Yale Daily News

The class of 2022 broke the record for the largest applicant pool in history, as applications from 35,305 high schoolers flooded in during the 2017-2018 admissions cycle. The number represented a 7.3 percent increase from the 2016-2017 admissions cycle and a 12.3 percent increase from the 2015-2016 cycle.

2,229 students were accepted into the class of 2022, causing the admissions rate to shrink to 6.31 percent from 6.9 percent the year before. A total of 842 high schoolers received their acceptances in December during the early action round, and 52 high-achieving, low-income students were admitted through the QuestBridge National College Match Program. The class set the record for one of the highest yield rates in recent history, at 72.4 percent — at the time the largest the University had witnessed since it abolished its early decision program in 2002.

“All of our admissions officers continue to be impressed with and humbled by the number of highly qualified applicants in our pool,” Dean of Undergraduate Admissions and Financial Aid Jeremiah Quinlan said. “We’re thrilled that the expansion of Yale College has allowed us to offer admission to such a large number of students from such a variety of backgrounds.”

As the class of 2022 graduates, the News looked back on the 2017-2018 admissions cycle and observed how admissions have changed since.

The class of 2022 arrived on campus as one of the most socioeconomically diverse classes in Yale’s history — 47 percent of incoming students identified as a member of a racial or ethnic minority group, and almost 70 percent reported that they applied for financial aid, according to a survey sent by the News. In addition, 57 percent of respondents reported that they attended a non-charter public high school.

“No matter where you are from, or who you are, or your path to arriving here, now you are — among other things — a member of this community,” University President Peter Salovey said to students at the annual opening assembly address. “You belong here. You are citizens of Yale.”

Members of the graduating class were also the second cohort of students to experience college life with the two newly built residential colleges, Pauli Murray and Benjamin Franklin. The construction of the colleges increased the size of the first-year class from 1,350 students to about 1,550. Currently, the University houses 800 more students than it did in 2016.

This year, Yale College continued its streak of achieving record-high application numbers, receiving the most applications during the 2021-2022 admissions cycle than in any year in its history. A total of 50,015 students applied to join the class of 2026 as the acceptance rate dipped to historic lows. The acceptance rate stood at 4.46 percent this year, decreasing from 4.62 percent during the 2020-2021 admissions cycle.

Mark Dunn, the director of outreach and communications at the Office of Undergraduate Admissions, attributed this year’s record-breaking numbers to the use of virtual strategies. To connect with prospective students, the admissions office employed methods such as online information sessions, virtual tours and poster campaigns. After a year and a half of solely virtual opportunities, the admissions office announced in September 2021 that in-person tours would resume on Oct. 4, 2021. Tours were offered six times per day, six days a week — an increase in frequency from pre-pandemic years.

Quinlan said that the rise in applications also correlated with the continuation of the college’s test-optional policy. Due to the exceptional circumstances created by the COVID-19 pandemic, Yale’s test-optional policy, first instituted in June 2020, remained in place for the 2021-2022 admissions cycle. Throughout the trying times, Quinlan said the admissions office continued to approach each application holistically.

“Our thoughtful whole-person review process allows us to consider many factors when considering applicants, and test scores are never determinative,” Quinlan wrote in an email to the News in February 2021. “We have responded to the many disruptions caused by the pandemic by remaining committed to the thoughtful, human-centered principles and practices that have guided our work for decades. That has not changed and will not change.”

Admitted students from the class of 2026 were welcomed to the first in-person Bulldog Days in two years. During the three-day orientation from April 25 to 27, prospective Yalies poured onto campus to experience college life, attending panels, an academic fair, an extracurricular bazaar and performing arts events.

Upon their arrival in August, committed students from the class of 2026 will feel the effects of several newly implemented financial aid policies. Announced in October 2021, the policies fund childcare for student parents, pay international students’ marginal tax rate and reduce the student share for all Yalies on financial aid, thus eliminating what students have long referred to as the “student income contribution.”

Despite its efforts to increase financial support and diversity, the college faced several legal challenges to its admissions process. A Yale College Council resolution passed Oct. 17 criticized the college’s use of legacy status when considering undergraduate applications. In February, Quinlan submitted a written testimony to Connecticut lawmakers, opposing a bill that would strike down legacy admissions. He defended the college’s practice of providing legacies with an advantage, stating that legacy students tend to achieve higher grade point averages than their peers.

“The policy surrounding legacy is something that’s considered frequently,” Quinlan said. “I’m comfortable with our current policy of adding a plus factor to sons or daughters of Yale alumni.”

Yale also faced fire from the United States Department of Justice under former President Donald Trump’s administration. The DOJ sued the University in Oct. 2020, claiming that the Office of Undergraduate Admissions discriminated against white and Asian American applicants. The lawsuit accused the college of transgressing Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act by setting racial quotas to limit the number of white and Asian American admittees. The suit fell under heavy criticism from students, including Asian American affinity group members, who condemned it as “white supremacy under the guise of meritocracy.” The DOJ under current president Joe Biden dropped the charges in February 2021. However, Students for Fair Admissions — the group suing Harvard and the University of North Carolina in front of the Supreme Court — sued Yale that same month and echoed similar concerns as the Trump DOJ. federal district court decided to hold the case pending the Harvard decision.

The class of 2022 will graduate on May 23 at Yale’s 321st commencement ceremony.

HANNAH HAN
Hannah Han serves as an Associate Editor for the Yale Daily News Magazine. She is a junior in Grace Hopper College double-majoring in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology (MCDB) and Humanities.