Yale University was founded in 1701, making it one of the oldest institutions of higher education in the U.S. The private university is located in New Haven, Connecticut, around 80 miles northeast of New York City. Roughly 45 percent of Yale students study at the undergraduate level. Around 20 percent of the total student body is international, with students hailing from more than 110 countries. The university uses a semester-based academic calendar, and the primary language of instruction is English. More than 80 percent of undergraduates live in university housing, and accommodations are available for graduate students as well.

The university comprises the undergraduate college, the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and numerous professional schools. Economics, political science and history are among the most popular majors for undergraduates. Among Yale's highly ranked schools for graduate-level studies are the Law School and the School of Management. The medical school is affiliated with the Yale-New Haven Hospital, which is highly ranked in several specialties. The university has many research centers and institutes, among them the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, the Yale Cancer Center and the Yale Program in Sleep. Undergraduates have lots of opportunities to get involved with research at the university. For example, students can apply for a Yale College Freshman Summer Research Fellowship in the Sciences & Engineering. One of the major research innovations associated with Yale is chemotherapy treatment, which was developed at the university in the early 1940s.

Yale University is ranked #12 in Best Global Universities. Schools are ranked according to their performance across a set of widely accepted indicators of excellence.