Welcome to the History of Coeducation at Yale LibGuide. In celebration of the 50th anniversary of coeducation in Yale College, this LibGuide provides a comprehensive look at the history of the implementation of coeducation as it affected all aspects of student life at Yale, including issues of health, housing and access to facilities and athletics and Title IX as well as sources on underrepresented groups, including women of color. The LibGuide also provides an introduction to the broader subject of Women at Yale. Source material comes from the Yale University Archives, giving researchers the opportunity to explore Yale's rich body of records related to the history of coeducation.
Selected tabs at the top of the LibGuide provide annotated lists of Yale University record collections and other primary source material. This includes lists of women faculty, graduate students and administrators and the archival records pertaining to their time at Yale. The majority of the collection content is open for research. Requests for access to restricted records can be made by contacting the Yale University Archives at archives@yale.edu.
This guide is intended to facilitate research on the history of coeducation in Yale College, as well as provide an introduction to women in Yale’s history more broadly under the tab: "Women at Yale: Coeducation and Beyond." There are a wealth of primary sources to explore related to the University’s transition to full coeducation, which was completed when women were allowed to matriculate to Yale College in 1969.
Users will find resources in the tabs above, many of which lead to a more focused list of sources. Almost all of the primary sources can be found at Manuscripts and Archives in Sterling Memorial Library. Materials can be ordered by researchers through Archives at Yale and used in the Manuscripts and Archives reading room. Please note that in general these materials are stored off-site, so researchers who wish to view these materials need to order them at least forty-eight hours in advance of their visit. For more information on Manuscripts and Archives policies, please click here.
While this guide provides a broad overview of Yale’s institutional collections related to coeducation, it is not exhaustive. Researchers who are interested in particular aspects of coeducation are encouraged to search the finding aids using specific keywords (i.e., “Title IX,” “Women’s studies courses,” “Elga Wasserman,” etc.) Researchers can also reach out to Manuscripts and Archives staff with any questions. For more specialized topics, it is likely that researchers will find collections where only some of the boxes or folders – not the entire collection – are relevant. Any restrictions on archival material will be noted on a collection’s finding aid.
We hope that this guide will help you explore this fascinating chapter in Yale University’s history!