To qualify for the bachelor’s degree, B.A. or B.S., a student must successfully complete thirty-six term courses in Yale College or their equivalent. In doing so, the student must fulfill the distributional requirements of Yale College and the requirements of a major program. A student may normally complete no more than eight terms of enrollment in order to fulfill these requirements.

Yale College expects regular classroom attendance of all students. Accordingly, during terms in which undergraduates are enrolled and instruction is provided in-person, they may not be away from campus for a period exceeding two continuous weeks (14 calendar days) of class time without receiving advance permission from the Committee on Honors and Academic Standing. Students considering such a period of absence should contact their residential college dean at the earliest opportunity.  

During the terms that students are enrolled and in residence in Yale College, they cannot be simultaneously enrolled, either full-time or part-time, in any other school or college at any other institution, with the exception of other Yale University schools that permit currently enrolled undergraduates to be admitted to programs that have been established within Yale College. Examples of such programs include the simultaneous award of the bachelor’s and master’s degree and the five-year B.A.-B.S/M.P.H. degree program in Public Health. Exceptions will also be made for Yale College students whose participation in the Reserve Officers Training Corps program requires enrollment in courses offered outside of Yale.

Students enrolled in the Eli Whitney Students program should consult section N, Eli Whitney Students Program.

Students who have already earned a bachelor’s degree at Yale or at another institution are not eligible for degree enrollment in Yale College.

Distributional Requirements

All students in Yale College must fulfill distributional requirements in order to qualify for the bachelor’s degree. For a general introduction to the distributional requirements and a definition of the disciplinary areas and skills categories, refer to The Undergraduate Curriculum.

Students may meet the first-year and sophomore distributional milestones through enrollment, meaning that the course remains on the student’s record in any form—with a “CR”, a “W” (“Withdrew after Midterm”), an “F”, or a passing letter grade. Students must, however, earn passing letter grades to fulfill their junior and senior distributional requirements.

1. Distributional requirements for the first, sophomore, and junior years Students must partially fulfill the distributional requirements during the first, sophomore, and junior years in order to be eligible for promotion. First-years and sophomores earn the distributional designation assigned to a course as long as they remain in the course beyond the midterm. 
Distributional requirements for the first year Students must have enrolled for at least one course credit in two skills categories by the end of the second term of enrollment in order to be eligible for promotion to sophomore standing.
Students may elect no more than four course credits in a single department, and no more than six course credits in a single disciplinary area, except that a student taking a laboratory course may elect as many as seven course credits in the sciences.
Note that credit from outside Yale may not be applied toward the distributional requirements for the first year; accordingly, students who are permitted by the Committee on Honors and Academic Standing to repair a deficiency in these requirements over the summer following their first year must do so by means of enrollment in Yale Summer Session.
Distributional requirements for the sophomore year Students must have enrolled for at least one course credit in each of the three disciplinary areas and for at least one course credit in each of the three skills categories by the end of the fourth term of enrollment in order to be eligible for promotion to junior standing.
Distributional requirements for the junior year Students must have completed all of their skills requirements, and must have earned at least one course credit in each of the three disciplinary areas, by the end of the sixth term of enrollment in order to be eligible for promotion to senior standing.

2. Multiple distributional designations Although some courses may carry more than one distributional designation, a single course may be applied to only one distributional requirement. For example, if a course is designated both Hu and So it may be applied toward either the humanities and arts requirement or the social science requirement, but not both. Similarly, if a course is designated QR and Sc, it may be applied toward either the quantitative reasoning requirement or the science requirement, but not both.
A course with multiple distributional designations, once applied toward one distributional requirement, may subsequently be applied toward a different distributional requirement. The University Registrar’s Office regularly optimizes the use of each student’s completed courses toward fulfillment of the distributional requirements.

3. Language distributional requirement All students are required to engage in the study of a language while enrolled in Yale College. 

Students who matriculate at Yale with no previous language training must complete three terms of instruction in a single language. This requirement is fulfilled by the completion of courses designated L1, L2, and L3.

Students who have received a score of 5 in an AP World Language Exam, or a score of 6 or 7 on the International Baccalaureate Advanced-Level examination may fulfill the language distributional requirement by completing one course designated L5. Alternatively, they may successfully complete one or more courses in a different language at least through the level designated L2.

Students who have taken the Advanced Placement examination or the International Baccalaureate higher-level examination in world languages should consult the Subjects of Instruction for each department’s placement procedures.

Students who have studied a language before matriculating, but have not taken the Advanced Placement or the International Baccalaureate higher-level examination in that language, must take a placement exam offered by the appropriate language department or, for languages in which no departmental placement exam is offered, consult the appropriate director of undergraduate studies (DUS). The departmental test determines whether students place into the first, second, third, or fourth term of language study (courses designated L1, L2, L3, or L4), or whether they qualify for language courses beyond the fourth term of study (L5).

Students who place into the first term of a language must successfully complete three courses in that language, designated L1, L2, and L3.

Students who matriculate at Yale able to place into the second term of a language must successfully complete three courses in that language, designated L2, L3, and L4. Alternatively, they may successfully complete three courses in a different language at least through the level designated L3.

Students who matriculate at Yale able to place into the third term of a language must successfully complete two courses in that language, designated L3 and L4. Alternatively, they may successfully complete two or more courses in a different language at least through the level designated L3.

Students who matriculate at Yale able to place into the fourth term of a language must successfully complete one course in that language, designated L4. Alternatively, they may successfully complete one or more courses in a different language at least through the level designated L3. Students who have taken the Advanced Placement examination in world languages, and who present scores of 5, or who present scores of 6 or 7 on the International Baccalaureate higher-level examination, but who place into the L4 level on the Yale placement exam may fulfill the language requirement by successfully completing one course in the placement language at the level designated L4, or one or more courses in a different language at least through the level designated L2. 

Students who matriculate at Yale able to place into the fifth term of a language must successfully complete one course in that language, designated L5 or a comparable course at the DUS's discretion. Alternatively, they may successfully complete one or more courses in a different language at least through the level designated L2.

Students whose secondary school transcript shows that the language of instruction was other than English, or who otherwise can demonstrate native proficiency in a language other than English through an assessment at the Center for Language Study, may fulfill the language requirement by successfully completing ENGL 114, 115, 120, 121, or 450. Alternatively, students in this category may fulfill the requirement by successfully completing one course in their native language designated L5 or a comparable course at the DUS’s discretion, or by successfully completing one or more courses in a third language, neither English nor the language of their secondary school instruction, at least through the level designated L2.

In order to promote firsthand experience in other cultures and the learning of language in real-world settings, students are permitted to apply toward the satisfaction of the language requirement the completion of an approved study abroad program in a non-English language speaking setting if they have first completed or placed out of a language course designated L2. Students seeking to undertake study at another institution or program for this purpose must consult the relevant director of undergraduate studies in advance of their proposed study for advice about appropriate programs and courses and for information about the approval process. See section Q, Credit from Other Universities.

Introductory (L1/L2) language courses taken on approved non-Yale study abroad programs are eligible for credit toward the 36-course-credit requirement and major requirements; such introductory courses are not applicable toward the language requirement. Introductory (L1/L2) language courses taken on a Yale Summer Session Program Abroad are considered the same as other Yale College courses and, therefore, can be applied toward the language requirement as well as toward the 36-course-credit requirement and major requirements.

Study abroad opportunities are described under International Experience in The Undergraduate Curriculum. Intensive language courses provide the equivalent of a full year of instruction in a single term. A course designated L1–L2 fulfills both the L1 and the L2 levels of the language distributional requirement. Similarly, a course designated L3–L4 satisfies both the L3 and the L4 levels.

Not all of the languages offered in Yale College are offered at all levels, and it may not be possible to fulfill the language requirement in some of them. Languages currently offered in Yale College are Akkadian, American Sign Language, Arabic, Armenian, Bosnian-Croatian-Serbian, Burmese, Cherokee, Chinese, Czech, Dutch, hieroglyphic Egyptian, Finnish, French, German, ancient Greek, modern Greek, biblical Hebrew, modern Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Indonesian, isiZulu, Italian, Japanese, Khmer, Kiswahili, Korean, Latin, Persian, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Romanian, Russian, Sanskrit, Sinhala, Spanish, Tamil, classical Tibetan, modern Tibetan, Turkish, Twi, Ukrainian, Vietnamese, Wolof, Yiddish, and Yorùbá. Students wishing to fulfill the language requirement in a less commonly taught language should consult the DUS in the relevant department to verify that the appropriate level of study will be offered. Students who have intermediate- or higher-level proficiency in a language other than those listed here should consult the appropriate DUS or the director of the Center for Language Study to arrange for a placement examination.

Students who, for medical reasons, are not able to complete the language requirement may petition the Committee on Honors and Academic Standing for a partial waiver of the requirement. In granting such a waiver, the committee will normally require that a student complete four course credits in the study of a specific non-English-speaking culture.

For a chart showing the most common paths toward fulfillment of the language requirement, see the Center for Language Study page.

4. Courses taken on the Credit/D/Fail basis A student may not apply any course credit earned on the Credit/D/Fail basis toward satisfaction of the distributional requirements for the junior year nor for the distributional requirements for the bachelor’s degree. An exception is made for the language requirement, for which a student is required to earn a passing letter grade in only the final course in the L1-L5 language series.

5. Independent study courses A student may not apply any course credit earned through independent study courses toward the satisfaction of any of the distributional requirements. Students considering enrollment in Yale graduate or professional schools should carefully review the relevant entry in Section L, Courses in the Yale Graduate and Professional Schools.

6. Acceleration credits Acceleration credits may not be employed to satisfy the distributional requirements for the bachelor’s degree, nor may they be employed to meet the distributional requirements for the first, sophomore, or junior years.

7. Course credit earned at Yale before admission Course credit earned in Yale Summer Session before a student's admission to Yale College, or in the Non-degree Students program while the student was enrolled as a secondary school student in the New Haven area, may be applied to the distributional requirements for the bachelor’s degree and to those for the sophomore and junior years, but it may not be applied to the distributional requirements for the first year.

8. Courses in the graduate and professional schools It is the expectation that Yale College students, including candidates for the simultaneous award of the bachelor’s and master’s degrees, will fulfill their distributional requirements in courses taken in Yale College. Credit earned in a course offered in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences or in one of the professional schools of the University may be applied toward the distributional requirements only if the course instructor has secured, in advance of the term in which the course will be given, approval from Yale College. Instructors interested in making such an advance arrangement can contact the Dean of Academic Affairs to be directed to the appropriate authority for such approval.

9. Course credit from outside Yale Course credit earned at another university may be applied toward the distributional requirements for the bachelor’s degree and to those for the sophomore and junior years whether or not it is counted toward the 36-course-credit requirement for graduation. Credit from outside Yale may not be applied toward the distributional requirements for the first year. See section Q, Credit from Other Universities. Note particularly that Yale does not award course credit or distributional credit for courses completed at another college or university before the student graduated from secondary school.

10. Major programs Courses taken in fulfillment of a student’s major requirements may be applied toward satisfaction of the distributional requirements for the first, sophomore, and junior years and toward the distributional requirements for the bachelor’s degree.

11. Permission for a partial waiver of the distributional requirements for the first year If, with the permission of the residential college dean, a first-year student enrolls in a program of study for the first two terms of enrollment worth more than nine course credits, the dean may waive the year limit on the number of course credits that a student may elect in a single department or disciplinary area. In rare circumstances, a student may petition to postpone their first-year distributional requirements to the third term.

12. Permission to postpone fulfillment of the distributional requirements for the sophomore year A student may petition the Committee on Honors and Academic Standing for permission to fulfill the distributional requirements for the sophomore year in the fifth term of enrollment. Such a petition should explain the sound academic reasons why these requirements cannot be satisfied within four terms of enrollment and give an exact description of how they will be fulfilled in the fifth term. Students who have not fulfilled the distributional requirements for the sophomore year by the end of the fourth term of enrollment and who have not been granted permission by the Committee on Honors and Academic Standing to postpone their fulfillment will normally not be promoted to junior standing.

13. Permission to postpone fulfillment of the distributional requirements for the junior year In exceptional circumstances, a student may petition the Committee on Honors and Academic Standing for permission to fulfill the distributional requirements for the junior year in the seventh term of enrollment. Such a petition, which must include the written support of the residential college dean and, where applicable, that of the DUS in the student’s major, should be filed no later than the date on which the student’s course schedule is due in the sixth term of enrollment. It should explain the sound academic reasons why these requirements cannot be satisfied within six terms of enrollment and give an exact description of how they will be fulfilled in the seventh term. Students who have not fulfilled the distributional requirements for the junior year by the end of the sixth term of enrollment and who have not been granted permission by the Committee on Honors and Academic Standing to postpone their fulfillment will normally not be promoted to senior standing.

Major Requirements

The requirements of the various major programs are given under the heading for each department or program. Every major program includes a senior requirement, which may take the form of a senior essay, a senior project, or a senior departmental examination.

Eight Terms of Enrollment

A student must complete the requirements for the bachelor’s degree in no more than eight terms of enrollment. Terms spent on a Year or Term Abroad, or in the Yale College program at the Paul Mellon Centre in London during a spring term, are considered the equivalent of terms of enrollment in Yale College. Note, however, that course credits earned in terms spent on a Year or Term Abroad may not be applied to acceleration by the early accumulation of thirty-six course credits all earned at Yale. See section R, Acceleration Policies. (Attendance at the summer program at the Paul Mellon Centre in London or Yale Summer Session does not constitute a term of enrollment in Yale College.)

In exceptional circumstances, a student may petition the Yale College Committee on Honors and Academic Standing for permission to enroll for an additional term. Such a petition should be made no later than the beginning of a student’s seventh term of enrollment; it should describe precisely, giving detailed information on specific courses, why it is impossible for the student to complete the requirements for a bachelor’s degree within eight terms; and it should be accompanied by detailed, informative letters of endorsement from the student’s DUS and residential college dean. When the request is being made in whole or in part on medical grounds, documentation must be provided by a treating physician or therapist, by Student Accessibility Services, or by both. The Committee on Honors and Academic Standing cannot grant permission for a ninth term in order for a student to undertake an optional arrangement not necessary for the acquisition of a bachelor’s degree, such as, for example, the completion of two majors, or enrollment in the Program for the Simultaneous Award of the Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees, or completion of the entrance requirements for graduate or professional school. Students who have been permitted to take a reduced course load may be granted a tenth term of enrollment. A student given permission to enroll for a ninth or tenth term is eligible for scholarship assistance from Yale as in the student's previous terms. See “Financial Services” under “Regulations” in the Yale College online publication Undergraduate Regulations.

Graduation in fewer than eight terms of enrollment is possible: see section R, Acceleration Policies. Under no circumstances may a student graduate in fewer than six terms of enrollment, unless the student was admitted by transfer from another college or university. Transfer students should consult section M, Transfer Students. Eli Whitney students should consult section N, Eli Whitney Students Program.