Yale–NUS College was a liberal arts college from April 2011 to June 2025 in Singapore. It was established in 2011 by the National University of Singapore (NUS) and Yale University. Yale-NUS was Singapore's first liberal arts college, and one of the first in Asia. Following a unilateral decision by NUS in 2021 to close Yale-NUS College and establish NUS College in its place, no further admissions were accepted after 2021, and the College was fully closed in 2025.
History
Overview Yale–NUS was a four-year, fully residential undergraduate institution. The first class, the class of 2017, consisted of 157 students entering in 2013. At full capacity, the college had 250 students in each class. Students would select their majors at the end of their second year, after two years of the Yale–NUS Common Curriculum. Students graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree with Honours or a Bachelor of Science degree with Honours.
In August 2021, it was announced that Yale–NUS College would be merged with the NUS University Scholars Programme to form a new interdisciplinary honours college, with the Class of 2025 being the last cohort of Yale–NUS students. According to Pericles Lewis, this decision was part of NUS's plan for a "broader restructuring of Singapore’s educational offerings, one that had been conceived of in 2018". The new college will not feature liberal arts subjects in its core curriculum. In January 2022, it was announced that the provisionally named "New College" would be named the "NUS College".
The Yale–NUS Class of 2025 was the final cohort of Yale–NUS students. The college was officially closed on 30 June 2025.
Launch Under the presidency of Richard Levin, Yale began developing a "internationalization" strategy that included expanding financial resources for international students and study abroad programs, founding the Yale World Fellows and the Center for the Study of Globalization, and joining the International Alliance of Research Universities. Administrators at Yale began considering international campus expansion in 2006, and initially approached the United Arab Emirates about establishing an arts institute on Abu Dhabi's Saadiyat Island, developed in collaboration with the university's arts professional schools. After Yale indicated that it was not willing to offer Yale degree programs at the proposed institute, the project was dropped.
Levin and National University of Singapore President Tan Chorh Chuan discussed the concept of a joint liberal arts college at the 2009 World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, and eighteen months later, Levin and Yale Provost Peter Salovey circulated to the Yale faculty a prospectus for a liberal arts college in Singapore. Among the given reasons for the initiative were "develop[ing] a novel curriculum spanning Western and Asian cultures" and better preparing students for "an interconnected, interdependent global environment".
Yale–NUS College was officially launched in April 2011. In July 2012, the college held its ground-breaking ceremony; it enrolled its first class of students in 2013. Yale–NUS inaugurated its campus on 12 October 2015. The event was attended by Singaporean prime minister Lee Hsien Loong, acting education minister (higher education) Ong Ye Kung and the presidents of Yale and the National University of Singapore. The college held its inaugural graduation ceremony on 29 May 2017. The certificates were presented by Tony Tan, President of Singapore, and Richard Levin, former president of Yale and chief executive of Coursera, was the guest speaker.
In 2012, Yale–NUS published its policy on academic freedom and non-discrimination, which states that “the College upholds the principles of academic freedom and open inquiry, essential core values in higher education of the highest calibre. Faculty and students in the College will be free to conduct scholarship and research and publish the results, and to teach in the classroom and express themselves on campus, bearing in mind the need to act in accordance with accepted scholarly and professional standards and the regulations of the College.” The college is also “committed to basing judgments concerning the admission, education, and employment of individuals upon their qualifications and abilities.”
Closure
The closure of Yale–NUS College was initiated by NUS president Tan Eng Chye, who approached Yale president Peter Salovey in July 2021 with the decision, surprising Yale administrators who "were confident that Yale–NUS was living up to its ambitions". Despite previous assurances that Yale–NUS would not be affected by the launching of NUS's College of Humanities and Sciences, NUS later announced in August 2021 that the college would close, being merged with the University Scholars Programme to form an interdisciplinary college tentatively referred to as the 'New College'. The closure was made without any consultation with faculty, most senior administrators, and students due to sensitivities between both universities.
According to Yale Daily News, the "National University of Singapore’s one-sided decision to push Yale out of the universities’ joint college surprised Yale administrators, who were subsequently forced to accept the change". Yale University also stated that either party can withdraw from the college from 2025. The decision was made by NUS without input from many senior figures at Yale University, NUS, and Yale–NUS. Yale–NUS president Tan Tai Yong described the decision to shut down the college as a "fait accompli".
A petition titled "#NoMoreTopDown" was drafted and calls for the reversal of the decision. It received over 13,000 signatures.
The Class of 2025, admitted in 2021, would be the last cohort to receive a Yale–NUS degree. In Peter Salovey's statement on the shutdown, he expressed a wish for Yale–NUS to continue, stating that Yale–NUS was "a unique and remarkable living and learning experience in Singapore." By the end of its operations, the institution will have produced approximately 1,500 graduates and employed 90 faculty and staff members.
2025 book and DVD destruction incident On 20 May 2025, 60 to 70 bags of books from the former Yale–NUS library were discarded by NUS, leading to widespread condemnation among the Yale–NUS alumni community, citing concerns over the destruction of knowledge. The incident was described as an "operational lapse" by NUS officials, with university librarian Natalie Pang describing the 9,000 books earmarked for disposal comprised approximately 20% of the Yale–NUS Library. NUS provost Aaron Thean issued a recorded apology.
Member of Parliament-elect of Singapore Jamus Lim criticised the destruction of the books, adding “You may say that books are just books; without reading them, they are just ink printed on dead trees. Yet there is something magical about a simple tome.” Students were also directed by NUS officials to destroy DVDs of classic films.
Leadership and faculty
Leadership
Presidents
Yale–NUS College's founding president from 2012 to 2017 was Pericles Lewis, Douglas Tracy Smith Professor of Comparative Literature and Professor of English at Yale University. Pericles Lewis is the current dean of Yale College, Yale University.
Tan Tai Yong served as the second president of Yale–NUS from 2017 to 2022. Prior to this, he was the executive vice president (academic affairs) from 2014 to 2017. Tan Tai Yong is the current president of the Singapore University of Social Sciences.
Joanne Roberts, professor of social sciences (economics) at Yale–NUS was appointed the third and final president of Yale–NUS in 2022. She was the Executive Vice President (Academic Affairs) from 2018 to 2022, and previously on the faculty of the University of Calgary. She also served as Vice President (Humanities and Social Sciences Research)-Designate at National University of Singapore from 1 January to 30 June 2025, during which time she continued to serve as President of Yale–NUS College. On 1 July 2025, she joined Bates College as its vice president for academic affairs and dean of the faculty.
Executive Vice Presidents and Vice Presidents
Mrs Doris Sohmen-Pao, currently Chief Executive Officer of the Human Capital Leadership Institute, was Executive Vice President (Administration) from 2012 to 2015. She was Executive Vice President (Institutional Affairs) from 2015 to 2016.
Kristen Lynas, formerly the director of executive programmes at INSEAD, was the Executive Vice President (Administration) from 2015 to 2023.
National University of Singapore’s (NUS) Professor Lai Choy Heng was executive vice president (academic affairs) from 2012 to 2014.
Steven Bernasek, professor of chemistry, emeritus at Princeton University, was Executive Vice President (Academic Affairs) from 2017 to 2018.
David M. Post, Visiting Wong Ngit Liong Professor at Yale–NUS and professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Yale University, was Dean of Faculty from 2021 - 2024 and Vice President (Academic Affairs) from 2022 to 2024.
Dave Stanfield, currently the vice president and dean of students at Sarah Lawrence College, was Dean of Students from 2020 to 2023 and Vice President (Student Affairs) from 2022 to 2023.
Trisha Craig, currently the executive director of the Princeton Institute for International and Regional Studies, was vice president (engagement) from 2019 to 2024.
Faculty
As of February 2024, Yale–NUS lists over 120 faculty members from leading colleges and universities around the world.
Governing board
The governing board was composed of trustees half-appointed by Yale and half-appointed by NUS. The board was chaired by Mdm. Kay Kuok Oon Kwong.
Admissions
Admission to Yale–NUS was based on each student's prior achievement and promise for success at the college. Yale–NUS had a need-blind financial aid programme for domestic students and, until 2020, for international students, which offered substantial support for students from a variety of backgrounds. Fees were cohort-based and individual circumstances will be considered in the financial aid application process. The admission timeline was similar to that of colleges and universities in the US. Yale–NUS targeted a class size of around 250 students; this threshold was met with the Class of 2022. Application deadlines were typically in January and March. At full capacity, the total expected student population will be 1,000 students.
The college employed a holistic approach in evaluating applicants: while academic achievement as reflected in examinations grades was a primary consideration, interviews, recommendations, essays and extracurricular accomplishments were also given significant weight in the process.
Admissions at Yale-NUS were highly selective, with an average acceptance rate of 5% from over 10,000 applications per year. Dean of Yale College and Yale–NUS's first president, Pericles Lewis, reported that the college “exceeded expectations” in terms of attracting talented students and faculty.
The Yale–NUS class of 2025 was the final round of admissions offered by the institution.
Academics
The founding instruction committee decided to implement a common curriculum, a set of interlinked courses for all students. Similar to the core curricula at Columbia University and University of Chicago, students get to choose from a number of set courses in their first year of study. The common curriculum was reviewed every four years. Following its inaugural review, the common curriculum was reduced to 10 courses, with the removal of a science course.