BA East Asian Studies at Yale University

Programme overview

In the East Asian Studies major, students focus on a country or an area within East Asia and focus their work in the humanities or the social sciences. The major offers a liberal education that serves as excellent preparation for graduate study or for business and professional careers in which an understanding of East Asia is essential.

Faculty: Yale College | Duration: Thirty-six term courses in eight terms of enrollment (Yale College bachelor's degree) | Study mode: full-time | Location: New Haven, CT, United States

What you will study

Number of courses: 13 course credits beyond prereq (incl senior req); up to 6 may be in preapproved study abroad. Distribution of courses: 6 course credits in East Asian lang courses, incl 2 credits at L5 level; 6 addtl course credits in country or area of focus, incl 1 in premodern era and 2 seminars (the two seminars must be completed before starting senior req); 1 course credit on East Asia outside country or focus area. Senior requirement: Senior seminar culminating in senior thesis, or one-term senior essay in EAST 4900 , or one-credit, two-term senior research proj in EAST 4910 , 4920 culminating in an essay

Career pathways

The major offers a liberal education that serves as excellent preparation for graduate study or for business and professional careers in which an understanding of East Asia is essential.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

Admission is to Yale College, not to this major (applies to all Yale College programmes). Yale College requires letters of recommendation, a school report with transcript, and ACT or SAT scores; applicants who are non-native English speakers without two or more years in an English-medium school must also submit an English proficiency test (TOEFL, IELTS, Cambridge English or Duolingo English Test). Major prerequisite: L2 level of an East Asian lang taught at Yale or the equivalent.

USD 72,500 a year (2026-27). Yale College 2026-2027 tuition (single rate for all Yale College students). Excludes housing, food, optional health insurance, student activities fee and class dues. Source

First-year and transfer applicants apply to begin in the fall semester.

First-year applicants apply through the Common Application, the Coalition Application on SCOIR or the QuestBridge Application. Single-Choice Early Action deadline: November 1. QuestBridge National College Match deadline: November 1. Regular Decision deadline: January 2. Yale does not advantage students by program.

First-year and transfer applicants must include ACT or SAT scores (testing is required); neither exam is preferred.

Transfer applicants submit the Transfer Common Application by March 1 to enter as sophomores or juniors.

Graduate School of Arts and Sciences deadlines (all 11:59 pm Eastern) for fall 2027: December 1, 2026 (e.g. BBS, Chemistry, Economics, History, Linguistics, Psychology, Public Health, Statistics); December 15, 2026 (e.g. American Studies, Anthropology, Applied Physics, Biomedical Engineering, Computer Science PhD, Electrical & Computer Engineering, Law, Management, Mathematics, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, Political Science, Sociology); January 2, 2027 (e.g. African Studies, Applied and Computational Mathematics, Architecture, Computer Science MS, Earth and Planetary Sciences, East Asian Studies, Nursing, Philosophy). Combined programs follow the earlier deadline or December 15.

The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences application fee for all degree-seeking applicants is US $105, non-refundable, payable by Visa, Mastercard, Discover or American Express; fee waivers can be requested until January 2.

GRE General Test requirements vary by GSAS program (required, optional or not accepted) for the 2026-2027 cycle.

Apply through the official page: https://admissions.yale.edu/apply

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