Distributional Requirements
Students are required to take no fewer than two course credits in the humanities and arts, two course credits in the sciences, and two course credits in the social sciences. In addition to completing courses in these disciplinary areas, students must fulfill skills requirements by taking two course credits in quantitative reasoning, two course credits in writing, and courses to further their foreign language proficiency. Depending on their level of accomplishment in foreign languages at matriculation, students may fulfill this last requirement with one, two, or three courses or by a combination of course work and approved study abroad.
The Yale College Programs of Study provides a comprehensive discussion of the distributional requirements. You may also refer to the Distributional Requirements Chart for an overview of the requirements in general, and the Foreign Language Chart for an overview of the foreign language requirement.
At the end of sophomore year (after four terms of enrollment), students must have enrolled for at least one course credit in each of the three disciplinary areas and for at least one course credit in each of the three skills categories to be eligible for promotion to junior standing.
- Distributional requirements in general (Hu, Sc, So, QR, WR, L1–L5)
- Additional information about the foreign language requirement
- Placement exams are listed in the Calendar for the Opening Days of College. See especially the section "Departmental Meetings."
- Center for Language Study
- Common ways to fulfill the language requirement (chart)
