Yale University
New Haven, Connecticut · Private Nonprofit · 3.9% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 97/100 · Exceptional Value
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Yale scores 97 (Exceptional Value) on the CampusROI scale, driven by a 3.6-year payback period, $67,800 average 6-year earnings, and a 95.7% completion rate. Median debt sits at $12,975, a low figure against a sticker tuition of $67,250. The net price of $23,777 reflects an aid program that does real work across income bands. Economics leads by graduate volume (182 graduates, $82,617 year-one, $142,936 year-four), while Computer and Information Sciences (164 graduates) hits $133,293 at year one and $188,157 at year four. The Yale credential does economic work that the Scorecard data only partially captures: the long-run wage premium, network density, and career optionality this degree opens - in law, finance, consulting, policy, medicine - are not fully visible in six-year earnings. History earns an A-grade ROI (96 graduates, $54,700 year-one, $109,947 year-four), which is unusually strong for a humanities field and reflects Yale's outsized placement into selective professional schools and financial services. At $67,800 average six-year earnings, the aggregate number looks modest relative to sticker price, but major mix matters heavily here: science-track students going to graduate or medical school depress the near-term figure significantly. The headline ROI is defensible, not inflated.
Graduates recoup their total investment in just 3.6 years. The median across the schools we score is about 12 years.
Yale University
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $67,250/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $67,250/yr |
| Average net price | $23,777/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $95,108 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $100,533 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $67,800 |
| Median debt at graduation | $12,975 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $138 |
| Estimated payback period | 3.6 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 95.7% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 6,758 |
Data as of 2024-2025. Source: College Scorecard API (U.S. Department of Education).
The Full Financial Picture
The first number you'll see is the sticker price: $67,250/year, which covers tuition and fees only. After grants, scholarships, and aid, the average student here pays a net price of $23,777/year, or roughly $95,108 over four years. That's the number to plan around.
What you actually pay depends a lot on what your family earns. Families making under $30,000/year pay an average of $17,633/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $45,951/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $12,975, which works out to about $138 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($67,800) and comes to 0.19, which in our view is comfortably manageable.
Net Price by Family Income
What families actually pay after grants and scholarships, by income bracket.
| Family Income | Avg Net Price/Year |
|---|---|
| $0 - $30,000 | $17,633 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $15,626 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $17,943 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $12,558 |
| $110,001+ | $45,951 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
The 0-30000 income bracket pays $17,633 net price per year at Yale. The 30001-48000 bracket actually drops to $15,626, which is lower, reflecting a step in the aid formula. These figures suggest Yale's financial aid model is generous. Low-income students who gain admission will find meaningful aid.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
The 48001-75000 bracket pays $17,943 - slightly higher than the lowest bracket, reflecting the aid formula's step structure. The 75001-110000 bracket drops to $12,558, the lowest net price in the income schedule, which is an unusual inversion suggesting the aid model heavily favors families just above the middle threshold. Middle-income families earning $75,000-$110,000 face a $12,558 net price.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Families earning $110,000+ pay $45,951 per year at Yale - roughly $184,000 all-in over four years. At a 3.6-year payback period and $67,800 average 6-year earnings, the full-pay case is financially solid for graduates entering high-earning tracks (finance, consulting, tech). For students entering lower-earning fields - public policy, teaching, environmental work - the payback against $184,000 extends considerably. Full-pay is a real commitment at Yale, but the network and career optionality effects have long-run value the earnings data does not fully capture.
Earnings by Major
Top 10 most popular majors at Yale University with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Economics | $142,936 | A |
| Computer and Information Sciences | $188,157 | A |
| International Relations | $90,764 | B+ |
| History | $109,947 | A |
| Cell/Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences | $92,646 | C+ |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | $45,769 | B+ |
| Research and Experimental Psychology | $65,752 | - |
| English Language and Literature | $62,440 | - |
| Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies | $65,213 | B |
| Area Studies | $67,230 | - |
Earnings reflect median 4-year post-completion (or 1-year where 4-year unavailable). Grades based on debt-to-earnings ratio.
Program Analysis
Why these programs deliver their earnings outcomes.
Computer and Information Sciences
Computer and Information Sciences is Yale's highest-earning program with meaningful volume: 164 graduates, $133,293 median earnings at year one, $188,157 at year four. Debt-to-earnings ratio is 0.096 (ROI grade A) - graduates borrow a median $12,750 and earn over $130,000 almost immediately. The Yale CS pipeline flows into software engineering, quantitative finance, machine learning research, and a meaningful share of students proceeding to graduate school. The four-year trajectory to $188k reflects both career progression and the premium that a Yale credential adds in New York and Bay Area labor markets.
Economics
Economics is Yale's largest program at 182 graduates, and the outcomes justify the volume: $82,617 median year-one earnings and $142,936 at year four, with a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.160 (ROI grade A). Economics graduates from Yale move into investment banking, management consulting, policy roles at government agencies and NGOs, and graduate study at the most selective economics programs globally. The $142k four-year figure reflects the consulting and finance pipelines more than the policy track, where near-term earnings are lower but long-run trajectories are strong. Median debt of $13,250 is low relative to earnings velocity.
History
History earns an A-grade ROI at Yale: 96 graduates, $54,700 median year-one, $109,947 at year four. The debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.219 (ROI grade A) is unusually clean for a humanities field and reflects the Yale brand effect on professional school placement. History graduates from Yale go to law school, policy programs, finance, and consulting at rates that most universities cannot replicate - the 4-year jump to $109k is direct evidence of that career arc. This is not typical humanities ROI; the Yale credential is doing the heavy lifting.
International Relations
International Relations (107 graduates) earns $57,466 at year one and $90,764 at year four, with a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.261 (ROI grade B+). Students interested in diplomacy, international development, policy research, and multilateral institutions cluster here. The four-year figure of $90k reflects placement into government, consulting, and international organizations rather than high-finance tracks. The B+ ROI grade reflects the lower near-term earnings relative to STEM fields, but the long-run career optionality for students targeting the public sector or law is not fully captured in Scorecard data.
Liberal Arts and Sciences
Liberal Arts and Sciences (27 graduates) earns $61,133 at year one and $113,788 at year four, with a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.258 (ROI grade B+). The four-year trajectory to $113k is strong for a general liberal arts designation - Yale's interdisciplinary students end up in finance, consulting, tech, and graduate programs at rates that drive that figure. This program captures students who complete Yale's distributional requirements across a self-designed curriculum rather than a named major, and the outcomes confirm the Yale brand effect holds regardless of declared field.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 90.1% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 91.1% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 89.1% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 91.5% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Yale University’s cost and outcomes have moved across College Scorecard releases (2009-2024).
Average Net Price
Completion Rate
Median Earnings, 10 Years After Entry (as reported)
Earnings reflect borrowers measured 10 years after entry and publish on an irregular cadence with a multi-year reporting lag, so this series shows only the years the Department of Education reported - the data is never interpolated.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, release years shown. Net price and completion are reported annually.
Admissions Snapshot
| Acceptance rate | 3.9% |
| SAT Math (25th-75th) | 740-790 |
| SAT Reading (25th-75th) | 730-780 |
| ACT Composite (25th-75th) | 33-35 |
| Enrollment | 6,758 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 20.4% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $22,590 |
At 3.87%, Yale's admission rate places it at the most selective tier of American higher education. The SAT Math 740-790 and Reading 730-780 ranges describe the middle half - roughly a third of admits are above that ceiling and a third below. ACT 33-35 composite is the parallel floor. Test scores are necessary but not sufficient: Yale's admissions process weighs achievement, character, and intellectual curiosity in ways that make it genuinely opaque. The college-blind financial aid policy (meeting full demonstrated need for all admitted students) means that cost should not be a disqualifier for families below $110,000.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yale University (this school) | 97 | $23,777 | $100,533 |
| Vanderbilt University | 97 | $15,846 | $91,565 |
| Harvard University | 96 | $19,066 | $101,817 |
| Duke University | 96 | $29,612 | $97,800 |
| Albertus Magnus College | 39 | $34,028 | $60,144 |
| University of Bridgeport | 27 | $27,807 | $50,323 |
Who Thrives Here
Yale admits 3.87% of applicants. SAT mid-ranges are 740-790 Math and 730-780 Reading; ACT composite 33-35. At 6,758 undergraduates, the residential college system shapes a tight-knit campus that reads very differently from large research universities. Pell grant rate of 20.4% reflects Yale's stated commitment to socioeconomic access. Applicants without exceptional academic records or distinctive accomplishment outside academics should be realistic about their odds.
The Verdict: The Investment Pays Off
If you're asking whether Yale University is worth it, the short answer is yes - it's one of the strongest money decisions in higher education. Four years here run about $95,108 after aid, and the typical graduate earns $100,533 ten years out. That earnings head start covers the cost in roughly 3.6 years, well ahead of most schools.
What it has going for it: a strong earnings premium over high school graduates, its 95.7% graduation rate, manageable debt relative to earnings, high loan repayment success.
On debt, you can breathe a little easier here. Median debt of $12,975 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $67,800 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.19: well under 1.0, the point at which debt would equal a full year of those earnings.
Yale University: Common Questions
Is Yale University worth it?
In our view, yes - for most students Yale University pays off. It scores 97/100 on our ROI scale. You'd pay about $23,777 a year after aid ($95,108 over four years), and the typical graduate earns $100,533 ten years after enrollment, so the cost takes roughly 3.6 years to earn back.
How much does Yale University cost after financial aid?
The average net price - the cost of attendance (tuition, fees, books, supplies and average living costs) minus grants and scholarships, for full-time, first-time students receiving federal aid - is about $23,777 a year, or roughly $95,108 over four years. Because it counts living costs, it can run above tuition alone. That is the number to plan around. Actual cost varies by family income, per the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.
What do Yale University graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $100,533 ten years after enrolling, roughly $58,733 a year more than the median high-school graduate ($41,800, per NCES, 2022). That earnings gap is what has to cover the cost of the degree.
How long does it take to pay off Yale University?
We estimate the payback period - the time it takes for the earnings bump over a high-school graduate to cover what you spent - at about 3.6 years for Yale University. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Yale University graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $12,975, against average earnings of $67,800 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.19. In our view that is very manageable: well under 1.0, the point at which debt would equal a full year of those earnings.
What is the graduation rate at Yale University?
The six-year graduation rate is 95.7%, at or above the 64% national average for four-year schools (NCES, 2022). Completion is 15% of our ROI score, since a degree you don't finish rarely pays back.
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Data: College Scorecard API (U.S. Department of Education)
Vintage: 2024-2025 · Last updated: 2026-03-25
Earnings reflect median outcomes for all federal financial aid recipients. Individual results vary by major, effort, and career path.