Yale College, the undergraduate school, is the heart of the University. It's been

setting the standard for educating America's leaders for over three centuries.

One of Yale's most distinctive assets is its residential college system. Based on the Oxford-Cambridge-model, the twelve colleges are diverse yet intimate communities of 400 students. Each college has its own dining hall, library, gymnasium and multipurpose rooms, which students use for everything from theatrical productions and concerts to publishing newspapers. The colleges also offer seminars, host speakers, organize social events, sponsor sporting teams and provide tutoring. The residential college system ensures students entering Yale have a support structure that fosters relationships that will last a life-time.

Visitors as well as students can take advantage of Yale's cultural attractions. The university has two art museums, a natural history museum and over 300 free concerts and performances annually.

In the last decade the number of international students has grown by 46%. Yale is committed to attracting the best and brightest from around the world by offering generous international financial aid packages. The number of international scholars is also growing and changing the face of Yale. There’s been a dramatic increase in their numbers with more than 1,700 at Yale every year who conduct research or teach in Yale's laboratories, classrooms and clinics. The Yale Center for International and Area Studies and its expansive offerings is the centerpiece. But in recent years Yale has launched many new activities: the Center for the Study of Globalization headed by former President of Mexico Ernesto Zedillo, the China Law Center, and the International Center for Finance are among the many new centers and initiatives.

The Yale World Fellows Program brings emerging leaders from around the world to campus for four months of studying and training, and is building networks, displaying dialogues and strengthening cultural understanding across different institutions, nations and cultures.

Partnerships between Yale faculty and leading universities and institutions abroad help to advance specific fields of knowledge for the benefit of the larger global community. Currently, over 400 faculty and scholars pursue teaching and research outside of the United States. A joint facility in Asia for molecular plant biology, a center for AIDS research in India, and programs in health, genetics and architecture.

Founded as an institution to educate local students, Yale has grown to become a national and increasingly international source of innovation, inspiration and leadership. On these foundations, Yale is building a global university. One of Yale's Presidents 150 years ago insisted we owe it to inspire our students and countrymen to recognize that they are citizens of the world.