

The effects of this trend are manifold. Recent surveys suggest that one of these is increasing student anxiety. According to a 2022 poll, 68 percent of undergraduates say that it is a struggle for them or their families to pay for college; another indicates that a whopping 92 percent of students fear they won’t have enough money to cover tuition. No wonder stress and worry are a daily struggle  for the broad majority of college students.

And another effect, while less visible, is no less pernicious. Because 78 percent of students believe that the price is worth it anyway—but only so long as it leads to financial independence. In other words, a university education better pay.

This is the brute logic of economics, which encourages students to see each course as a product that should earn a short-term return on investment. And this same logic is keeping students from doing the most important thing college lets them do: intellectually explore.

When I graduated from university, about 25 years ago, the entire price tag for my degree was around $50,000—a shade over the cost of one semester at BU these days. That was no small sum for my firmly middle-class family, even minus the scholarship money I was able to scrape together, but it also wasn’t a backbreaking expense.

So, while I felt appropriately motivated to find a major, get a degree, and graduate, I could also afford to look around a bit. I enrolled in electives in anthropology, astronomy, and urban planning, and I did so not because I wanted to secure a return on investment—they just sounded really interesting. And they were! I still remember what I learned about ethnographic methods, the Drake equation, and buffer zones, and I’m the better for it.

It turns out that my experience wasn’t out of the norm. As Robert Elliott and Valerie Paton point out, college curricula that encourage students to follow their interests trace their origins back to the elective system put in place in the late 19 th century by Harvard President Charles W. Eliot. Eliot’s reforms encouraged freedom of inquiry and liberated students from the rigid requirements of a common core, and, Elliott and Paton argue, their influence has persisted into the modern era. To wit, former Brown Dean Katherine Bergeron notes  (citing Derek Bok) that at the turn of the 20 th century, “curricula in more than one third of America’s colleges were at least 70 percent elective.”

For 19 th -century philosopher John Stuart Mill, this kind of free exploration was one of the most important purposes of higher education. He wrote that a “mind to which the fountains of knowledge have been opened, and which has been taught, in any tolerable degree, to exercise its faculties—finds sources of inexhaustible interest in all that surrounds it, in the objects of nature, the achievements of art, the imaginations of poetry, the incidents of history, the ways of mankind past and present.”

In other words, a college experience that allows students to engage in a wide-ranging pursuit of knowledge, liberated from economic pressures, turns the world into a buffet of intellectual pleasures. And it’s one that treats the student as something more than a cog in a giant capitalist machine.

But for Mill, the capacity to appreciate that buffet is “a very tender plant, easily killed, not only by hostile influences, but by mere want of sustenance.” In jacking up tuition costs, American universities are in the process of killing that tender plant. And the costs won’t be just economic. As prices rise, elite institutions risk turning themselves into high-priced vocational schools for the professional managerial class—and shunting students away from the most valuable part of college.

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Insider Doesn't 'Get' What Steelers are Planning for QB Russell Wilson

Not everyone around the NFL buys what the Pittsburgh Steelers are selling relative to Russell Wilson.

• Author: Luke Patterson

In this story:

The public and messy breakup between the Denver Broncos and Russell Wilson extended through the tail end of the regular season until the quarterback’s release in March. Sean Payton’s team opted to absorb an $85 million dead-cap hit in the divorce.

The Pittsburgh Steelers signed the 35-year-old Wilson to a one-year, $1.2 million veteran minimum contract since the Broncos are picking up $37.8 million of his guaranteed salary in 2024. Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin doubled down on his offensive reshuffle by trading for former Chicago Bears first-round QB Justin Fields.

While Wilson has been publicly anointed the starter in Pittsburgh, it’s been theorized that if Fields does well competing in training camp, he could earn first-team reps at practice and eventually supplant his veteran counterpart. Fields is poised to be in football rehab with Wilson shining his positive light of wisdom and experience on the young man.

Not so fast, according to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, who lambasted the Steelers' new-look offense.

“You’ve got two incomplete guys that you’re trying to shoehorn in here,” Garafolo said on former Seattle sports radio’s Jason Puckett’s podcast . “I don’t get the plan. I don’t think it works incredibly well with what Arthur Smith wants to do offensively. I don’t know what the hell the plan is, and this is one of those, well, it’s the Steelers and they’re going to find a way to go 9-8. I’m not so sure this time around. This might be my stop, folks.”

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Tomlin currently holds the record for the most consecutive non-losing seasons as a head coach (17) and has never recorded a losing year. Meanwhile, the Steelers have failed to replace Ben Roethlisberger after his retirement in 2021.

Pittsburgh has since parted with Mason Rudolph, Kenny Pickett, and Mitchell Tribusky. The Steelers are looking to capitalize on a low-cost, potentially high-reward scenario as Wilson mentors Fields.

Garafolo, who’s known for his opinionated and passionate takes, took exception to the notion of mentor and pupil.

“I like Justin Fields, to a certain extent," Garafolo said, "and I’d be okay with him in certain scenarios where you’ve got an established starter and somebody he can learn from, but like, what’s he going to learn from Russ?”

“He’s not the kind of guy that I want to be the mentor either,” Garafolo continued. 

“Sean Payton was livid last year with the way Russ was running the offense, or lack of running the offense,” Garafolo said. “He made it this far in his career. He knows how to play the quarterback position, but he doesn’t strike me as the kind of guy that I’m like, ‘Boy, show him all the ways of doing things in the NFL.’ That’s not Russ to me. I don’t get it. I don’t get the whole thing.” 

Wilson’s exit from the Seattle Seahawks was as messy as his jettison from Denver after reports surfaced of a rift between Wilson and his then-head coach Pete Carroll. Various Seahawks teammates poured out of the woodwork with their own tales of woes with Wilson amid ‘Team 3’ drama.

The reality is, Wilson enters his 13th NFL season on his third team in four seasons, with a pair of disastrous exits from two historic franchises. There’s one common denominator, and I, too, doubt that Wilson intends on coaching Fields or helping him earn starting reps.

Wilson is focused on proving the Seahawks and Broncos wrong by resurrecting his career with the Steelers. Russ will turn 36 this season and told former Broncos wideout Brandon Marshall in February that he intends on winning two Super Bowls in the next five years.

It doesn’t sound like Wilson got the memo about mentoring from Tomlin or the Steelers. 

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Yale college admits 2,146 applicants from record applicant pool.

Yale’s Office of Undergraduate Admissions has completed its review of first-year applications and offered admission to 2,146 of the 57,465 students who applied to be part of Yale College’s Class of 2028. The newly admitted applicants will be joined by an additional 53 students who were admitted during the 2022-23 admissions cycle but opted to postpone their matriculation for one year.

The cohort of admitted students includes 709 applicants who were notified of their admission in December though the Early Action program and 72 more who were admitted through the QuestBridge National College Match program. Since 2007, Yale has admitted more than 2,000 applicants affiliated with QuestBridge , a nonprofit organization that connects high-achieving students from lower-income backgrounds with selective colleges and universities.

Students admitted to the Class of 2028 represent all 50 states, the District of Columbia, two U.S. territories, and 62 countries. They will graduate from more than 1,500 secondary schools, and their intended majors include 83 of Yale’s undergraduate academic programs. A detailed profile of the incoming class will be available when students arrive on campus in August.

This year’s pool of first-year applicants was the largest in the college’s history — 10% larger than the previous year, said Jeremiah Quinlan, dean of undergraduate admissions and financial aid. Since 2020, the first-year applicant pool has grown by 66%, a shift Quinlan attributed to Yale adopting a test-optional policy in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In February, the admissions office announced a new policy that reinstates a testing requirement while expanding the list of qualifying exams. The new policy will go into effect for the upcoming admissions cycle.

“ The diverse range of strengths, ambitions, and lived experiences we saw in this year’s applicant pool was inspiring,” said Quinlan. “We gauge the success of our outreach efforts by these qualities, and not by the total number of applications. But it is heartening to see that Yale College continues to attract exceptionally promising students from all backgrounds.” 

In September, Quinlan and Yale College Dean Pericles Lewis wrote to the Yale College community to outline the college’s response to the 2023 U.S. Supreme Court ruling on race and admissions; they shared another message in February with updates on nearly a dozen new initiatives. “Despite the changed legal landscape,” the deans wrote on Feb. 8, “our community’s values remain as firm as ever, and our shared goal of building and supporting a community whose excellence is strengthened by its diversity remains unchanged.”

Yale College’s extraordinary investment in need-based financial aid is a pillar of these efforts to promote diversity, said Kari DiFonzo, director of undergraduate financial aid. For all admitted students, Yale College meets 100% of demonstrated financial need, regardless of citizenship or immigration status, and financial aid offers are based entirely on a family’s demonstrated financial need.

Yale College does not expect parents earning less than $75,000 annually — with typical assets — to make any contribution toward the cost of their child’s education, DiFonzo said. The financial aid offers for these families, which are known as “zero parent share” offers, cover the full cost of all billed expenses — tuition, housing, the meal plan, and hospitalization insurance — as well as travel to and from New Haven.

DiFonzo explained that financial aid offers for admitted students will not be delayed due to processing challenges associated with the Free Application for Federal Student AID (FAFSA).

“ Yale uses its own methodology to assess a family’s financial need, using a process that is more comprehensive and more sensitive to distinctive financial challenges than what the FAFSA provides alone,” said DiFonzo. “Thankfully, financial aid officers can understand a family’s demonstrated financial need using information from other documents. Most admitted students who applied for aid will receive their financial aid offer at the same time they receive their admissions decision.”

All newly admitted students will be invited to visit campus in April 2024 for Bulldog Days, a three-day immersive experience of life at Yale, or Bulldog Saturday, a one-day program offering campus tours, panels, academic forums, and activities with student groups. The admissions office will also host virtual events and sponsor online communities to help admitted students connect with each other and with other members of the Yale community prior to Bulldog Days.

Quinlan credited last year’s  record-setting Bulldog Days program , which welcomed more than 1,400 students and 800 parents and family members, for  an historically high “yield rate” on students admitted to the Class of 2027.

“ Every spring, countless Yale students, faculty, staff, and alumni provide a warm welcome to our newest Yalies” said Mark Dunn, admissions office’s senior associate director for outreach and recruitment. “I believe the college’s greatest asset is its people, and my top priority each April is connecting admitted students with the people who make Yale so special.”

Dunn expressed gratitude to the student volunteers who will open their residential college suites to visiting admitted students and host special events, the faculty who will participate in the academic fair and lead master classes, and the staff who will help more than 1,200 admitted students get a taste of life at Yale during Bulldog Days and Bulldog Saturday. 

The admissions office 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. Last year more than 500 admitted students received grants to travel to campus for Bulldog Days. 

Newly admitted students will have until May 1 to reply to their offer of admission.

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Lower school (pre-k3 - 5th grade) chaplain.

Episcopal Collegiate School is seeking a full-time Lower School (Pre-K3 - 5th grade) Chaplain for the 2024/25 academic year. Episcopal Collegiate is an independent school serving approximately 815 students from Pre-K3 through 12th grade in Little Rock, AR. As the only Episcopal school in the state and diocese of Arkansas, we offer a unique approach to the education and formation of children and young people.

Episcopal Collegiate School prepares students to live principled and fulfilling lives of leadership and service through the pursuit of academic and personal excellence in a challenging and supportive environment. At the core of our Episcopal Identity are our values of Respect, Reverence, and Responsibility. Our chaplains are the ambassadors of that identity and those values.

Reporting to the LS Head, and Head Chaplain, the LS Chaplain is responsible for preserving and promoting the school’s Episcopal Identity to the LS Community in weekly chapel; classroom Godly Play; classroom devotional life; and special services, celebrations, and events throughout the year. The LS Chaplain, working with the faculty, cares for and nurtures our students in body, mind, and spirit.