Yale’s Changing Student Body

Yale University’s student body is a whole lot more diverse than it was even just a few years ago. In fact, Yale’s Office of Undergraduate Admissions recently released data on the changing demographics of their student body over the past four years. The admissions office presented this data to Yale College’s Dean’s Office with the caveat that these figures are general estimates and don’t include withdrawals, transfers, or Eli Whitney students. For those not familiar with the Eli Whitney Students Program, it’s for non-traditional, high-achieving students whose educations have been interrupted at some point for five years or more. In any case, so what exactly does the data presented by Yale‘s admissions office suggest?

Surge in First Generation College Students in Yale Student Body

As reports Kelly Wei for The Yale Daily News in a piece entitled “Yale grows more diverse,” “During the 2016–17 academic year, the Yale student body had 5,481 students, but that number now stands at 6,115 students for the 2019–20 academic year. In addition, the number of U.S. citizens or permanent residents who identify as minorities has increased, as has the number of first-generation, low-income students…The number of first generation students has increased 33 percent over the past four years…In addition to an increase in FGLI students, the data also point to a significant increase — 31 percent since 2016 — in Yale College students who identify as domestic minorities. More than 50 percent of U.S. citizens and permanent residents in the class of 2023 self-identified as a race or ethnicity other than white…Along with the increased socioeconomic diversity, the admissions office also noted an increase in the number of students who are intending to major in STEM fields, which has risen by around 20 percent.”

A Salute to Yale’s Success in Increasing Diversity

Ivy Coach salutes Yale’s Dean of Undergraduate Admissions Jeremiah Quinlan for his efforts — along with the efforts of his dedicated team in the Yale admissions office — at making Yale a home for students of all races from across the socioeconomic spectrum. These shifting demographics — especially the surging number of students who will be the first in their families to attend college, students who are rewriting their families’ stories in real time — will invariably help make Yale University even stronger in the years to come. Way to go, Yale!