What does Yale look for?
Students and parents often look for a specific answer to the following question: If a candidate presents A, B, and C, will he or she be admitted to Yale? Unfortunately, so many factors are at play in the selection process that outcomes for most candidates in the pool are impossible to predict. We estimate that over three quarters of the students who apply for admission to Yale are qualified to do the work here. Between two and three hundred students in any year are so strong academically that their admission is scarcely ever in doubt. The great majority of students who are admitted, however, stand out from the rest because a lot of little things, when added up, tip the scale in their favor. The difference between a successful and an unsuccessful candidate at Yale is often painfully small.
