Yale Alumni College

Yale Alumni College (YACOL) is run by alumni, for alumni, and offers small seminar, in-person classes in a variety of locations throughout the U.S. This program presents a unique learning environment for Yale alumni, family, and friends, including:

• Exceptional faculty (either Yale professors or Yale alumni who teach in the area) 
• Highly motivated classmates who share a passion for lifelong learning 
• Small seminar format to encourage participation and discussion, with no more than 25 students per class 
• Cultural outings with students from all classes to promote social engagement and enhance the learning experience 

Since its inception in 2011, Yale Alumni College has welcomed more than 2,000 alumni, family, and friends, and featured more than 100 courses at nine different locations, including Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, New Haven, New York, Princeton, Washington, D.C., and more.

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Note: All courses for Spring 2021 are online per YAA guidelines due to concerns surrounding COVID-19.

Yale Alumni College is an educational program that is open to all Yale alumni and your families and friends. This program provides a way for you to reconnect with Yale in a far deeper and more meaningful way – through a seminar setting with the vigor of a Yale classroom and the experience and wisdom of 20 or so fellow scholars. 

So whether you want to rediscover a subject from long ago or finally take that course you never had time for while at Yale, Yale Alumni College can offer that opportunity.

Looking for a sampling of past Yale Alumni College courses? We have them here for you, broken down by subject area and with notes about location and professors.

"The program is an excellent way of engaging Yalies in selected locations with some of the best professors in the world. They are the world experts in their fields. It is a great way for Yale to reach out to its alums with something very special." -John Wellemeyer '59 (Fall 2018, Princeton)

"In many ways, Yale Alumni College is the most ideal form of learning: The professors are brilliant and passionate about their subjects, discussions are informed by classmates’ life experience and mature reflections, and the atmosphere is pleasant and stress-free. Always a source of great joy, Yale Alumni College has been especially uplifting in 2020." -Laurie Treuhaft (Fall 2020, Online)

"The short story course I took as part of the Yale Alumni College Program was in my opinion the ideal alumni activity: I learned a great deal, met alums I didn't already know, engaged in meaningful conversation and left each evening very proud of being a Yalie. I cannot wait to take another class." -Julia Levy ’81 (Spring 2017, Atlanta)

"The course exceeded my expectations. The professor was excellent – she not only was a deep subject matter expert on the topic, she also did a great job facilitating the discussion. I appreciate the opportunity to have this caliber of learning and intellectual discussion with other alumni." -Ann Manikas ’93 (Fall 2018, Chicago)

"I highly recommend the class. The amount reading for each class was reasonable, the professor was really engaging, [and] the discussions were extremely interesting both from a strategic thinking and historical standpoint. I would sign up again without hesitation." -Anthony Allard ’07 (Fall 2018, Washington D.C.)

“These relatively short, insightful courses are deeply enriching, even – or especially – without exams or grades! Learning for learning’s sake is a pure joy.” -Vincent Kerr (Fall 2020, Online)

To learn more about Yale Alumni College, registration, or course materials, please contact Sharon Small, Senior Administrative Assistant, Lifelong Learning and Travel, or call her at 203-436-9213.

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