Yale-NUS College welcomes more than 170 new students to the Class of 2018

Singapore’s first liberal arts college continues to attract diverse and accomplished students from around the world

177 outstanding students from around the world will form the Class of 2018 at Yale-NUS College. With the arrival of these new students who hail from 35 countries, Yale-NUS continues to expand the diverse and global nature of its student body, which will stand at some 330 students with its second intake. The talented applicant pool confirms the interest in Yale-NUS’ innovative liberal arts and science curriculum.

In all, Yale-NUS attracted over 12,000 applications. The 177 students in the Class of 2018 come from 95 schools on six different continents. By nationality, Singaporeans (60%) comprise the largest group in this intake, similar to last year’s inaugural class, and hail from 28 schools. For international students, the next biggest groups are 10 percent from the United States, 3 percent from India, and 3 percent from South Korea.

Yale-NUS’ Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid, Kristin Greene, says, “The incoming class hails from 35 different countries and represents a highly talented, inspired, and intellectual group of students who will become the next generation of global leaders. We are in awe of the contributions they have already made as entrepreneurs, authors, researchers, musicians, actors, adventurers, and social entrepreneurs. The diversity and curiosity in our student body spark lively debates and exchange of ideas in our community of learning. We can’t wait to see how our new students will push their intellectual curiosities and talents even further at Yale-NUS College.”

Students of the Class of 2018 also possess stellar academic achievements. At the class’ 75th percentile, the SAT critical scores are 760 in critical reading, 780 in math and 760 in writing. While academic achievements are an important part of the Yale-NUS admissions process, the holistic approach of the College also greatly values interviews, personal essays, recommendations and extracurricular interests and accomplishments.

South African Iwani Zoë Mawocha (Class of 2018) co-founded a non-government organization, Mustard Seed Africa, that looks into socio-economic empowerment for women at the grassroots level in rural Swaziland and Zimbabwe. She is looking forward to the range of opportunities that await her at Yale-NUS College and says, “You can feel the spirit of innovation – ‘How can we do this better?’ is continuously being asked and acted upon at alarmingly brilliant rates. The students here are wonderfully genuine and humble, something I didn’t find at other top-tier schools.”

“Yale-NUS College offers me a platform to explore my passions in both music and biology, something I wouldn’t have the opportunity to do in many other institutions of higher education”, shares Singaporean Shaun Lim Hsien Yang (Class of 2018), whose project on plant allelopathy was one of the top 15 international finalists at the 2011 Google Science Fair, which received almost 7,500 project entries by 10,000 participants hailing from 91 countries. “The most important factor in influencing my decision was the way I knew I would be able to flourish and develop as a modern thinker in this day and age at Yale-NUS. Many universities offer vocational training to prepare us for the working world, but the education offered at Yale-NUS trains one’s flexibility, adaptability and independent thinking abilities, invaluable skill sets in today’s society.” Shaun regularly performs with musical groups such as the Anglo-Chinese Junior College Concert Band, West Winds (Band of the Bukit Batok Community Club) and Vocal Associates Chorus.

Yale-NUS College is Singapore’s first liberal arts college with a full residential program that integrates learning and living. Students receive a world-class education taught by a globally diverse faculty of leading educators and researchers who are passionate in mentoring and teaching every individual towards fulfilling their ultimate potential. The unique Yale-NUS Common Curriculum, which has been collectively shaped by the inaugural faculty, draws on the strengths of established liberal arts traditions, while introducing the students to the diverse intellectual traditions and culture of Asia and the world. Leveraging on the immense interest and high calibre of the applicant pool, the College’s plan to grow its class size to 250 students over the next few years remains on track. The total expected student population at full capacity will be 1,000 students. The College will move to its permanent campus, located north of the NUS main campus at Kent Ridge, next to NUS University Town in January 2015.

Yale-NUS College Class of 2018 at a glance:

Yale-NUS College at a glance: