Residential Life

Yale Summer Session's residential life program gives summer students a taste of Yale's residential college system, with a summer flair. Students who study in New Haven become part of the Yale community, living and sharing meals alongside Yale students and other visiting students in one of the summer residential colleges. YSS offers activities like field trips, sports and game nights, and study breaks to help you explore, have fun, and make friends.

This page will be updated for Summer 2024 in the weeks before Session A.

TOC:

On-Call

For any questions or issues during your time on-campus, please contact the ResLife on-call number: (203) 436-8877. Please note that this number is not monitored except when students are in residence.

Summer Activities

The Residential Life staff curate an exciting collection of activities on-campus and trips around the state and region. You can find out more about the Summer 2023 trips at our Residential Life Activities page.

The Summer Colleges

If you are residing on campus, you will be housed in either Ezra Stiles, Grace Hopper, or Morse Colleges. Each has its own courtyard, dining hall, common room, library, laundry facility, and computer cluster. Room assignments are given upon check-in at the residential colleges. You will most likely be housed in a suite with a common room and shared bath or a stand-alone single with a shared bath.

Dining in the Residential Colleges

Meals featuring a wide variety of hot and cold food are served during three meal periods per day in the college dining halls. Students living on campus have a full 21-meal-per-week contract as part of the room and board package, which provides breakfast, lunch (or brunch) and dinner seven days a week.

The Berkeley College dining hall is open all summer. The Trumbull College dining hall will open on June 25.

• Breakfast: 7:30am - 10:30am
• Lunch: 11:30am - 2:00pm
• Dinner: 5:00pm - 7:30pm

Tip:You can check out the residential dining menus here

Dormitory Furnishings

Rooms in Yale's residential colleges are simply furnished. Each room contains:

• twin extra-long bed, mattress
• desk, chair, bureau, waste basket, recycling bin

Students may also find furniture belonging to previous and returning occupants, which must not be removed or damaged.

Students should​ bring or purchase in New Haven:

• sheets (twin extra-long), blanket, pillow, & towels
• a desk lamp and a fan (if desired)

Tip: Household items are available for purchase at the Yale Bookstore. Fans may be used. Yale residential college rooms are not centrally air-conditioned and portable air conditioners are not permitted. Fire codes prohibit halogen lamps.

Laundry rooms with pay washers and dryers are located in the basement of each residential college.  

Mail

Information about mail for Summer 2024 will be provided leading up to the program.

Telephones

Students are advised to bring a cell phone with them or to purchase one upon arrival in New Haven. Telephone service is not provided in the residential colleges. However, students will have access to the on-campus Wi-Fi network.

About Cell Phones (for visiting international students)

If you are a visiting International student, you should acquire a US phone number or cell phone for your time in New Haven in case of emergencies and for ease of communication. Information about how to get a US phone or number can be found here.  US Mobile is another option where you can purchase SIM cards or unlocked phones (shipping is typically 4-7 business days).

On Campus

During your studies at Yale, plan to visit Yale's many libraries, museums, galleries, and other attractions. Your student ID will allow you free access to all of them.

There's always something to do at Yale. Check out the Yale Calendar of Events for opportunities to have fun, learn, and celebrate. For YSS students living on campus, check out our On-Campus Activities.

Summer Health and Safety Guidelines are not available at this time, but they will be released soon, and will follow Yale College guidelines. 

Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library

The Beinecke Library contains the principal rare books and literary manuscripts of Yale University and serves as a center for research by students, faculty, and other scholars. Free and open to the public.

Harkness ​Tower Tours

Harkness Tower tours happen on occasion over the summer.  The guild member hosting will play one or two songs for the group on the real bells.

Payne Whitney Gymnasium

Yale's Payne Whitney Gymnasium is one of the world's largest indoor recreational facilities.  You are entitled to a free gymnasium membership while enrolled in summer classes, with optional locker rental and towel service.

Sterling Memorial Library and Bass Library

Sterling Memorial Library is the main library building of the Yale University Library system. In addition to five large reading rooms, a Music Library, and courtyard on the ground floor, the library's tower has fifteen levels of stacks containing over 4 million volumes. Sterling connects via tunnel to the underground Bass Library, which contains an additional 150,000 volumes. Both are free and open to the public.

Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History

The Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History is one of the oldest, largest, and most prolific university natural history museums in the world. It was founded by the philanthropist George Peabody in 1866. Free admission. 

Yale Farm

Twelve months a year, students, faculty, staff, and New Haven community members visit the Yale Farm to study the connection between land and food.

Yale University Art Gallery

The Yale Art Gallery's permanent collection was founded in 1832 when the patriot-artist John Trumbull gave more than one hundred of his paintings to Yale College. Since that time, the collection has grown to number more than 200,000 objects representing Eastern and Western cultures and ranging in date from ancient times to the present day. The gallery is free and open to the public.

Yale Visitor's Center

At the Yale Visitor's Center you can drop by for information about Yale or to take a guided tour led by Yale College undergraduates.

New Haven and Beyond

Yale is situated in the heart of the vibrant city of New Haven, Connecticut. It's easily the Greatest Small City in America. Every summer, New Haven hosts the International Festival of Arts and Ideas.

It is easy to explore the Northeast region from New Haven.

Yale Shuttle

The Yale Shuttle can take you all over campus and to parts of the city for free! Remember to bring your Yale ID to use it.

Public Buses

Connecticut-based CT Transit can take you to other towns and cities in the state.

Trains

New Haven's Union Station has daily service to New York City's Grand Central Station via the Metro North Railroad. There is also Amtrak service to Boston and Providence, RI (home of Brown University) to the north and to New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. to the south.

Questions, Comments, Suggestions? Please call our Residential Director on-call number at (203) 436-8877. Please note that this number is not monitored except when students are in residence.