Baala Shakya, Contributing Photographer

The Yale College Council has proposed a policy that would reduce the number of credits required to graduate from 36 to 32. According to the bill, the initiative is an attempt to alleviate the academic burden placed on students, allowing them to better concentrate on classes as well as extracurriculars and jobs.

The proposal, written by YCC Speaker of the Senate Emily Hettinger ’26 and Branford Senator Owen Setiawan ’27, arose from their own experiences managing workload alongside other commitments. A draft was later presented to members of the YCC Academic Policy Team at one of its weekly meetings.

“Blanket mandates, like the 36-credit graduation requirement, paint with too broad a brush, ignoring the diverse ways in which students rigorously engage with their education,” wrote  Joseph Elsayyid ’26, Davenport senator and supporter of the proposal.

He offered the example of a student whose time is significantly occupied by the pursuit of extracurricular activities — such as personal projects, research lab opportunities and higher-level courses — and he emphasized that the current policy does not recognize the demand of these commitments.  

Elsayyid added that by reducing the required credits to 32, the YCC aims to empower students “to make thoughtful, meaningful choices about their education, free from the constraints of a system that values quantity over quality.” 

According to Grace Hopper Senator Anjali Dhanekula ’26, the group considered potential concerns that students and administrators might have when constructing their arguments. The bill was also supported by YCC President Mimi Papathanasopoulos ’26 and Vice President Esha Garg ’26. 

“I was initially very supportive of the proposal,” said Timothy Dwight Senator Isaac Moskowitz ’25. “I saw the solutions we proposed as a way to ameliorate the perennial issue amongst students in finding guts to fulfill their distributional requirements.”

The proposal points to the graduation requirements of institutional peers, including Harvard and Princeton whose policies require students to take an average of four credits per semester — as evidence in support of the policy. At Yale, undergraduates must take roughly 4.5 each semester in order to graduate. 

Hettinger emphasized what she saw as the importance of this precedent. She noted that the bill did not intend to prevent students from taking more than four courses in a semester, although she acknowledged that this outcome was a potential effect of the measure. 

“Lowering the credit requirements would not limit students from taking more than four courses per semester,” echoed Dhanekula. “It would simply allow students the option of taking fewer courses and dedicating themselves more fully to those classes if they so choose.” 

The bill was passed by an overwhelming majority in the senate, with 23 of the group’s 28 members voting in favor of the proposal. Three senators did not cast a ballot, while two members — Silliman senator William Barbee ’26 and Saybrook senator Alex Schapiro ’26 — were in dissent. 

In an email to the News, Barbee expressed concerns that the policy would diminish the value of a Yale education. He emphasized that reducing the number of required credits would allow students to dedicate more time to a smaller workload, exacerbating existing grade inflation. 

“A Yale degree should require discipline and rigor in order to be obtained, and in a world that has seen an increased skepticism in the value of an Ivy League education,” wrote Barbee, “it is more important than ever that we maintain our standards so as to better reflect the true ability of students.” 

He rejected the argument that Yale should follow the example of peer institutions or conform to the historical trend of a falling number in graduation credits. Citing his own experiences — as well as those of his peers — Barbee said that he did not believe students were struggling under the current requirements. 

“The [4.5] average is highly manageable even for students coming from backgrounds that make it harder to adjust to the Yale environment,” said Barbee. “Why go to an Ivy League school, they asked, if you aren’t willing to put in a fair amount of work?”

According to YCC Academic Policy Director Kyle Thomas Ramos ’26, current discussions with the administration are ongoing. He emphasized the YCC’s commitment to this initiative and finding solutions that lead to “meaningful change.” 

“The ultimate goal of this proposal is to open up a conversation between students, faculty, and administration,” echoed Hettinger. “I, along with my colleagues in the YCC, am perfectly willing and eager to find a solution that works better for everyone.” 

Dean of Yale College Pericles Lewis said that his office had looked into the question of reducing the number of credits required to graduate, although he noted that it would be “premature” to say that any steps were being taken. 

He observed that Yale’s use of half credits — particularly for language classes which are often 1.5 credits and labs which are 0.5 credits — may differ from institutional peers Harvard and Princeton. Lewis noted that Princeton also has a senior essay for the majority of their majors in addition to the required graduation credits, making the institution and Yale’s policies fairly comparable.

“I have heard that concern, and it’s one worth taking a look at,” Lewis said. “But we don’t have any imminent plans to make any changes.” 

Students are required to get their Residential College Deans’ permission to take above 5.5 credits in a semester.