The Ministry of Education’s International Academic Advisory Panel recommended the establishment of a liberal arts college in Singapore.

At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, National University of Singapore (NUS) President Tan Chorh Chuan began discussions with Yale University’s President Richard Levin and Vice President Linda Lorimer on collaborating to design a liberal arts college in Singapore.

The actual conversation was electrifying because we realized that we actually just had an amazing convergence of point of view. Right from the very first conversation, we were already talking about ideas like having a common curriculum that explored the differences in ways of thinking, in intellectual traditions, in Asia and the West.

—Professor Richard Levin, President of Yale University (1993–2013)

Faculty committees at Yale and NUS studied the issues of planning a curriculum, recruiting faculty and designing a residential college.

Initially, the discussions were really quite conceptual. It revolved quite a lot around the nature of the curriculum, instruction, the value of residential learning and we had many really stimulating and exciting discussions about how we can actually bring the traditions of the East and the West together.

—Professor Tan Chorh Chuan, President of NUS (2008–2017)

Yale and NUS signed a Memorandum of Understanding to further study the creation of the College.

Yale-NUS College was announced as Singapore's first liberal arts college and the first with a fully residential college model. It was the first time Yale had allowed its name to be used on a campus outside of its base in New Haven.

The final agreement to launch Yale-NUS College was signed, with guest of honour Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

The Yale-NUS Governing Board was appointed.

Two joint programmes in Law and Environmental Studies were launched: the Double Degree Programme in Law and Liberal Arts offered jointly by Yale-NUS and NUS' Faculty of Law, and a Special Programme offered by Yale-NUS and the Yale School of Forestry and Environment.

The inaugural round of admissions was opened.

The inaugural President and Leadership Team were announced.

The inaugural faculty members were announced.

Professor Pericles Lewis took office as Yale-NUS' inaugural president.

Pericles Lewis stands out for his ability to cut to the heart of the matter, to articulate solutions clearly and simply, and to inspire others. We’re greatly fortunate to have a leader of his calibre for Yale-NUS College.

—Professor Richard Levin, President of Yale University (1993–2013)

A groundbreaking ceremony, attended by guest of honour Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, marked the start of the construction of the College’s new campus.

The inaugural faculty attended a series of workshops at Yale and NUS to discuss the curriculum and teaching methods. Many faculty stayed on at Yale for the next few months to devise the curriculum.

The College’s Vision and Mission Statement were outlined. The Vision was written by inaugural President Pericles Lewis, with inputs from faculty and staff.

A community of learning,
Founded by two great universities,
In Asia, for the world.

The Common Curriculum, the cornerstone of the Yale-NUS academic journey, was announced.

Members of the inaugural student cohort visited the College to get to know the faculty and staff, as well as meet their future classmates. They experienced residential and academic life at the College for the first time, touring the campus and attending talks and sample classes.

The College welcomed the inaugural class of over 150 students comprising 26 nationalities.

The first cohort familiarised itself with the College and Singapore at SingapOrientation, a two-week programme with a mix of activities for students, faculty and staff to get to know one another.

Staff and faculty welcomed the inaugural class to the College and celebrated the beginning of the academic year.

The inaugural class began a three-week Summer Immersion Programme at Yale's campus in New Haven, before returning to Singapore to start the Common Curriculum in August.

Yale-NUS College officially marked the start of its first academic year with an Inauguration Ceremony officiated by guest of honour Dr Tony Tan Keng Yam, President of the Republic of Singapore and Chancellor of NUS.

The friends and families of the College's inaugural class visited the campus, met faculty and staff, explored the campus facilities, attended sample lectures and learned about the educational opportunities and suport available to the students.

The President's Speaker Series welcomed its first distinguished guest speaker, investigative journalist Maria Ressa. Over the years, the series enabled students and the public to engage with, and learn from, experts in a variety of fields, including politics, industry, art, writing and academia.

Panopt, the first Yale-NUS student publication, was launched. It would later become The Octant, the best known and widest-read student publication at the College.

Midway through the first semester, the first Week 7: Learning Across Boundaries took the students out of their classrooms for study trips where they could apply the concepts they learned in the Common Curriculum to real-world situations.

The first End-of-Semester Dinner was held in the College’s temporary home at Residential College 4 (RC4).

The end of the main construction period for the new campus was marked by a ceremony held on the roof of the future Elm Residential College.

The community celebrated the end of the College’s first academic year with singing, dancing and good food.

Yale-NUS was the first educational institution to receive Landscape Excellence Assessment Framework certification.

Provisional names for the Residential Colleges were announced: Saga, Elm, Chendana. Apart from a spelling change to Cendana, they were adopted unchanged.

The Yale-NUS dodgeball team won the College’s first Inter-Faculty Games competition.

Students voted to elect 11 of their peers to represent them on the first Student Government. The group consisted of one representative from each Residential College, two representatives each from the Classes of 2017 and 2018, and four representatives-at-large to represent the student community as a whole.

The Concurrent Degree with Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy was launched.

The Concurrent Degree with Yale School of Public Health was launched.

The College moved into the new campus at 16 College Avenue West.

The College’s inaugural cohort began their majors.

The Residential College’s student-run late night snack cafés, known as butteries, opened: Shiok Shack at Saga, The Nest at Cendana and an as yet unnamed buttery at Elm (it would eventually be named Shiner’s Diner).

The Symposium on International Liberal Education was attended by approximately 40 international thought leaders in higher education from leading institutions around the world. They discussed trends in higher education worldwide.

The new campus was officially inaugurated with a ceremony officiated by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

United States Ambassador to Singapore, Kirk Wagar, launched the US Embassy Global Affairs Speaker Series, a new series of talks by influential leaders and thinkers on US policy.

A new ‘maker space’ for creativity, design, invention and entrepreneurship was opened, giving students access to a range of state-of-the-art fabrication tools.

The College held a four-day symposium and workshop at Yale University to share the lessons learnt in founding a new liberal arts college in Asia. Over 90 thought leaders in higher education from leading liberal arts colleges and universities around the United States attended the event.

The College’s campus was awarded the prestigious International Architecture Award recognising excellence in its design, construction, planning and sustainability.

The College’s official mascot, the blue-eared kingfisher Halcyon, was launched. Halcyon encompassed some of the ideals that resonated at the heart of Yale-NUS College: youthfulness, creativity, curiosity and an adventurous spirit—ready to take on the world.

The student-run coffee cart Brewhouse officially opened.

Seniors and their loved ones celebrated their upcoming graduation at the first Class Day, relaxing with friends, family, staff and faculty and enjoying performances, speeches and food while reflecting on their Yale-NUS journey together.

At the College’s first graduation, 119 students from the inaugural cohort successfully completed their Yale-NUS journey.

Professor Tan Tai Yong took office as the College’s second President.

Students shared that they would like a president who is approachable, present, and who cared deeply about them and their educational experience… [I’m] happy that in Tai Yong, we have a President who fully encompasses all these qualities.

—Professor Tan Chorh Chuan, President of NUS (2008–2017)

Students started studying two new independent minors, Global Antiquity and Chinese Studies.

The Yale-NUS and Duke-NUS Liberal Arts and Medicine Pathway was launched.

The College’s Institutional flag and Ceremonial Mace were unveiled.

The Yale-NUS community came together for the first Diversity Week. Organised by the Dean of Students Office, the series of dialogues, workshops, performances and activities celebrated and promoted thought about diversity, and cultivated spaces that allowed diversity to flourish.

The first Kingfisher Awards were presented to student leaders, student organisations and staff who made outstanding contributions to the College and the wider community.

The first Yale-NUS Lecture on Global Affairs, given by Yale Professor of Economics Ahmed Mushfiq Mobarak, focused on what kept people and countries poor. The annual lectures, sponsored by the late NUS Professor Saw Swee Hock, subsequently featured eminent academics who discussed key global issues.

The first annual Bread and Jam concert was staged, showcasing rock and pop bands of all levels of musical ability. The student bands played two songs, one well-known (the bread) and another which demonstrated their unique ‘flavour’ (the jam).

The Concurrent Degree with NUS School of Computing was launched.

During the COVID-19 pandemic 'circuit breaker' lockdown period students were encouraged to return home if possible.

The Dean of Students’ Office launched the Residential Curriculum, a series of programmes, discussions and activities aimed at developing students’ life skills and introducing them to new perspectives.

A new independent minor, Innovation and Design, was introduced.

The Student Affairs Office was created to enhance student support and co-curricular programming at the College.

The College Digital Archives were launched, creating a rich digital repository to collect, preserve and provide access to materials relevant to the history of the College.

President Tan Tai Yong announced the College’s core values: Transformation, Exploration, Respect, Inclusivity and Care.

NUS announced the decision to combine Yale-NUS College and the University Scholars Programme into a new college later to be known as NUS College.

Professor Joanne Roberts was appointed as Yale-NUS’ third President.

We are confident that she will capably lead the College during the next three years, ensuring that we provide the Yale-NUS experience to all our students and making sure that Yale-NUS is supported in the transitional years ahead.

—Mdm Kay Kuok Oon Kwong, Chair, Yale-NUS College Governing Board

Yale-NUS's first geopolitics conference, US-China Rivalry: Domestic Determinants of Foreign Policy in Southeast Asia, focused on how domestic politics shaped the foreign policy of Southeast Asian countries, particularly how they positioned themselves between the United States and China.

Saga was the first of the Residential Colleges to be handed over to NUS College. A commemorative exhibition was mounted in the library.

The Yale-NUS Legacy website was launched, featuring a virtual tour of the campus and dynamic storytelling portraying the vibrancy of life and learning at the College.

Yale-NUS hosted its first TEDx event where students, alumni, faculty and staff gave talks on a diverse array of topics inspired by the ideas of renewal, transformation and the power of resilience.

Yale-NUS organised the Learning from Global Liberal Arts Education: Innovation and Resilience symposium to explore the lessons, challenges and successes of a global liberal arts education.

The College’s Performance Hall was renamed Yale-NUS College Hall, with a new plaque being unveiled by President of Yale University Peter Salovey and Chair of the Yale-NUS College Governing Board Mdm Kay Kuok Oon Kwong.

The Yale-NUS Club, an independent alumni association, was formed with the aim of preserving and expanding the alumni network after the College’s closure.

The Yale-NUS College sculpture, Mater, was unveiled with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

We are grateful to have this amazing artwork that captures the essence of Yale-NUS and our time here. Its permanence will commemorate our amazing journey together, and at the same time, it has the power to capture our continuing transformation as individuals, and as a community.

—Professor Joanne Roberts, President of Yale-NUS (2022–2025)