Graduate Student Life and Community

GSAS students on quad

At Yale, you will meet friends, colleagues, and mentors through your academic program. There are lots of additional ways to find community and build relationships that will help you thrive as a graduate student.

Find Community, Events, and Programs

Three McDougal Fellows

McDougal Graduate Student Center

The McDougal Graduate Student Center is where you can find support resources, attend events, build community, and connect with your fellow graduate students.  Located on the upper floor of Founders Hall, at 135 Prospect St., near Ingalls Rink and Science Hill, the McDougal Graduate Student Center is accessible on the blue, red, and orange lines of the Yale Shuttle.

Students getting ice cream from Ice Cream Truck

Student Life Events

The McDougal Center staff and fellows organize many fun programs and events to help you connect with other students, explore New Haven, and build a strong sense of community.  Yale Connect is the event management platform we use. You can find McDougal Center events as well as many other campus events on this platform. Log-in with your NetID and Password.

Student scene Commons

Programs for First-Year Students

Once you've matriculated as a graduate student at Yale, we encourage you to seek out support to ensure that your first-year experience is academically and socially enriching.

Orientation Fair in Schwarzman Center

Student Groups

As a graduate student at Yale, you have many opportunities to get involved in the community, make and build relationships, learn leadership and professional skills, serve others, and have fun. Over 20 graduate student organizations are currently registered through the McDougal Graduate Student Center so consider getting involved.