Yale College welcomed the Class of 2002 on Aug. 28, when 1,305 entering freshmen arrived in New Haven for orientation. The members of the Class of 2002, who were selected from among 11,947 applicants, include a world-class swimmer, the youngest activist member of the Association to Cultivate InterAmerican Democracy, a renowned pastry chef and the founder of a major children's environmental organization.
"We are honored to receive such an accomplished group of students," says Richard Shaw, dean of admissions and financial aid for Yale College. "They represent the best and brightest students the world has to offer. We are thrilled that they have chosen to attend Yale."
This year's freshmen come from 48 states and 45 foreign countries.
More than 53 percent of the class attended public high schools; the rest
studied at private or parochial schools. Worldwide, 858 secondary schools
are represented. The class has 656 men and 649 women, and
30 percent of the students identify themselves as members of a minority
group.
The most popular majors indicated by the incoming students are biology, English, engineering, political science, economics and history, in that order. The students' median SAT scores were 730 in verbal and 720 in math. Entering students took an average of four Advanced Placement courses and many other accelerated programs. A total of 218 students will compete in Yale's 33 intercollegiate sports.
The Class of 2002 includes 108 freshmen whose parents do not have a college education and 175 students who have a parent (or two) who attended Yale University.
Yale is one of a small number of colleges and universities
nationwide that both admits students from the United States without regard
to their ability to pay for their education (a policy called "need-blind"
admissions), and also fully meets the demonstrated financial need of each
student. For the 1998-99 academic year, Yale expects to devote $30.5
million to financial aid for undergraduates. More than 40 percent of Yale
College students receive financial aid in the form of direct grants -- not
loans or pay for work-study employment -- from the University. The average
student grant is more than $13,000 a year, and students of limited means
may qualify for grants in excess of $25,000. The University's need-blind
admission policy, adopted more than 30 years ago, has helped to produce
the great diversity among Yale's 5,300 undergraduates.
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