A major, entered after arrival
Yale says every student begins undeclared and has until the end of sophomore year to choose a major. The Jackson School's page refers to students accepted into the major.
Undergraduate · Yale College
Yale Global Affairs: a major you enter after arriving, not a separate admission
Yale College admits students without a declared major, and Global Affairs is one of its majors, run by the Jackson School of Global Affairs. The school's page says students are accepted into the major, that the requirements were updated for students accepted from fall 2025, and that advanced majors can write a thesis or complete a capstone for an external partner. For an A-level or IB applicant, this means the application is to Yale College, with the major following. This guide claims no separate application to Global Affairs.
Official information · read 31 October 2026, no entry-year label
What Yale says about Yale Global Affairs
Taken from Yale Undergraduate Admissions' Majors, Standardized Testing and International pages and the Yale Jackson School's Global Affairs Major page, read on 31 October 2026. The pages carry no entry-year label, so for a 2028-entry application every statement below is evidence for the previous cycle and may change; check Yale's pages for the 2028-entry details.
Courses across nearly all departments
The school calls Global Affairs multidisciplinary, the fifth largest major with about 250 students.
Updated requirements from fall 2025
The updated requirements apply only to students accepted into the major in fall 2025 and after.
A thesis or a capstone
Advanced majors may write a senior thesis or complete the Capstone Course, a policy project for an external partner, which requires declaring by spring of junior year.
The SAT or ACT is required
Yale requires scores from either test; international applicants meet the same requirements.
Official sources
- Yale Undergraduate Admissions: Majors & Academic Programsadmissions.yale.edu
- Yale Jackson School of Global Affairs: Global Affairs Majorjackson.yale.edu
- Yale Undergraduate Admissions: Standardized Testingadmissions.yale.edu
Read on 31 October 2026 on Yale Undergraduate Admissions' Majors, Standardized Testing and International pages and the Yale Jackson School's Global Affairs Major page, which describes 2027 entry. The pages carry no entry-year label. Yale's course catalogue, the Global Affairs courses and FAQ pages, deadlines and financial aid were not read, and the pages do not mention A-levels or the IB by name and are not stated.
The major
What the Jackson School says Global Affairs is
The Jackson School says the major provides multidisciplinary training in addressing global challenges, drawing on approaches from across the social sciences and humanities and on the ability to translate between scholarship and practice. Courses sit in nearly all Yale departments. The major's requirements were updated, and the update applies only to students accepted into the major from fall 2025. Advanced majors may write a senior thesis, or complete the Capstone Course, whose enrolment requests take place in the spring of the junior year.
Is it the right major?
Global Affairs, Political Science or a UK IR degree
Yale lists each as a separate major. Avandy's comparison is general.
Global Affairs fits if
you want a policy-facing, multidisciplinary route with a possible capstone for an external partner.
A single-discipline major fits if
you want deeper methods in one social science. Yale's majors page lists these separately.
Compare with a UK IR degree if
you are weighing a named course against a liberal-arts model: UK courses admit you to the subject; Yale admits you to the College.
Testing and qualifications
SAT or ACT required; A-levels and the IB are not named
Yale requires first-year applicants to submit SAT or ACT scores. International applicants complete the same application with the same requirements. The pages read do not mention A-levels or the IB by name, and this guide states no score.
A decision framework
Three questions before you commit
This is Avandy's own framework, not Yale's.
Do you want a policy-facing major?
The capstone is built around an external partner.
Are you comfortable entering the major later?
Yale students are undeclared until the end of sophomore year.
Can you plan the SAT or ACT?
Yale requires one of them for first-year applicants.
Planning for 2028 entry
Planning for 2028 entry: what carries over and what is awaiting publication
Yale's pages carry no entry-year label, so nothing on them is confirmed for 2028 entry. Use them to understand the structure of the application, then check Yale's own pages for the 2028-entry details.
The requirements and descriptions on the pages read on 31 October 2026, which carry no entry-year label
These are the best guide to what to prepare. Yale has not confirmed them for 2028 entry.
Deadlines, fees, financial aid and any department prerequisites not quoted here: not stated
This guide has not read them. Check Yale for the values that apply to your application year.
What to do now
Read the Global Affairs major page and plan the SAT or ACT.
Support
Independent support with planning your own application
Avandy provides independent academic and admissions support. It is not affiliated with Yale College or any of its colleges or departments. Preparation sits within the Avandy Trinity Advisory Model: a Strategic Admissions Consultant, a PhD-level Academic Mentor and a Subject-specific Tutor, working to the actual requirements of each course. Support here is limited to understanding the requirements and planning the applicant's own work; Avandy does not write or edit essays, does not submit any materials and has no partnership with Yale College. No outcome is promised.
Questions
Questions applicants ask
Can I apply directly to Yale Global Affairs?
The pages read describe admission to Yale College. Students begin undeclared and choose a major by the end of sophomore year.
Is there a capstone?
Advanced majors may write a senior thesis or complete the Capstone Course, a policy project for an external partner.
Which requirements apply?
The school says updated requirements apply only to students accepted into the major in fall 2025 and after.
Do I need the SAT or ACT?
Yes. Yale's testing policy requires scores from either test.
Does Yale name A-levels or the IB on these pages?
No. The pages read do not mention them by name.
Are these the rules for 2028 entry?
No. They are Yale's wording with no entry-year label. Check Yale's pages again when Yale publishes its 2028-entry requirements.
Students and families
Talk to us about Yale Global Affairs
Tell us about the student's curriculum, their interest in international affairs, how they would plan the major and their SAT or ACT plan, the universities on the list, and the intended year of entry. A senior adviser will review the academic profile before recommending how to prepare.