The 66 students admitted to Yale through the QuestBridge National College Match Scholarship are the first to join Yale’s class of 2027. Across the entire program, a record-high 1,755 applicants from low-income backgrounds received a full scholarship to one of the 48 prestigious universities that partner with QuestBridge.
Anika Arora Seth
Staff Reporter
Madelyn Kumar, Senior Photographer
Sixty-six QuestBridge Scholars matched with Yale on Dec. 1. The newest Bulldogs — the first group of students accepted to Yale’s class of 2027 — are required to matriculate to the University and will receive a $0 parent share award.
The QuestBridge’s National College Match Scholarship offers low-income students full scholarships to prestigious universities. While a record-high 1,755 students received a match to one of the 48 QuestBridge partner schools, Yale’s matches for the class of 2027 are down from the past three years. The University’s 2024 QuestBridge cohort remains the largest at 87 students.
“QuestBridge has created a powerful pipeline for high-achieving students from lower-income backgrounds to schools like Yale and we continue to be deeply impressed with the QuestBridge Finalists who apply to Yale through both the National College Match and our admissions programs,” wrote Senior Associate Director for Outreach and Recruitment Mark Dunn.
Over 17,900 students applied to the college match, spread across all of QuestBridge’s partner schools.
After their initial application, QuestBridge identifies finalists — 5,613 this year — who are then able to rank up to 12 of the 48 universities that QuestBridge partners with. Students match with the highest school on their list that chose to admit them.
“This record-breaking result further motivates us to help outstanding students obtain the top education that they deserve,” said Ana Rowena Mallari, Co-Founder and CEO of QuestBridge, in a press release from the organization. “These bright and motivated students have a determination to succeed that will help them thrive well beyond their college years, and we’re excited to see where their dreams take them next.”
While 66 QuestBridge matches will join Yale’s community this fall, it is likely that more QuestBridge applicants will join the class of 2027, too, as students admitted through later components of the 2022-2023 admissions cycle.
Any QuestBridge finalist who ranked Yale on their set of 12 schools but did not receive a match — either to Yale or another partnering university — is automatically entered into the regular decision pool. They will not need to fill out new application forms or pay a fee.
QuestBridge finalists who did not rank Yale and did not receive a match on Thursday can also opt for the nonprofit to forward their QuestBridge application to Yale. Applicants who were not named finalists are also welcome to apply to Yale through the coalition or common applications on the regular decision timeline. Regular decision applications to the class of 2027 are due on Jan. 2.
“Since our partnership with QuestBridge began, we have always admitted more QuestBridge finalists through regular decision or early action than through the match, and we expect this year will be the same,” Dunn told the News about last year’s QuestBridge match.
QuestBridge finalists admitted to Yale during the regular decision round are not required to matriculate.
In a profile on the QuestBridge website, Karen Li ’23 described her experience matching to Yale through the Questbridge program. Li said that upon opening her email on Match Day in her application year, she called her mom crying.
“At first, my mom didn’t believe me, but I printed out the email and brought it home,” Li said. “It is absolutely amazing that my parents don’t have to worry about paying for college.”
All finalists who ultimately enroll in one of the 48 QuestBridge college partners join the QuestBridge Scholars Network, which offers “ongoing support and resources through nationwide opportunities and campus communities,” per the press release. The scholars network and the alumni association combined include over 20,000 current college students and graduates worldwide.
Yale matched with 81 Questbridge applicants in the class of 2026 and 72 in the class of 2025.
ANIKA ARORA SETH Anika Arora Seth is the 146th Editor in Chief and President of the Yale Daily News. Anika previously covered STEM at Yale as well as admissions, alumni and financial aid. She also laid out the weekly print edition of the News as a Production & Design editor and was one of the inaugural Diversity, Equity & Inclusion co-chairs. Anika is pursuing a double major in biomedical engineering and women's, gender and sexuality studies.
