III.

Undergraduate Activities

The oldest division of the university, Yale College, offers courses leading to Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees. Highly selective, the college accepts only about 19 per cent of all applicants, of whom about 56 per cent actually enrol.

All first-year students live in dormitories on the Old Campus; they later become affiliated with the residential colleges, where they subsequently live. Established in 1933 by the American industrialist Edward Stephen Harkness, the college-residence system was designed to give students, from the sophomore (second) year onwards, the educational and social benefits of living in relatively small groups within a larger university environment. Each of the 12 colleges accommodates approximately 250 students and has its own library, common rooms, and living and dining facilities. It is headed by a master and dean, both university faculty members, who live within the college enclave. A group of fellows, also associated with the university's staff, assists the master in administering the college's social, athletic, and intellectual activities.

One feature of undergraduate study at Yale is the Scholars of the House Program. Designed for independent study, it allows qualified seniors to enrol in or attend any Yale course and to work on faculty-supervised projects.