One of the most innovative summer programs. Solving Global Challenges (SGC) focuses on solving the greatest challenges facing the global community in the 21st century. Students will use knowledge from academic disciplines, STEM, social sciences and the arts to explore and brainstorm innovative sustainable solutions.

Non-credit

Residential

Commuter

Accepts International Students

Financial Aid

Application fee waiver

Solving Global Challenges (SGC) focuses on innovative and cross-disciplinary approaches to solving the greatest challenges facing the global community in the 21st century. Using an interdisciplinary approach, students work towards developing solutions to issues with a global impact, focusing heavily on the 17 key challenges identified in the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)(link is external). These wide-ranging topics include global health, gender equality, poverty alleviation, art in protest, environmental sustainability, and green technologies.

This session gives students the tools to translate between technical knowledge and in-practice implications. SGC draws on a multitude of academic disciplines, from STEM to social sciences to the humanities and the arts. Students will practice skills in critical analysis, problem solving, and creativity as they explore and brainstorm innovative and sustainable solutions to a wide array of contemporary social, economic, and environmental problems.

Is SGC a Good Fit for Me?
If you are intrigued by any of the following questions, then this session is a great choice:
• How can we design sustainable cities?
• If feasible, should we edit human genomes? How could this be used and what impact would this have on society?
• What are the most effective poverty alleviation strategies and how do we implement them?
• Should artificial intelligence be used to solve human problems? What makes human intelligence different from artificial intelligence?
• How do we balance environmental protections with economic development?

Session I

Jun 23 - Jul 05

2 weeks

Residential

6500 USD

Session II

Jul 07 - Jul 19

2 weeks

Residential

6500 USD

Session III

Jul 21 - Aug 02

2 weeks

Residential

6500 USD

Tuition Breakdown:
For YYGS Residential students, the full program tuition for one, 2-week session is $6,500 USD.
If participants apply for and receive a Commuter offer from YYGS, then their tuition is automatically discounted $1,000 and they will not be assigned to YYGS housing.
Please note that tuition covers all on-campus components of the program (housing, meals, curriculum materials, etc.), but travel is not covered due to our program size and the legal and logistical limitations of working with globally diverse families.

YYGS offers Need-Based Financial Aid (covering up to the full cost of tuition) for all domestic and international students, and then all students coordinate and pay/fundraise to cover their transportation needs.

Payment Deadlines:
Full tuition payment is due on January 4, 2024 for Early Action admits, and March 15, 2024 for Regular Decision admits.

Financial Aid

YYGS is proud to be one of the only pre-college programs in the world that provides need-based financial aid equally to both domestic and international students, which is offered as a tuition discount (up to 100% of tuition). Students with demonstrated financial need are encouraged to apply for YYGS need-based financial aid.
We consider demonstrated financial need separately from applicant eligibility. Therefore students are encouraged to provide us with as much information as possible when applying for aid.

Scholarships
Thanks to generous donors, YYGS is able to offer a limited number of Scholarships, which are Need-Based Financial Aid packages that cover nearly full-tuition (with $50 USD contribution from family, if possible).

Please note that the majority of students who apply for need-based financial aid receive significant tuition discounts and then fundraise to cover any additional costs (including all travel costs), as only a limited number of scholarships are available each year.

In order to be considered for one of these scholarships (below), you MUST have completed the entire online YYGS Application, including the Need-Based Financial Aid portion, by January 10, 2024.

As part of reviewing your financial aid request, YYGS staff will automatically review whether or not you meet any of our scholarships’ eligibility requirements, and contact you when decisions are released by mid-March (learn more about Early Action deadlines).

2024 YYGS Scholarships include:
Yale Young African Scholars (YYAS) Alumni Scholarship
Yale Young African Scholars (YYAS) Alumni Scholarships will be awarded to selected students who completed the YYAS program in any summer prior to 2024. The scholarship covers full tuition and travel costs for students to attend any of the YYGS sessions offered in 2024.

Young Leaders (YL) Scholarship
YL Scholarships will be awarded to selected students in the U.S. and internationally who self-identify as at least ONE of the following:

Black or African American (including Africa and the Caribbean)
Hispanic and/or Latino/Latina/Latinx
Members of Indigenous peoples, nations, and/or communities
Refugees*
The scholarship covers full tuition and travel costs for students to attend any of the YYGS sessions offered in 2024.

*A refugee is someone who has been forced to flee his or her country because of persecution, war, or violence. A refugee has a well-founded fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership in a particular social group.

Fee Waiver
YYGS will waive the application fee if it constitutes a significant financial burden for the student’s family. The link to the Fee Waiver Request Form is available on the “Payment Options” page in the YYGS application, but it will only appear there AFTER students have fully completed the “Financial Aid” page in the YYGS application (as it is only available for those who request need-based financial aid). Students who apply for a fee waiver must have a school official finalize the form.