Dear Class of 2026,

This week we could like to introduce you to the Undergraduate Education Team. They are here to help you navigate the incredible array of academic opportunities here at Yale, explore new possibilities during your time here, and fully exercise your curiosity. We are thrilled for you to begin your academic journey with us this fall!

After you've read their message and attended to that information, don't forget to scroll down below for some reminders and to read a brief introduction from me, Dean Hawthorne.

Warmly,

Hannah Rose Peck
Dean of First-Year Affairs
Assistant Dean of Student Affairs
Yale College Dean's Office
(she/her)

Tasha M. Hawthorne
Interim Assistant Dean of Student Affairs
Yale College Dean's Office
(she/hers)

Dear Yale College Class of 2026,

Welcome from the Office of Undergraduate Education in Yale College. We look forward to your arrival!

 We are confident that your time at Yale will provide an exciting and unique opportunity for exploration and growth. And while we recognize that your education will take place in many different settings beyond the classroom—in residential college suites, dining halls, athletic facilities, cultural centers, recital halls, and elsewhere—we hope that your Yale education will be deeply shaped by the courses you take. Through our expansive curriculum, our outstanding faculty, and our vast array of academic resources, you will have access to one of the best undergraduate educations in the world.

 In the coming months, we will write with tips on how to make the most of Yale’s academic offerings and to prepare you for selecting courses for the fall term, which you will begin to do in early August. With over 1,000 courses per term offered through over 80 programs of study, course selection in your first term might seem overwhelming, but we are here to help. We will explain the broad network of resources available to you, beginning with the many advisers based in the residential colleges and academic departments.

 In this first message, we want to introduce you to Yale’s approach to undergraduate education and encourage you spend time reflecting on your educational goals. You can begin by clicking on the links below to read more about the principles and structures that shape the liberal arts education that Yale offers and which, in turn, will shape your own educational experiences here. This framework provides the rationale for our academic requirements, such as our distributional requirements, and the need for students to pursue both a general and a specialized education.

• Yale’s Philosophy of Education
• Distribution of Studies
• Area Requirements
• Skills Requirements
• International Experience

We hope you keep these principles in mind as you approach your course selections, even as we realize that you are eager to gain practical advice for assembling your fall-term course schedule. In subsequent messages, we will provide suggestions for how to begin, and we will explain the resources available to you over the summer.
 

Office of Undergraduate Education

Pamela Schirmeister Deputy Dean of the Graduate School Dean of Undergraduate Education 

Sandy Chang Associate Dean for Science & Quantitative Reasoning Education Professor of Laboratory Medicine

Kate Krier Associate Dean for the Arts Director of Production

George Levesque Associate Dean of Yale College Dean of Academic Programs Lecturer in History

Risa Sodi Assistant Dean of Yale College Director of Advising and Special Programs

This week’s reminders include:  

• Family Information Cards Due June 30th
• Health Care form Due July 1

Please go to New Student Forms & Tasks for first steps and important resources.

Residential college, housing, and First-Year Counselor assignments will be communicated later in the summer.