The Freshman Handbook contains information about moving to Yale, preorientation programs, summer mailings, academic requirements, advising, choosing courses, acceleration, foreign language requirements, and other pertinent information; it will be mailed to your permanent home address. This Web site contains everything published in the handbook, as well as information on placement, preregistration, and programs of study. Please view the site periodically until your arrival in August for up-to-date information.
Below are the answers to some of the most frequently asked questions. If you do not find the answer you are looking for, please email freshman.affairs@yale.edu.
FAQs Quick Links:
- What are the dates for Bulldog Days?
The dates for Bulldog Days are April 15–17, 2013. For more information see the Bulldog Days Web page.
- How do I find my Student Identification Number (SID)?
Look for the 9 digit number beginning with 90xxxxxxx that you received when Yale acknowledged your application.
- When do I need to arrive on campus?
You are expected to arrive on Friday, August 23, between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. Please schedule your travel so that you arrive during these hours. We recommend that you come to campus as soon after 9 a.m. as you can on August 23 so that you have as much time as possible to get settled and to enjoy freshman orientation activities. The Calendar for the Opening Days of College will be available online in July and you will receive a copy when you arrive to campus..
If you choose to attend a preorientation program, i.e., Cultural Connections, FOOT, Harvest, or the Orientation for International Students, you will need to arrive before Friday, August 23. Please see Important Dates to Remember for the dates of these programs and arrival information.
FOOT and Harvest meet on campus and then depart for their destinations. They return to campus on Friday, August 23 around noon and move into their permanent rooms.
Cultural Connections and the Orientation for International Students stay on campus in temporary rooms until they move into their permanent rooms on Wednesday, August 21.
- Is there a parent orientation?
We have designed events for parents and families on Friday, August 23 and Saturday, August 24. We encourage parents to attend the panel discussion about undergraduate education and the residential colleges, followed by the Masters' open houses, on Friday afternoon, August 23 as well as the Freshman Assembly and President’s Reception on Saturday morning, August 24. Parents usually depart on Saturday afternoon. The Calendar for the Opening Days of College will be available online in July and you will receive a copy when you arrive to campus.
- What are the dates for fall, winter and spring breaks and when do the residences close for undergraduates in May?
Please see the Yale College Calendar for Freshmen.
- When is Family Weekend?
Family Weekend is scheduled for September 27-29, 2013. For more information see the Family Weekend Web site.
- I am an international student; when will the I-20 form be sent to me so that I can apply for a Visa?
For more information visit the Office of International Students and Scholars or e-mail oiss@yale.edu.
- When will I receive information about housing and roommates? On June 26 you may view your housing and roommate assignment. For instructions on how to access this information go to www.yale.edu/freshmen. Housing and Advising Forms will be available in spring 2013.
- When will I receive information about moving to Yale?
Please see Important Dates to Remember and Planning Your Move. We will also mail this information to your permanent home address in May.
- When will I receive information about the preorientation programs, i.e., Cultural Connections, FOOT, Harvest, and the Orientation for International Students?
For more information or to apply see Preorientation Programs.
- Which AP tests would be beneficial for placement and which ones should I forgo?
For more information see the Acceleration section of this site.
- When may I apply to Directed Studies?
If you are interested in being considered for this program, you may apply in early June. Applicants will be notified of admission decisions by the end of July. For additional information or to apply see Directed Studies.
- When may I apply to Perspectives on Science and Engineering?
If you are interested in being considered for this program, you may apply in early June. Applicants will be notified of admission decisions by the end of July. For additional information or to apply see Perspectives on Science and Engineering.
- When may I apply for a freshman seminar?
Information about seminars for 2013–2014 will be posted on the freshman seminar Web site in late July; additional application information will be posted in mid-August.
- Is there a score I could receive on the AP test that would preclude me from taking any foreign language at Yale?
All Yale College students must fulfill the Foreign Language Requirement as one of the distributional requirements for graduation. For more information see the Center for Language Study's Guide to Language Study for Undergraduates.
- If I travel over the summer, what should I do about receiving mail?
Most of our correspondence will be sent via email to your yale.edu address. In May we will mail the Freshman Handbook to your permanent home address. We encourage you to list your permanent address and to keep it as current as possible, bearing in mind that mailings may take a week or more to reach you. Please do not list temporary summer addresses but rather make arrangements for mail to be held or forwarded as appropriate. If in moving you leave a forwarding address with the post office, you must specifically request to have periodicals and third-class mail forwarded, as well as first-class letters, to be certain that publications reach you over the summer.
Shortly after you matriculate, you will be able to activate your student NetID (information will arrive via email) and thus make updates to your personal information—including your mailing address—in Student Information Systems.
- What does Yale recommend in terms of laptops for freshmen?
During the summer, computer specifications and special Yale prices from selected vendors will be posted on the Student Technology Collaborative (STC) site. Yale students are not required to buy computers through the STC, but the Yale-negotiated prices and packages are worth investigating.
For more information, see the Student Purchasing Options page of the ITS Student Technology Collaborative Web site.
- What immunizations do I need before coming to campus?
The immunization requirements, waiver request, authorization for medical care and treatment, and pre-entrance health forms are available on the Yale Health Web site under New Undergraduate Student Forms.
- What should I buy for my room?
The University provides each student with a desk, a chair, a bureau, and a bed (extra long, 80" by 36"). The beds have mattresses, but no pillows. In some dormitories there are additional furnishings. These will be noted in your room assignment from your residential college dean. Almost all freshmen live in suites in which they share a living room with several roommates. Consequently, it is a good idea to consult with your roommates over the summer about bringing furniture, stereos, telephones, rugs, televisions, etc. Many rooms have no overhead lighting, so you should plan to bring some lamps with you; halogen lamps, however, are fire hazards and are not permitted. For more information see Planning Your Move.
- How do I access Yale's online services and email?
Your NetID will be e-mailed to you in April. All Yale College students are automatically assigned a NetID—usually the student's initials followed by a number—that allows access to the campus network and its many online systems. Along with a password of your choosing, a NetID gives you access to such systems as e-mail accounts, billing account information and online payment services, and course information and registration, as well as to Yale's Computing Clusters. In order to access these services, you must activate your NetID first. After you activate you NetID, go to your EliApps mail account.
- When will I receive my post office box number?
In order to receive mail on campus, all students are required by postal regulations to have a post office box. Instructions on how to activate your post office box will be emailed to you in early August.
- How should I ship my stuff to campus?
We recommend that you bring with you your most important items. Items that you cannot bring with you may be shipped by United States Postal Service (USPS), United Parcel Service (UPS), or motor freight carrier. There is no storage space on campus, so please plan accordingly. For more information see under Mail and Shipping.
- May I keep my car on campus?
For information about Student Parking, see Yale's Transportation Options Web site.
- What publications can I expect to receive from Yale?
In mid May, the Yale College Dean's Office will mail to you the Freshman Handbook and other important documents. For information regarding the specific contents, see under Freshman Mailings.
- Do freshmen have to live on campus?
Students in their first four terms of enrollment must live on campus unless they are married or are at least twenty-one years of age. For more information see Undergraduate Regulations: Dormitory Regulations.
- Do I have to have a meal contract?
All resident students must take a meal contract. Freshmen are required to have the Full Meal Plan, but may select the optional Anytime Meal Plan Plus Flex Points. For more information see the Yale Dining Web site.
- Which banks have ATMs on campus?
Bank of America has an ATM in Durfee’s located on the Old Campus and in the lobby of Sterling Memorial Library. Their offices are located at 157 Church Street and 88 Broadway.
- When is the final transcript due?
Please ask your school official to submit the Common Application Final Report form as soon as your final grades have been recorded or no later than July 10 via the online Common Application website or you can mail it to Office of Undergraduate Admissions, P.O. Box 208234, New Haven, CT 06520-8234. If you do not expect your results by July 10, please notify aaron.brockway@yale.edu.
