Why Take a Course at Yale?
[Note] The information on this page is for Summer 2025 and is provided for informational purposes. Updated information for Summer 2026 will be provided soon.
Studying at Yale gives students a newfound appreciation for their academics and offers an opportunity to forge friendships that will last a lifetime. Students come to Yale Summer Session to:
- Earn credit toward their major and fulfill requirements for their degree
- Explore a new field or topic
- Focus intensely on one particular subject
- Study with Yale faculty
- Prepare for the challenges of highly selective colleges
Tips for Choosing a Yale Summer Session Course
- Official course numbers for Summer Session include an "S" to denote a summer course. If the course has the same number and title as a course taught during the academic year, the courses are equivalent. For example, Introduction to Psychology is PSYC 1100 during the academic year and PSYC S1100 when taught during summer.
- Course numbers do not necessarily indicate the level of the course. If a course has no prerequisites, it is open for registration without previous knowledge or coursework in that subject area.
- Some courses have prerequisite requirements. To enroll, your transcript must show that you have met the prerequisite(s).
- Most YSS courses satisfy Yale College's distributional requirements for graduation. Distributional designations reflect whether the course satisfies a degree requirement, and so, they only apply to Yale College students.
- Check course descriptions to determine whether the course is taught in-person or online and whether the course is open to high school students or restricted to college-level students only.
- There is a two-course limit per session.
- All courses are in Eastern Daylight Time (UTC -4).