Yale undergraduates have access to a constellation of advisers eager to assist as they navigate academic opportunities. These include the residential college dean, residential college head, college adviser, and first-year counselor, among many others.
Deans, faculty, and advisers welcome the opportunity to work with our undergraduates to plan a program of study. The role of the adviser is
- To provide an understanding of a liberal arts education at Yale.
- To convey to incoming students the sense that Yale faculty and staff members are accessible and take a personal interest in them.
- To help students recognize the appropriate balance between academic commitments and extra-curricular activities.
Your academic advisers will assist in the careful planning of your program of study. The Advising Resources website contains comprehensive information about advising at Yale College.
About Advising
Undergraduates at Yale are free to choose from a vast variety of courses—as many as 2,000 in this year’s Yale College Programs of Study (YCPS). This array of options can be both exhilarating and daunting.
Navigating these options requires thoughtful planning—a challenge for first-year students confronted with so many possibilities, often before they are entirely sure what they wish to study. The antidote to this challenge is developing a strong and meaningful relationship with your academic advisers.
Choosing an Adviser
Incoming first-year students are automatically assigned an adviser (called a college adviser) for their first term; in spring term, students may continue to work with the same college adviser or may choose a faculty member in Yale College to be a sophomore-year adviser. Students must have an adviser in place before submitting fall-term schedules as sophomores. First-years may consult their residential college deans for guidance in this process.
Incoming transfer and Eli Whitney students will be assigned an academic advisor by the director of the Transfer Students Program or the Eli Whitney Students Program.
Information about choosing an adviser and about departmental and major advising by directors of undergraduate studies or their designated representatives is available on the Advising Resources website.
Undergraduate Advising
The Office of Academic Affairs provides a variety of advising-related support services for first- and second-year students, transfer students, and Eli Whitney students as they progress through their years at Yale.
Reach Out
Students are encouraged to meet with their advisers, peer advisers, directors of undergraduate studies, and residential college deans to receive advice and guidance.
Academic Resources
The Academic Resource Centers page consolidates information regarding the various offices and programs on campus available to students for academic help, tutoring, and accommodations for accessibility services.
Photo by Marisa Peryer, YC ‘21
Additional Advising Resources
