History of Women at Yale

Women in a painting class at the School of the Fine Arts circa 1900.

Women Arrive at Yale

The first university arts institution, the School of the Fine Arts, opened in 1869. It was the first Yale school open to women, who formed the majority of students in the school’s first four decades.

The First Woman to Graduate

Alice Rufie Jordan Blake received a bachelor’s in law in 1886 from Yale Law School, becoming the university’s first female graduate.

Image: American Women (Mast, Crowell, & Kirkpatrick, 1897)

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Colorful painting depicitng Yale's first seven women PhDs each holding an item that represents their field.

Yale’s First Women Ph.D.s

Seven women received their Ph.D.s from Yale in 1894, two years after the university opened its doors to women seeking graduate degrees.

“Yale Women” portrait by Brenda Zlamany, 2016

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Louise Farnam posing for the camera outside in warm weather

Dr. Louise W. Farnam

After receiving her Ph.D. from Yale in 1916, Louise Farnam became the first woman to receive a medical degree from the School of Medicine in 1920.

Beatrix Hamburg in her later years shown smiling during a video interview

Dr. Beatrix McCleary Hamburg

Beatrix McCleary Hamburg, M.D., was the first African American woman to attend the School of Medicine. After graduating in 1948, her work focused on behavioral and developmental issues among adolescents, especially minority children.

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Students on campus walking together to the Freshmen Assembly

Yale College Opens Its Doors

In 1969, the first freshman women —230 out of more than 1200 freshmen—arrived at Yale College. They joined their male classmates in the trek across campus to attend the Freshman Assembly at Woolsey Hall.

Three women undergraduates have lunch together in Berkley College dining hall

Residential Life

Stephanie Brown, Alexis Krasilovsky, and Doris Zaleznik have lunch together in Berkley College dining hall. The three women were among Yale’s first women undergraduates admitted in 1969.

The women's field hockey team poses for a group photo in uniform circa 1970

First Varsity Women’s Team

Formed in 1969, the women’s field hockey team was the first women’s varsity sport at Yale.

A female student in the early 1970’s hands out a flyer to a passerby on campus with Beinecke Library in the background

Activism on Beinecke Plaza

A student in the early 1970s hands out flyers as part of demonstration asking for an increase in women enrollment.

Pauli Murray

Anna Pauline “Pauli” Murray, ’65 J.S.D., ’79 Hon. D.Div., was a scholar, lawyer, and civil rights activist. Murray College opened in 2017, becoming Yale’s first residential college named after a woman.

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Grace Hoppper in the 1950s shown working on a computer

Grace Hopper

In 2017, Calhoun College was renamed to honor one of Yale’s most distinguished graduates, Grace Murray Hopper ’30 M.A., ’34 Ph.D., a naval officer and computer programming pioneer.

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Historical Timeline

Explore more key dates and milestones of women’s coeducation at Yale in a comprehensive historical timeline.

ViEW Timeline

Timeline of Women at Yale

View a historical timeline from 1773 to present.

View the Timeline

One of the chief goals of the anniversary year is to research more thoroughly the history of women at Yale and to compile and catalog existing materials about women at Yale.

Explore the Stories of Women at Yale

As our history projects take shape, we will be posting stories of women at Yale across all the schools. We hope you will come back often to learn and explore. Read stories about the history of women at Yale.

Take a Virtual Walking Tour

“Women at Yale: A Tour,” was made possible by a gift to the Women Faculty Forum from Nancy Alexander (TD 1979, MBA 1984) and Phillip Bernstein (TD 1979, M.Arch 1983) and is cosponsored by the Yale Visitor Center and the Office of the Secretary.

You can find a pdf brochure of the tour, a map of tour locations, and a full description of the sites here: https://visitorcenter.yale.edu/tours/women-yale.

Tour an Array of Virtual Exhibitions

You are invited to learn about the history of women at Yale through our collection of virtual exhibitions. These exhibitions span topics from music, to medicine, to the 1970 May Day Rally and more.

Browse a selection of virtual exhibits

Browse Resources to Learn More

For those who wish to delve deeper into the history of women at Yale, library subject guides, research from our partners, and access to archival material is available on the Resources page.

Timeline of Women at Yale

View a historical timeline from 1773 to present.

View the Timeline