Our History

Y-Apply began as an outgrowth of a meeting held in the fall of 2007 by a small group of Yale alumni concerned about increasing the diversity of applicants to Yale College and other highly selective institutions.  These alumni believed in the cause of college access: creating awareness of the benefits of a post-secondary education for underrepresented populations at highly selective instituions and removing common barriers to it.  They came together as a volunteer organization to develop a workshop for public high school students from underreprsented ethnic and socioeconomic populations and their families centered around the college application process. The first workshop was held in the spring of 2008 in New York City and met with much success.
 
Since then, Y-Apply has grown to serve over 500 students and families across the country.  Because of the the strength of its programming, solid track record of success and the desire of its members to bring the organization to as many students and families as possible, Y-Apply became a nonprofit organization in June of 2012 and received its 501(c)3 tax-exempt status in March of 2013.

Y-Apply is currently in its seventh year of programming and has expanded its footprint to the Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Newark and Washington, D.C. metro areas.  Y-Apply has plans to continue to deliver its workshop in these cities as well expand its workshop to other metro areas around the country over the next few years.