Yale Young Global Scholars (YYGS) recently finished an incredible summer in downtown New Haven, with 1,800 students from over 150 different countries attending two-week academic tracks while joining small-scale seminars, meeting Yale faculty, and building friendships from around the world. The program is thrilled to share that all students arrived safely to campus without any visa or travel-related issues, aided by the program’s visa support letter documentation and travel guidance.
In preparation for next summer, program staff and university stakeholders have been busy evaluating everything, from student, family, and staff feedback to navigating changing fiscal climates in higher education across the country. As a result of these conversations and research, YYGS is sharing the following program updates for YYGS 2026:
YYGS will retire Literature Philosophy & Culture (LPC) in order to increase seats in our remaining tracks: Innovations in Science & Technology (IST), Politics of Law & Economics (PLE), and Solving Global Challenges (SGC). YYGS will continue to prioritize interdisciplinary approaches to global community building and interactive learning throughout the program. The program is confident that a cross-disciplinary approach across all academic tracks will continue to encourage exploration, creativity, and a love of learning that is not bound to traditional academic constraints.
Additionally, in an effort to further enhance the residential life student experience and to respond to concerns about rising summer temperatures, YYGS will be moving to Yale’s two newest residential colleges: Benjamin Franklin and Pauli Murray. These dorms are more accessible, within walking distance of downtown New Haven, and offer air chilling technology. While different than traditional air conditioning, air chilling is a more sustainable approach that keeps rooms significantly cooler, and we are happy to report that all student rooms will be air chilled during YYGS 2026.
In order to accommodate rising program costs and these additional amenities, tuition will increase slightly from $6,500 to $7,000 for the first time in seven years. YYGS is proud to continue to read applications need-blind and to provide over $3 million USD in need-based financial aid and scholarships to both domestic and international students.
YYGS is grateful to all our alumni students and families, staff, and other University stakeholders for their feedback and encouragement that shaped these changes, and we look forward to piloting these new program elements designed to further enhance the student experience. The YYGS 2026 application will open by the end of September, and we recommend prospective students and families join our YYGS mailing list to be notified as soon as the application becomes available.